NCAA Tournament: Villanova takes down overall number one seed Kansas

Villanova is back in the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four for the first time since 2009.

After all the talk about the Villanova Wildcats and their March struggles, Jay Wright and company completely crushed that notion on Saturday night in Louisville.

There is no chance of that narrative coming back.

The Wildcats didn’t just advance to the second weekend and find themselves in the Elite Eight, but instead, Villanova defeated college hoops blue blood Kansas, 64-59, and moved onto the school’s first Final Four since 2009.

Both teams struggled to shoot the three ball (Villanova 22%, Kansas 27%) and the Jayhawks out-rebounded the Wildcats, but Bill Self’s squad had 16 turnovers and Villanova missed just a single free throw.

The Wildcats will turn their attention to their trip to Houston and match-up against the Oklahoma Sooners while the Jayhawks will flip the script to 2016-17 after another failure before the Final Four.

Villanova’s balance is on another level

Kansas was supposed to be the team with better balance, depth and experience.

That wasn’t the case on Saturday night as the Jayhawks received zero points from their bench and the Wildcats had four players in double figures and had strong contributions from Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges.

Kris Jenkins (13 points on 3-of-10 shooting), Josh Hart (13 points on 6-of-17 shooting), Daniel Ochefu (10 points on 5-of-8 shooting) and Ryan Arcidiacono (13 points and three rebounds) were the four ‘Cats to score 10 or more.

Jenkins dealt with foul trouble but hit some big shots in the first half. Hart was all over the court, getting to loose balls and grabbing offensive rebounds. Ochefu showed how much he has improved since his freshman year and how much weight Villanova puts in player development.

Brunson was also solid as he turned it over just once and scored seven points on 2-of-6 shooting.

And then there was Arcidiacono, who seemed to make all the critical plays. He knocked the ball away from Frank Mason III on the Jayhawks second to last possession and hit four free throws to seal the game down the stretch. His leadership is remarkable, giving the Wildcats an extension of Wright’s coaching on the floor.

While Arcidiacono is the guy that steers the ship, Bridges was the unsung hero for Villanova.

He scored six points, had five steals, three rebounds, an assist, finished a crucial put back rebound with 4:39 remaining and dove on the floor for a loose ball to give Nova possession (and the win) with six seconds left.

Bridges is in his first year but his length and toughness on the defensive end gives him the freedom and potential to guard positions 1-4.

So just when Kansas thought they had all the answers, Villanova proved that their lineup is no joke.

Big East success

The Big East Conference had five of it’s 10 teams make the Big Dance. Butler was eliminated by Virginia in the second round, Providence was demolished by North Carolina in the second round, Seton Hall was knocked out by Gonzaga in Denver in the first round and Xavier was crushed on a last second buzzer beater versus Wisconsin in the Round of 32.

But Villanova’s success is a remarkable accomplishment for a league that was termed as “dead” a few years ago.

East Coasters know how good the Big East is but if these Wildcats can win the title, the perception of the league will change nationally.

Perry Ellis had a rough day

Ellis had a rough go on Saturday. He had only four points on 1-of-5 shooting and dealt with foul trouble for a majority of the night. Villanova’s ability to switch on defense gave Ellis problems – Jenkins, Ochefu and Hart all found themselves on the senior big man at points during the game – and he had difficulty finishing over Ochefu’s length in the paint.

Moving onto next year, the Jayhawks will lose Ellis, Hunter Mickelson, Jamari Traylor and possibly Cheick Diallo and others to the NBA. They do have a solid recruiting class coming in (Udoka Azubuike and Mitch Lightfoot) and Mason, Selden, Devonte’ Graham, Carlton Bragg Jr., Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Landen Lucas all have eligibility remaining. Ole Miss transfer Dwight Coleby will also come on board.

In other words, the Jayhawks will be right back at the top of the AP Poll next year.

Villanova versus Oklahoma should be special

The Wildcats stellar defense versus Buddy Hield?

Sign me up.

These two teams met back on December 7 in the Pearl Harbor Invitational and it wasn’t pretty for the Wildcats. They were beaten 78-55, shot 13 percent behind the arc and let Hield and Isaiah Cousins pick them apart.

The two Oklahoma guards were dominate against Oregon and that certainly can’t happen against Wright’s squad in the Final Four if the Wildcats are going to continue this terrific run.

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