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Kansas defeated Villanova 81-65 on Saturday night to earn the NCAA men’s basketball national championship.
It is the first national title game the Jayhawks will appear in since 2012. Kansas has not won a national title since 2008. The team will play North Carolina in the national championship.
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Kansas guard Remy Martin celebrates after scoring against Villanova in the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the men’s Final Four NCAA tournament Saturday, April 2, 2022 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Kansas went wire to wire for the win. The Jayhawks took an 11-point lead at halftime and never looked back. The Jayhawks maintained a 19-point lead at times and held off a late run by the Wildcats.
The Jayhawks shot 53% from the ground and 54% from over the arc. The team lapped Villanova 35-28. Both statistical categories were among the big difference makers in the game.
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David McCormack, who had a big dunk against Villanova defensemen in the second half, led the Jayhawks with 25 points and nine rebounds. He was 10 of 12 off the field.
Kansas Big Man David McCormack celebrates with his team in the Final Four on April 2, 2022 against Villanova. (AP Photo)
McCormack spoke about what triggered his performance and whether talking to coach Bill Self helped.
“I was just talking to the coach, he wanted us to have an inside presence and when you can usually play inside/outside that opens up more shots, more lanes and a lot of cuts,” McCormack said. “And I think if I started early it opened up the rest of the ground and we played from that and just made it.”
Kansas offense was carried by Ochai Agbaji’s 21 points and Jalen Wilson’s 11 points. Christian Brown also added 10 points. Wilson finished his stats with 12 rebounds and five assists. Remy Martin, who had been a spark off the bench, was stopped at only three points.
Charles Barkley, who was a broadcaster during what was then the national championship, was impressed by what he saw from Kansas. He said despite an average performance from some guys, he believes Kansas will “win a national championship.”
Villanova’s Collin Gillespie (2) drives past Kansas forward Mitch Lightfoot to the basket during the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the men’s Final Four NCAA tournament Saturday, April 2, 2022 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Obviously that remains to be seen.
Collin Gillespie led Villanova by 17 points. Brandon Slater had 16 and Caleb Daniels, who got hot in the second half, had 13 points and five rebounds. Villanova will be denied another national championship appearance.
Kansas forward David McCormack celebrates after scoring against Villanova in the first half of a college basketball game in the semifinal round of the men’s Final Four NCAA tournament Saturday, April 2, 2022 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Kansas, the last No. 1 left in the tournament, lost to Kentucky in 2012. The team beat Memphis in overtime in 2008 to claim their third national title.
The 2020 team never had a shot at a title run because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think it has added value for me and the players because there are no guarantees in this tournament. Of course, the favorites often don’t win. But in 2020 we had a squad that was primed for a run. We were so good defensively,” said Self. “And we had enough goals. I thought that was probably as well prepared as any other team we had to do well in the tournament.
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And I think even though we didn’t really talk about it, but these guys really didn’t taste what the NCAA tournament is about, even though we had a great team in 20. So I think that value has been boosted because of what we missed out on in 20.”