Villanova vs Kansas

2022 - 4 - 2

Post cover — Image courtesy of "CBSSports.com"

Final Four 2022: Kansas vs. Villanova live stream, watch online, TV ... (CBSSports.com)

The Jayhawks face the Wildcats in the national semifinals on Saturday.

About the Jayhawks: The loss of the 2020 NCAA Tournament is not a primary motivation for Kansas, but it's not lost on anyone around the program that Self and the Jayhawks had the best team in the country at the time that the tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The loss of Justin Moore is undeniably going to change the math on how Villanova takes care of business, but Jay Wright has all week to put in a new game plan specifically for this weekend and there's not another team I trust more to receive and implement such changes than the Wildcats. -- Patterson The 2022 Final Four is underway on Saturday, and at halftime of the first game in New Orleans between No. 1 seed Kansas and No. 2 seed Villanova, it's the Jayhawks who take a commanding 40-29 lead into the half.

How Kansas beat Villanova to advance to the national title game (The Athletic)

No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks defeated No. 2 Villanova Wildcats 81-65 in the first matchup of the men's Final Four in New Orleans. The Jayhawks had an explosive ...

It was Agbaji’s fourth made 3 in the first 10 minutes of basketball at the 2022 Final Four. He had opened the game with a 3, had set the terms of engagement from the very first possession, and then had helped Kansas catch Villanova unawares with a couple more big shots. No, Agbaji was — somehow, in the mouth of the madness though he was — pensive. Middle of the cylinder, center of the bullseye, as though someone had taken a ladder, stood over the hoop, and gently dropped the ball through.

Villanova vs. Kansas - Game Recap - April 2, 2022 - ESPN (ESPN)

Get a recap of the Villanova Wildcats vs. Kansas Jayhawks basketball game.

Villanova threw the Jayhawks off for a stretch by going small, cutting the lead to seven early in the second half. Christian Braun all but put it out of reach with just under three minutes left, heaving in an off-balance 3 at the shot clock buzzer to put Kansas up 75-59. “Just threw one up there and it went in.” “We weren’t able to get off and help in the post because they attacked us early on the perimeter — and that can become a problem for us.” NEW ORLEANS -- — Villanova needed Justin Moore on offense, to add another scoring threat and spread the floor against Kansas' swarming interior defense. Jalen Wilson threw a skip pass and one of Villanova's former players yelled “No, you can't do that!” as Agbaji's shot arced into the basket.

Villanova vs. Kansas: Wildcats down 14 to Jayhawks with under a ... (Bucks County Courier Times)

The shorthanded Wildcats, playing without injured guard Justin Moore, are looking to get back to the title game for the first time since 2018.

Ochai Agbaji has hit all four of his shots from beyond the arc in the first nine minutes of the game and the Wildcats trail 19-8 with 11:33 left in the first half. The Wildcats are on a 10-0 run and have cut the lead to 38-29 after a Collin Gillespie three-pointer. The last time the Jayhawks advanced to the championship game was in 2012 when they lost to Kentucky. The Wildcats (30-7) have defensively powered their way to the Final Four, limiting their foes to an average of 55 points per game in their four tournament triumphs. If the Wildcats are to win this game, those numbers will have to be lower in the second half. New starter Caleb Daniels is heading up, and now has eight points to lead Villanova. The problem is the Jayhawks keep answering. While they have the lead, star forward David McCormack just picked up his second foul with six minutes left in the first quarter. Collin Gillespie is staying hot and now has 17 points for Villanova. It's getting late for the Wildcats and they need to get on a run. Collin Gillespie drained a trey to cut the lead to 10, but Ochai Agbaji responded with his fifth trey on as many tries, and after the teams exchanged baskets, Dajuan Harris Jr. hit another 3. This is the closest Villanova has been since early in the game. The Wildcats trail 79-65 with under a minute to go. That was followed by a missed Wildcats shot and a foul down the other end.

Kansas vs. Villanova final score, result: Jayhawks advance to title ... (Sporting News)

Kansas has advanced to the national championship game in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. ... The Jayhawks will face Duke or North Carolina after a dominant 81-65 win ...

6:10 p.m. -- Kansas is starting strong, scoring the first seven points and forcing a pair of turnovers early. 7:22 p.m. -- Kansas still isn't cooling down beyond the arc, as Villanova tries to hack at the lead. 6:55 p.m. -- We've hit the half, and Villanova carries an 11-point lead 40-29. 7:28 p.m. -- Villanova is back in the game! 7:20 p.m. -- Agbaji is too good, knocks down another three to make it 5 of 5. Villanova on TBS. The network will also air Duke vs. The Wildcats need to stop trading buckets with Kansas, but McCormack looks so strong inside. After an 8-0 Wildcat run, the Kansas lead is down to single digits. Ochai Agbaji is about to go to the free throw line, and the momentum Villanova picked up has dissipated. After thunderous dunk to put Kansas up 62-50, Jay Wright takes a timeout. A Kansas championship appearance is imminent. The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Kansas vs.

Villanova vs. Kansas prediction: Wildcats will keep it close (New York Post)

The Villanova Wildcats, a 4.5-point underdog, will cover against the Kansas Jayhawks in Saturday's Final Four showdown.

In general, Kansas wants to attack the rim, but Villanova’s defense ranks in the top 20 in both rate and efficiency at the rim. I have him worth close to two points to the spread in a game I would’ve projected Kansas as a very small favorite with both teams at full strength. Villanova sits in the bottom-15 nationally in Adjusted Tempo, while Kansas ranks 61st, per KenPom. If Villanova can slow this game to a halt from start to finish, it will have a very good chance of pulling off the small upset — even without Justin Moore.

Kansas vs. Villanova: Final Four live updates, analysis (NCAA.com)

Live updates from the Superdome during the Kansas vs. Villanova men's Final Four game in New Orleans.

"I could say for myself that they were definitely going to win (the NCAA tournament). They were at a high. We at least want to remember this moment, we felt like we were on top of the world. "They were all upset," said Yesufu, a transfer from Drake, who was in class when he learned via text that the 2020 NCAA Tournament had been canceled. "We were playing Xavier (in the Big East tournament) and we won. "I know exactly where I was," McCormack, a senior forward, said Friday of the moment he learned the season was canceled. But the latter group has heard the stories from their teammates about just how good that team was and what its players believed they could accomplish.