In the concluding weekend of the College Basketball Crown, Villanova will take on the University of Central Florida on Saturday, April 5, in the semifinals.
The game will tip off at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT at the T-Mobile Arena on FOX.
This is just the third all-time meeting between the two teams. The last two contests both took place in preseason tournaments. Villanova leads the all-time series, 2-0.
The Wildcats (21-14, 11-9 Big East) are coming off a game on Thursday, April 3, that came down to the wire against the University of Southern California. Villanova won in the game’s final seconds, 60-59.
The final four teams in the Crown tournament are guaranteed some amount of NIL money. The champions get $300,000, the runner-ups get $100,000 and the two other semifinalist teams get $50,000 each.
Graduate forward Eric Dixon said the prize money is a nice bonus, but that he is just happy to continue to represent Villanova on the court.
“Yeah the money is great…but we are not really here for that,” Dixon said to Villanova Athletics after the win over USC. “I have been saying it all year, this a great group of guys to be around. We are just excited to have another day, another game to play together.”
Dixon scored 24 of his 28 points in the second half against the Trojans. He has improved his scoring average to 23.1 points per game and has scored double digits in all but one game this season.
Dixon leads the Big East in three-point percentage with 42.1%. As for Villanova, it ranks fifth in the nation, shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc. This has been a key piece in Villanova’s success during the Crown.
As for UCF (19-16, 7-13 Big 12), despite the success, it is down the best scorer in the Big 12 Conference. Junior guard Keyshawn Hall averaged 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds this season which led the Big 12 and UCF in scoring. On April 3, Hall announced he was transferring to Auburn. The Tigers are currently in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
The Knights, however, had no issue filling Hall’s production with the second-best scorer on their roster.
Senior guard Darius Johnson dropped 31 points in UCF’s quarterfinal win against Cincinnati. It was his fourth career 30-point game and second of the season. He averages 17.1 points per game.
Over its last six games, UCF has been successful from the three-point range. The Knights have knocked down 10 or more three-pointers for the fourth straight game and fifth time in the last six contests. This season, UCF has shot 33.7% from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats have averaged 73.3 points this season while holding opponents to just 67.1 points. Meanwhile, the Knights have averaged 79.5 points while their opponents have averaged 80 points.
The winner of the semifinal matchup will face either Boise State or Nebraska in the championship game on Sunday, April 6, at the T-Mobile Arena (FOX, 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT).
