Villanova Basketball: 3 keys to beat Kansas in Final Four matchup

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - MARCH 26: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats reacts during the first half of the game against the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Elite 8 Round at AT&T Center on March 26, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

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Fabian White Jr. Houston Cougars Brandon Slater Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

1. Get Brandon Slater going

Brandon Slater has started all 37 games for Villanova this season and is an excellent defender who helps set the tone physically for the Wildcats. He dealt with an ankle injury for most of the season but burst onto the scene in February, averaging more than 13 points on nearly 64% shooting from the field.

In nine games in March and in stark contrast to his production in February, Slater is averaging 4.7 points on 38% shooting from the field. In four NCAA Tournament games, Slater has scored a total of five points on 9% shooting, highlighted by back-to-back scoreless outings against Ohio State in Michigan.

The Wildcats are going to need some sort of production offensively from Slater without Justin Moore — arguably the team’s best shot creator. A couple of points on 9% shooting isn’t going to cut it against this Kansas team.

Villanova has made it this far with essentially a six-man rotation, which has now been cut down to a five-man rotation with Moore’s injury. Jay Wright has a few bench options who he can plug in to fill some spot minutes, but no one who he fully trusts to play meaningful minutes in a Final Four game outside of the starting five. Slater’s production as one of those five players isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity.