INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the seventh time in the last 20 seasons, Villanova is headed to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Wildcats (18-6 overall, 11-4 BIG EAST) fell behind by eight points but then used a 24-4 spurt late in the first half to take control of the game played Sunday night here at Bankers Life Fieldhouse against North Texas. The Wildcats ultimately posted an 84-61 victory over the No. 13 seed Mean Green (18-10 overall), who knocked off Purdue in Friday's First Round. Eight different Wildcats sank at least one 3-pointer, a first in NCAA Tournament history, on their way to a 15-of-30 effort from beyond the arc. Villanova also committed just six turnovers. "Our goal is to play Villanova Basketball for 40 minutes," stated senior forward Jermaine Samuels, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. "We rely on playing defense. Tonight we made shots. "We talk a lot about being the best team we can be at the end of the season. We want to prove to each other we're all in this together, that we want to make plays for each other. I think everybody was going out there to prove that to each other." This will be Samuels' second trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. He was a freshman in 2018 when the Wildcats downed Radford and Alabama to advance to the East Region semifinal. "It's actually surreal," said the native of Franklin, Mass. "I haven't really thought about it. It is pretty cool. I'm not going to lie." "Since we got here," noted Jay Wright, who improved to 30-12 in lifetime NCAA Tournament action as Villanova head coach, "Jermaine and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl have done an outstanding job of leading our guys, focusing on attention to detail. I think those two have been really important to the two games we have played here." The Wildcats withstood an early barrage from the Mean Green and got a lift from reserves Cole Swider, Bryan Antoine, and Eric Dixon. North Texas jumped out to a 17-11 lead on the strength of 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and by controlling the glass to the tune of a 7-1 edge through the first 6:27 of the contest here. Villanova stayed within striking distance, though, on the strength of four 3-pointers by four different players. Bryan Antoine's just before the midway point of the first half cut the deficit to 21-18. "We had a plan going in defensively," stated Wright. "Going in we knew that Hamlet is such a dynamic offensive player that we might have to adjust. We didn't think we would have to adjust that early. Cole Swider came into the game and we changed our ball screen coverage. We put Cole in there and Cole did a great job doubling Hamlet and getting back to his man. "We got a couple of stops and hit some 3's in transition. I think that made a big difference." Antoine's 3-pointer was part of a 13-0 surge by the Wildcats that transformed a 21-13 deficit into a 26-21 lead with 7:31 to play. Arcidiacono and Caleb Daniels both added their second 3-pointers of the night as part of that burst. Sparked by a 3/4 court trap, the Wildcats were able to build on that spurt. It ultimately became a 24-4 run highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers from Swider and another from Eric Dixon – his first as a collegian. By the time the halftime horn sounded, the Wildcats held a 47-27 lead over the Mean Green. Nova was 9-of-15 from beyond the arc while holding the Mean Green to 2-of-11 accuracy from deep. After North Texas sank 8-of-12 from the field to begin the game, they sank just 3-of-15 over the rest of the period. Robinson-Earl joined the 3-point party early in the second half, becoming the seventh Wildcat to sink one on this night. But the Mean Green heated up from deep, sinking 3-of-5 from deep in the first six minutes of the second half to narrow the Villanova advantage to 55-40. The Wildcats stretched their lead to 75-49 with just under seven minutes to play in the second half before North Texas reeled off an 8-0 spurt to close the gap to 75-57 at the 4:19 mark of the period. A Jermaine Samuels baseline jumper pushed the lead back to 77-57 and that led to a finishing kick that resulted in the 84-61 final score. Villanova advances to a South Region semifinal matchup Saturday against No. 1 seed Baylor. That game will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse with a 5:15 p.m. tipoff time. "We played them last year in Myrtle Beach," said Wright of a November 2019 meeting. "They have all the same guys and we don't. One of our guys is in the NBA and a couple of others, Collin Gillespie and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, are hurt. And they beat us with them. They're a great team but we're looking forward to getting a few more days of practice in to try to get better."