Villanova is headed to the Final Four.
But its celebration was dampened by an injury to Justin Moore.The Wildcats’ All-Big East guard fell to the floor with a non-contact leg injury late in Saturday’s Elite Eight win over Houston.He sustained the injury on a drive to the basket in the game’s final minute with Villanova leading 48-44.
He planted his right leg and immediately collapsed before a jump ball was called amid a tie-up.
Justin Moore injury.Watch at your own discretion pic.twitter.com/nmw44FDWha
— Wes Scheier (@HoopsClips) March 27, 2022
He grabbed his lower right leg as soon as he fell.He eventually limped off the court with the help of his teammates, but clearly struggled to put weight on his injured leg.
After the clocked ticked to zero on Villanova’s 50-44 win, Moore was in tears on the sideline, surrounded by his teammates.
Justin Moore’s teammates immediately ran over to console him after exiting the game in the final seconds 🙏 #MarchMadness @NovaMBB pic.twitter.com/47QecgXppI
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2022
Villanova announced after the game that Moore sustained a lower leg injury without providing further details of the initial diagnosis.Moore returned to the court for the net-cutting celebration on crutches.
Can Villanova compete without Moore? While Villanova’s headed to its third Final Four since 2016, it looks like it might do so without Moore’s services.His absence would be a big blow to Villanova’s championship bid and obviously hugely disappointing for Moore.
Story continues Justin Moore was in tears after a late injury against Houston.(Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) A three-year starter, Moore averaged 15 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 35.3% from 3-point distance this season.He was named second-team All-Big East for his performance during the regular season.
A Villanova team that plays just six players in double-figure minutes will have to dig deeper into its bench if he can’t play in next Saturday’s national semifinal.
Junior guard Chris Arcidiacono (1.7 points in 9.9 minutes per game) could be asked to play a bigger role..
