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Featured

Oklahoma basketball: Sooners fall to Villanova 95-51 in National Semifinal

Buddy Hield

HOUSTON — Senior guard Buddy Hield puts up two points during the first half of the game against Villanova April 2. Hield contributed seven points in the first half.

HOUSTON — After one of the greatest seasons in program history, Oklahoma's run has ended just two victories shy of a national championship. 

The Sooners fell to Villanova 95-51 in Saturday's National Semifinal in what will go down as the biggest Final Four loss in NCAA Tournament history.

Both teams got off to hot offensive starts and OU led 17-16 at the 12:31 mark of the first half. From that point on, the Sooners were never really in it. Villanova closed the half on a 26-17 run and the Wildcats just kept pilling it on after halftime.

Villanova shot 77 percent from the floor in the second half, turning OU's loss from convincing to historic.

Key stat 71 percent

The stadium effect was obviously no concern for the Wildcats. Villanova shot 71 percent from the floor Saturday, which the Sooners made worse by shooting 32 percent from the floor and 22 percent from three-point range. The jump shots had been falling for OU throughout the entire tournament leading up to Saturday, but that turned on the Sooners in this contest.

Key Sooner: Jordan Woodard

Despite the tough loss and shooting struggles from the entire OU lineup, the junior guard had a solid outing in his first Final Four appearance. Woodard finished with 12 points and four rebounds to go along with two assists.

What's next

OU has been eliminated from the postseason and finishes with a 29-8 record. Villanova will play the winner of North Carolina and Syracuse.

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