NCAA Basketball: Best games from 2019-20 season – Kansas vs. Villanova

Kansas and Villanova did battle in a highly-ranked late December affair; let’s remember what happened.

We saw a number of great teams and a number of great games this past season, even though the national pandemic put a major damper on the season as a whole. We continue our top 40 games of the 2019-20 season by focusing on a non-conference matchup between two of those top teams in a game that really delivered.

11. #18 Villanova 56, #1 Kansas 55

December 21, 2019, Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA

As often seems to be the case, the nonconference season delivered in a major way this season. We didn’t get very much postseason basketball, but we got some great games between title contenders back in November and December. By late December, we had already seen a flurry of exciting tournaments and bigtime matchups, but we were set for one more in Philadelphia.

With a talent loaded roster, Kansas was looking like one of the best teams in college basketball. The Jayhawks had Devon Dotson, Marcus Garrett, and Udoka Azubuike, among others, on a team that currently sat at the top of the national rankings. They lost against Duke in the Champions Classic, but ran off nine straight wins ever since, including their championship at the Maui Invitational.

Villanova lost plenty of talent, but the play of Saddiq Bey and Collin Gillespie among others had this team in great shape. They had dropped tough games to Ohio State and Baylor but were certainly still expected to compete at a high level, especially in Big East play. They welcomed the Jayhawks to Philadelphia in their final nonconference test, looking for that big win as a sparkplug.

Two highly talented teams tipped off, though neither offense found much success in the early going, as the teams combined for just three baskets in the first five minutes. A quick 7-0 spurt gave Kansas a nice lead early, while an Ochai Agbaji 3-pointer extended it to a 7-point advantage. The Wildcats replied with eight straight points, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Justin Moore, though neither offense had taken off to this point.

The lead would trade hands a few more times in the waning minutes of the first half. Both squads started to make their long-range shots, while Azubuike’s layup in the final minute tied the game at the half. With just 23 points apiece, this had been more of a defensive affair, leaving 20 minutes to decide the winner of this bigtime matchup.

Offense played a much bigger role in the second half. The two teams traded baskets early, with the Wildcats taking a quick advantage. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to help build a 35-27 advantage. Kansas acted fast and got right back in the game, pulling to within a single possession just a few minutes later.

With eleven minutes left, the two teams began an impressive stretch of back and forth basketball, where eight straight possessions ended with points, with the lead changing each time. Jermaine Samuels’s 3-pointer and subsequent layup ended the trading and gave Villanova a 4-point lead, but it too was quickly erased.

Gillespie hit a 3-pointer with just over four minutes left, but Dotson tied the game seconds later on a jumper. The two teams were tied again, and now just three minutes remained. Baskets by Agbaji and Braun gave Kansas a two-possession lead, but Villanova had an answer, getting a layup from Gillespie and a huge 3-pointer from Samuels.

The final seconds were chaotic, as Kansas missed a game-tying opportunity from the charity stripe, while Villanova turned the ball over in the final seconds. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, they couldn’t put the ball in the hoop at the end, with Villanova snatching the 1-point victory, toppling the #1 team in the nation.

A cleanly played game saw neither team have much success on the offensive end. Samuels played hero at the end and led all scorers with 15 points. The Wildcats missed a lot of 3-pointers (10-41), but did enough down the stretch to pull out the win. Kansas shot poorly as well and had 12 turnovers. Dotson led the way with 15 points but missed a ton of shots and three key free throws. In fact, the Jayhawks were just 40% from the free throw line, which likely cost them this game.

Kansas may have lost this tough matchup, but they showed down the stretch why they were quite possibly the best team in the nation. They dropped a tough game to Baylor three weeks later but finished the season on a 16-game winning streak.

Dotson and Azubuike played inspired basketball, with Kansas taking care of business down the stretch, including a win at #1 Baylor in late February. This was one of the teams many would have expected to compete for and win the NCAA Tournament had it been played.

Villanova moved swiftly into the Big East season and played well for much of the season, securing another regular-season title. At 24-7, they were set up as the 2-seed in the Big East Tournament and were likely looking at a pretty solid in the NCAA Tournament. This wasn’t as potent a team as their 2016 or 2018 title-winning teams, but these Wildcats certainly had the ability to make some noise in the postseason.