2022 NCAA Men’s Tournament Top Moments: Duke, 'Nova reach Final Four

It's Elite Eight time in the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and on Saturday, two teams punched their ticket to the Final Four in New Orleans.

No. 2 Duke stifled 4-seed Arkansas to advance to its first Final Four since 2015. 

With the win, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski has set a new NCAA record for the most Final Four appearance all-time with 13, passing the previous mark set by John Wooden.

Earlier, No. 2 Villanova took down 5-seed Houston in a thriller in San Antonio, Texas to become the first team to punch its ticket to the Final Four.

Here are the top moments from Saturday's Elite Eight games.

No. 2 Duke 78, No. 4 Arkansas 69

Trading favors early

After Arkansas' JD Notae got the Razorbacks on the board first, Duke's Jeremy Roach kicked off the scoring for the Blue Devils.

Shooters shoot

The Razorbacks guard didn't waste any time draining the first 3 of the game. 

Locked in

On the other side, Duke center Mark Williams continued to make big plays for the Blue Devils.

All-out effort

Duke went on an 8-0 run midway through the first half before a layup from Arkansas forward Jaylin Williams got the Hogs back in it.

Need for speed

Roach continued to show up in big moments, as Duke took a six-point lead with just over five minutes left before the break.

Banchero Knockdown

Paolo Banchero drained a 3-pointer, the Blue Devils' first of the game, to extend Duke's lead late in the frame.

At the buzzer!

The Blue Devils went on an 8-0 run to close the first half — and Coach K was here for it.

Duke held a 12-point lead at halftime, 45-33.

Heroic effort

Misfortune struck early in the second half when Stanley Umude's 3-pointer got stuck on top of the backboard, but fret not! There was an Arkansas cheerleader ready and waiting to save the day. 

OK, maybe just the basketball. 

Here come the Hogs

Williams came up with a huge basket to give the Razorbacks a scoring boost, but Duke followed that up with a 10-0 run to take a 63-48 lead midway through the frame.

Oh my!

Once again, Williams made another huge play for Arkansas. He ended the scoring drought with a monster dunk over Banchero that drew a foul and brought Razorbacks fans to their feet.

Ballin'

Duke still had a lot left in the tank. The Blue Devils took an 18-point lead after back-to-back AJ Griffin 3-point jumpers.

Sealing the deal

As things came to an end, it was more of the same from the Blue Devils, who closed the game out with a bang.

No. 2 Villanova 50, No. 5 Houston 44

Samuels show

Lights. Camera. Jermaine Samuels. 

The Wildcats' senior forward wasted little time getting things going for his squad, hitting a pair of nifty early buckets to help 'Nova start off on the right foot.

Playmaker badge

Cougars guard Kyler Edwards has shown an affinity for knocking down treys, but he flashed his playmaking ability with this pretty pass for Houston's second basket of the game.

Hammer Time

The Cougars kept their foot on the gas as the first half came to a close.

Lucky Seven

The Wildcats held a seven-point lead at the break, 27-20. 

Villanova's Caleb Daniels and Samuels led all scorers in the first half with seven points each.

Dime

Daniels kicked off the second-half scoring with a 3-point jumper to push Villanova's lead into double digits.

Taze Time

Houston forward Taze Moore returned the favor with his own shot from distance, Houston's first of the night, to cut the deficit. 

Both teams continued to battle, and it was an 11-point game at the midway mark in the second half.

Staying alive

A 6-0 run by Houston cut the Nova lead to 42-40 with just over five minutes to play. 

Sealing the deal

Villanova led Houston 48-44 after a big basket from Samuels, and the Wildcats held on to the edge until the end.

Dance on!

It was a fight to the finish, but Villanova got the best of Houston to advance to the Final Four.

Next stop: New Orleans!