NCAA Tournament 2016: Top Social Media Highlights from Final Four

The Final Four of the 2016 NCAA tournament got underway Saturday inside NRG Stadium in Houston. By the time the night is over, two teams will be one game away from a national championship,

Saturday's first matchup featured a pair of No. 2 seeds—the Oklahoma Sooners and Villanova Wildcats—while the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels opposed the 10th-seeded Syracuse Orange to close out the night. The four schools have combined to reach 35 Final Fours and win seven national championships.

Here's a look at the results for both games and how social media reacted as the night wore on.

Matchup	Result
No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 2 Oklahoma	95-51, Villanova
No. 10 Syracuse vs. No. 1 North Carolina	83-66, North Carolina

Villanova 95, Oklahoma 51

As a team, Villanova shot 71.4 percent from the field. According to ESPN College BBall, that puts the Wildcats in elite company—with themselves:

"

Nova is shooting 66.7%. The last team to shoot that well in Final Four? Nova in 1985 National Championship (78.6). pic.twitter.com/93yhSWPXuh

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) April 2, 2016"

The Dan Le Batard Show joked about the Wildcats' hot shooting all tournament:

For CBSSports.com's Tom Fornelli, Villanova's win was another example of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry causing the downfall of basketball:

"

Villanova is hitting every shot cuz it saw Steph Curry do it first. Steph Curry is ruining this game.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) April 2, 2016"

Junior guard Josh Hart led all scorers with 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting. He nearly pulled off the double-double, adding eight rebounds. Junior forward Kris Jenkins played a big role in the win as well, scoring 18 points and grabbing eight boards.

It was a night to forget for senior guard Buddy Hield. The nation's second-leading scorer finished with just nine points on 4-of-12 shooting. Oklahoma made only 31.7 percent of its shots and committed 17 turnovers.

ESPN's Fran Fraschilla thought the nature of the game favored the Wildcats:

During the first half, Villanova went on a 24-6 run, turning a 13-15 deficit into a 37-21 lead with 4:09 left until halftime. CBSSports.com's Matt Norlander was concerned the Sooners were playing themselves right out of the game:

Villanova was doing a great job of working the ball around the floor in order to find an open shot:

The team also gave Hart plenty of chances inside. ESPN Stats & Info noted how successful he was offensively in the paint:

Calling Oklahoma a one-man team would be unfair, given the strength of the supporting cast. At the same time, much of the Sooners' overall performance hinges on how well Hield is finding the hoop. The Wildcats defense stifled the dynamic scorer through the first half, per ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman:

As bad as the half was for Hield, he still passed LaceDarius Dunn, who played at Baylor from 2008-11, for the all-time Big 12 lead in career points, per Sports-Reference.com. Bleacher Report saluted the Sooners star:

Oklahoma would have been smart to ask head football coach Bob Stoops how to break down a physical defense. The Cauldron captured Stoops in attendance in Houston:

At the 16:23 mark of the second half, junior guard Jordan Woodard followed up his own free throw to get Oklahoma to within nine points, 46-37:

The Sooners would never get any closer as Villanova ran away with the game. The Wildcats' hot shooting continued after halftime, and Oklahoma was powerless defensively to stop its opponent. CBSSports.com's Robby Kalland provided a nice visual representation of how the game was unfolding:

This clip from Rocky IV, courtesy of ESPN.com's Jake Trotter, also applied:

Fornelli spoke for many fans as Villanova's lead climbed to 40 points with a little over five minutes remaining:

"

pic.twitter.com/emFatuyBaD

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) April 2, 2016"

Wildcats head coach Jay Wright called off the dogs before his team could double-up the Sooners. Villanova's 44-point win is still the largest ever in a national semifinal, per ESPN Stats & Info. North Carolina will have its hands full in the national championship game.

North Carolina 83, Syracuse 66

North Carolina took one step toward collecting a sixth national championship. The Tar Heels had little trouble against Syracuse's patented zone defense, shooting 53.8 percent from the field. UNC also out-rebounded the Orange 43-31 and held them to 40.9 percent shooting.

Bleacher Report provided a live shot to the celebrations in Chapel Hill, North Carolina:

Before the game, two Tar Heels supporters used the opportunity for a little ribbing at the expense of their hated rivals:

CBS Sports found one passionate fan in Houston who fully embraced Syracuse's nickname:

Unfortunately for the Orange, that fan was unable to provide any defensive help in the paint. Despite the fact North Carolina struggled mightily beyond the arc, the Tar Heels still managed to get the upper hand on Syracuse. ESPN Stats & Info provided UNC's first-half shot chart:

Senior forward Brice Johnson accounted for one of those made shots with 9:37 left in the first half. Following up on teammate Nate Britt's missed three, Johnson threw down a two-handed slam dunk:

As the Charlotte Observer's Andrew Carter argued, North Carolina could almost be heartened by the way the first half unfolded:

The Tar Heels didn't play all that well, but they still took a 39-28 lead into the half. If they could start hitting their attempts from three-point range, they'd open up an even bigger gap between themselves and the Orange.

North Carolina's shooting problems extended into the second half. Excellent ball movement helped the team get through those issues:

Syracuse continued to do just enough to remain within striking distance. SB Nation's Rodger Sherman and Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician essentially summed up how the second half unfolded, however:

CBS Sports' Seth Davis thought Orange coach Jim Boeheim faced a catch-22 the longer the game went:

The game wasn't quite as much of a blowout as Villanova's win. Syracuse was unable to make up too much ground on its opponents, though, which added an air of predictability to the outcome. Sports on Earth's Matt Brown discovered the only way to save the game in terms of excitement:

Some argue the Connecticut Huskies' dominance makes women's college basketball uninteresting. The New York Daily News' Frank Isola wondered what those same people thought of the Final Four so far:

On paper, North Carolina and Villanova should be a lot of fun. The teams rank first and second, respectively, in adjusted offense, per KenPom.com. The semifinals didn't exactly set the bar for drama very high.

Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.