HOUSTON (AP) The Latest on the Final Four with Villanova and Oklahoma playing in the first semifinal and North Carolina and Syracuse in Game 2. (all times local):
5:11 p.m.
The Final Four started with Buddy Hield hitting a 3-pointer, his 20th of the tournament. Moments later Hield scored again to give Oklahoma a 7-6 lead.
---
5:07 p.m.
Blowing the whistles and calling the fouls for the first game - the officials - are referee Mark Whitehead, along with Tom Eades and Tony Padilla. The standby official is Brian Dorsey.
---
5: 02 p.m.
Star sightings: Vice president Joe Biden, who received a mixed reaction from the fans when he appeared on the video screen above the court. Former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen, who also played for the Houston Rockets, is here. Also, President George Bush.
---
4:56 p.m.
Oklahoma star Buddy Hield made at least six consecutive 3-pointers during warmups.
For all the talk about the difficulty of shooting in the big stadium, the big-scoring Oklahoma guard certainly looks comfortable in pregame.
---
4:48 p.m.
The starting lineups for the first national semifinal game:
Villanova: Junior forward Kris Jenkins, senior forward Daniel Ochefu, freshman guard Jalen Brunson, junior guard Josh Hart, senior guard Ryan Arcidiancono
Oklahoma: Senior forward Ryan Spangler, sophomore forward Khadeem Lattin, junior guard Jordan Woodard, senior guard Isaiah Cousins, senior guard Buddy Hield. It is the 105th straight game that Spangler, Woodard, Cousins and Hield have started together.
---
Buddy Ball vs. Philly Ball and a matchup of Hall of Fame coaches.
The Final Four tips off Saturday night at NRG Stadium in Houston with Oklahoma facing Villanova, a couple of sharp-shooting No. 2 seeds. The Sooners are led by Buddy Hield, who is averaging 29 points per game in the NCAA Tournament while showing off almost unlimited range. The Wildcats from Philadelphia, led by Ryan Arcidiacono, are hitting 46 percent of their 3s so far in the tournament.
The Sooners are making their fifth Final Four appearance and Villanova is making its sixth.
In Game 2, top-seed North Carolina with coach Roy Williams faces Jim Boeheim and 10th-seeded Syracuse. Williams and Boeheim have combined for 125 NCAA Tournament wins, including some Boeheim wins vacated by the NCAA.
The Orange is the fourth double-digit seed to reach the Final Four, but none have made it to the title game.
