Men’s Final Four Preview: Kansas Vs. Villanova
Kansas Jayhawks: The Jayhawks had a great year finishing up 32-6 and winning the Big 12 tournament. The Jayhawks got the number one seed in the Midwest region. In their last game they beat Miami in the elite 8 76-50.
Last season the Jayhawks had an early exit losing to USC in the second round of the tournament. Now they are playing for a spot in the national championship. Their last appearance in the Final Four was in 2018 where they lost to Villanova. Can the Jayhawks get revenge on them this year?
This Jayhawks squad is led by Ochai Agbaji he leads the team in scoring with 18.9 per game and he averages 5.2 rebounds per game. Christian Braun 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He is also shooting at 49.7 percent from the field this season. Forward Jalen Wilson leads the team in rebounds with 7.4 rebounds per game and averages 11 points per game.
Kansas as a team is averaging 78 points total and they allow 59.8 points scored. The Jayhawks like to play fast and if Villanova does not get back after missed or make shots it will be a long game for the Wildcats.
Villanova Wildcats: The Wildcats went 30-7 this season and won the Big East tournament. They ended up as a number two seed in the south region.
Their last game against Houston was ugly but they pulled it out winning 50-44. Last season they lost in the sweet 16 to last years champions the Baylor Bears. The last time Nova was in the Final Four they won it all back in 2018, can they do it again?
Nova is led by senior guard Collin Gillespie who averages 15.6 points and 3.3 assists per game. Forward Jermaine Samuels is averaging 11 points and leads the team in rebounds with 6.5 per game. The Wildcats will be without one of their leaders in Justin Moore who went down with an injury in their last matchup. This means more will fall on to the plate of Gillespie and Samuels and someone else will have to step up in order to beat Kansas.
Nova is averaging 72 points total as a team and they allow 55 as a team. They are a slow paced team that likes to use all 30 seconds of the shot clock. They will make sure that Kansas plays defense that whole possession while they look for the best shot. If Nova can control the game they have a great chance at winning.