The Kansas Jahox will play for the 10th national championship in school history after their 81-65 victory over the Villanova Wildcats in the NCAA 2022 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday night. Kansas was arguably the most dominant team in the tournament so far. Miami exploded 76-50 in the Elite Eight to secure the program’s 16th appearance in the Final Four. The Jayhawks have now won 10 consecutive games in total dating back to March 3rd. Villanova reached the Final Four, winning the first four tournament games with an average of 11 points. Coach Jay Wright’s crew had won nine consecutive games and 14 of the last 15 in total dating back to February 5th. The Jayhawks came out of the door in the first half. They were up 19 points before Villanova reduced the deficit to 38-29 with 1:24 remaining before halftime. Kansas made almost as many three-pointers (seven) in the first half as Vilanova had from the field (10). Ochai Agbaji was a perfect 4-of-4 behind the arc in the first 20 minutes. Offensive rebounds were the biggest factor that kept Vilanova within breathing distance. He had nine offensive rebounds in the first half, helping to offset 33.3 percent of the goals. Collin Gillespie and Caleb Daniels combined for 19 of the Wildcats’ 29 points in the first half. McCormack’s size inside proved to be a decisive factor in the victory. His 25 points marked his second highest total of points in a game in four seasons with the Jayhawks. Kansas shot 53.7 percent of the field, 54.2 percent of the three and had a 35-28 rebound advantage. Villanova finally found the rhythm in the attack, finishing 13-of-31 behind the bow, but it was not enough to overcome the Jayhawks’ attack. Remarkable game statistics
David McCormack (KU): 25 points (10-of-12 FG), 9 rebounds Ochai Agbaji (KU): 21 points (6-from-7 3PT), 2 rebounds Christian Braun (KU): 10 points (4-out-8 FG), 5 assists Jalen Wilson (KU): 11 points (4-from-11 FG), 12 rebounds Caleb Daniels (NOVA): 13 points (5-from-14 FG), 5 rebounds Collin Gillespie (NOVA): 17 points (6-from-11 FG), 2 steals
McCormack, Ogbaji Have Jayhawks on the Edge of History
It would be hard to find an attack that plays better than Kansas right now. Saturday marked the team’s third time in five tournament games, shooting at least 50 percent off the field.
McCormack and Agbaji were unstoppable for the Big 12 Champs. Ever since he was held to five points against Providence, Agbaji has scored a goal. The senior guard at one point made eight consecutive three-pointers dating back to the Elite Eight victory over Miami.
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OCHAI AGBAJI OPENS EARLY IN THE FIRE FOR KANSAS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lUTK50sdZu
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo
Kansas is ahead of Villanova with 11 at the break behind the almost flawless play of Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack.
The duo combined for 25 points in the 9-10 FG and 4-4 3-PT in the first half. The rest of their teammates in Kansas have 15 points in the 6-21 FG and 3-10 3-PT. pic.twitter.com/sB3xf8jSbt
Going into the second half, as Villanova was looking to start narrowing the gap, Agbaji continued to shoot to stop any momentum for the opponent.
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Ochai Agbaji still feels it from deep 😤
Watch live here: pic.twitter.com/OerCiEPwam
With Agbaji taking care of the work behind the bow, McCormack was more than happy to keep his own paint. The 6’10 “forward had no problem taking advantage of Villanova’s small front pitch.
J. Kyle Mann @jkylemann
Nova makes Mccormack look like the Elton brand
Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
David McCormack has been a beast so far tonight. He scored in the post, running on the floor and finishing. No one uses their big men like Bill Self, and McCormack takes advantage of Dixon or anyone else at the switch.
Villanova certainly did not leave this game alone. The second half is when the attack came alive, putting pressure on Kansas to respond.
Two of the biggest projects saw McCormack use his size to stop the Wildcats’ momentum. He got an offensive rebound from the lost three of Dajuan Harris Jr. and took a layup to extend the lead again to 10 at 52-42.
NCAA March Madness @MarchMadnessMBB
McCormack is VERY STRONG 💪 pic.twitter.com/ONDR0qq7HH
Three minutes later, Jalen Wilson blocked a jumper from Gillespie. McCormack took the ball to the other end of the field and hit the Jahox 62-50.
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David McCormack THROWED IT 😳 pic.twitter.com/FKe7jxdwZj
Coming out of a timeout after this occupation, McCormack left the floor for a brief break. Villanova’s next two possessions led to two offensive rebounds and five points to reach seven at 62-55.
Christian Brown, who finished second to the Jayhawks in scoring during the regular season, eventually won. He made two crucial buckets with the holdings back to back, including the only three he made the game 71-59 with 3:58 to play.
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WHAT BRAUN CAN DO FOR YOU twitter.com/EYArMWJKdZ
The Jayhawks have averaged at least 76 points in four of their five tournament victories so far. They threw 81 against Villanova on a night when three of their five key players struggled to get in rhythm.
If the attack continues to play at this level, Kansas will cut the net on Monday and celebrate the fourth national title in the school’s history.
Cold Start sends the Wildcats home
Things could not have started worse for the Wildcats on Saturday night. They made only one shooting attempt and made three caps in their first four possessions to find themselves at 10-0.
In the middle of the first half, McCormack and Agbaji had matched or exceeded Villanova’s total points.
Jeff Borzello @jeffborzello
Ochai Agbaji: 12 pointsDavid McCormack: 11 points
Villanova: 11 points
Wright’s team came into the game unable to match the size of Kansas inside, especially McCormack, so the strategy had to be to win with speed and shots.
It took a long time — very long, after all — for Villanova to be able to play to her usual standards. The Wildcats failed to score 30 points in one half for a third consecutive half dating back to the Elite Eight.
Villanova scored at least 30 points in each half in each of her first three games in the tournament.
The key adaptation that gave the Wildcats some hope was to change Wright to a smaller perimeter shooter lineup. McCormack lives in color on both ends of the field, so the numbers game worked for Villanova.
David Murphy @ByDavidMurphy
Jay Wright, who went young at the beginning of the second half, changed his tone. McCormack returns after a quick breath to face Dixon. He looks tired.
After Kansas opened the second half 8-3, Vilanova scored eight consecutive points. Daniels and Brandon Slater made three-pointers in back-to-back possessions to close the series.
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Run 8-0 for the Wildcats 👀
Nova fell 8 after triple Caleb Daniels pic .twitter.com / 4pSEejItOC
The last time Villanova reached single digits was at 4:29 when Jermaine Samuels’ free kick made it 68-59.
Kansas would score the next seven points to make the game inaccessible.
Villanova’s bench was missing in action on Saturday. Brian Antoine scored the only points for the reserve (three). The Jayhawks bench had only five points, but had two players who tried at least one shot.
The story for Villanova all season was the insult. If he scored points in bundles, this team was hard to beat. If the defense had to be strengthened, things got unpleasant.
The Wildcats had an off night with the ball, and it ended up being their upset.
What happens next?
Kansas will play the winner of the North Carolina-Duke in the national championship match on Monday at 9 p.m. ET on TBS.
