Rapid Reaction: Short-handed Villanova can’t handle dominant Kansas performance

Villanova was short-handed entering Saturday’s Final Four showdown against Kansas. After all, in the Elite Eight win over Houston, second-leading scorer Justin Moore went down with a torn Achilles.

But, even with Moore, the Wildcats may not have been able to survive a dominant performance from the Jayhawks, who scored the game’s first 10 points and never looked back.

Villanova never once held a lead in the game, though the Wildcats did make a couple of runs to get within single digits, including one midway through the second half.

Villanova couldn’t stop Kansas’s stars, though. Ochai Agbaji, a future NBA Draft lottery pick, scored 21 points and went 6-for-7 from 3-point range. Big man David McCormack had 25 points and 9 rebounds.

Jalen Wilson had an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double. Christian Braun had 10 points to round out the 4 Jayhawks in double figures.

Collin Gillespie led the way with 17 points for Villanova, but the Wildcats simply weren’t able to overcome the loss of Moore. Still, this was a masterful year by coach Jay Wright and his squad.

Coach Bill Self has only won 1 title during his tenure at Kansas (2008). Now, he’ll have a chance to add another one to the trophy case of a prestigious basketball program on Monday night in New Orleans.

The Jayhawks will now await the winner of the Duke-North Carolina game on Saturday night.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.