Villanova announced Sunday that star guard Justin Moore will undergo surgery for a torn Achilles he suffered in the Wildcats' win over Houston in the Elite Eight on Saturday. That means the No. 2 seed Wildcats will be without one of their top offensive options when they play No. 1 seed Kansas in the Final Four on Saturday.
Moore averaged 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 35.6% from 3-point range in 36 starts this season. Villanova is not a particularly deep team, and the Wildcats are already without key reserve guard Jordan Longino.
"This is a tough blow for all of us, not just because of the great player Justin is, but because of what he means to us as teammates and coaches," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "As one of our captains, Justin has been an integral part of our success. He helps our team in so many ways. Every game, he guards the opponent's best scorer and is one of the toughest rebounding guards we have had in our time at Villanova.
"Justin's work ethic and dedication will help bring him through this recovery and we look forward to the day where we see him back on the court fully healthy."
Even with Moore healthy against Houston until suffering the injury with 35 seconds left, Villanova played just seven players. But the seventh player, reserve point guard Chris Arcidiacono, logged just three minutes. In essence, it was a six-man rotation that Wright deployed in the Elite Eight.
