SPORTS - NCAA Basketball Elite 8 Florida vs. Villanova

Both teams survived close games to advance to this regional final and it should be a dandy. The Gators, winners of the SEC Tournament, have put together a nice string of 8 straight wins and would like nothing more than to join a fellow SEC team, LSU (whom they've beaten twice this season), in Indianapolis.

To do so, Joaquim Noah and Al Horford will have to stay out of foul trouble and maintain a strong presence inside against the aggressive Villanova offense.

The Wildcats have gone away from their four guard set and settled into a more traditional approach, led by Kyle Lowry and Randy Foye driving the lane with great frequency. All-American Allen Ray has been less-than-effective from outside, with teams putting greater pressure at the 3-point line.

The winner will advance to the Final Four and play in one of the semi-final games against the winner of today's George Mason - Connecticut game.

Half time update: Florida 35 Villanova 30

As expected, Florida's inside tandem of Joakim Noah and Al Horford controlled the paint for most of the half, scoring 7 and 8, respectively. Sloppy play and fatigue on the part of the Gators nearing the end of the half allowed Villanova to slice a 10-point lead in half.

Kyle Lowry leads the Wildcats in scoring with 11. The pace of the game was frenetic, but it seemed to catch up to both squads as the clock wound down. Numerous players with multiple fouls: Florida: Hodge 3, Green, Brewer, Heurtas, Richard, 2 apiece; Villanova: Cunningham, Lowry, Ray have 2 each.

Recap: Florida 75 Villanova 62

The cold shooting which plagued Villanova in the first half killed them in the second stanza. They were 8-38 in the first half, and 10-35 in the second half, finishing at just under 25% for the game.

Florida's inside game was dominant and the Wildcats had no answer for the work of Joakim Noah (21 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks) and Al Horford (12 points, 15 rebounds).

Villanova was outrebounded 53-40, but the real story was on defense, where the Gators limited the Wildcats' outside shooting to a disturbing 4-23 (17%). Among the lowlights for the formerly high flying Wildcats were Kyle Lowry's 1-9 shooting performance and fouling out with a minute left; Allen Ray, 5-19 overall and 1-7 from 3-point range; Mike Nardi 2-11, 1-7. Only Randy Foye played well, leading all scorers with 25 points before fouling out.

While Florida's defense smothered the Villanova guards, it was their quickness on the perimeter that really made the difference. Much of the credit has to go to unheralded guards Taurean Green, Cory Brewer and Lee Humphrey for stifling the Wildcats at the 3-point line.

The Gators move on to the Final Four and will play George Mason in one of the semi-final games.