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NCAA tournament: Villanova holds off Kansas to reach Final Four NCAA tournament: Villanova holds off Kansas to reach Final Four
(about 1 hour later)
LOUISVILLE — Villanova arrived here as the most powerful offensive juggernaut in the NCAA tournament, but it was only appropriate that its 64-59 win over Kansas in the South Region final Saturday night was secured by one final desperate play on the defensive end.LOUISVILLE — Villanova arrived here as the most powerful offensive juggernaut in the NCAA tournament, but it was only appropriate that its 64-59 win over Kansas in the South Region final Saturday night was secured by one final desperate play on the defensive end.
After repelling run after run from the Jayhawks, the Wildcats clung to a three-point lead with less than 10 seconds remaining as guard Frank Mason III sought to make a play to bring Kansas even. The Wildcats were there to meet him, as they had been all night, pestering him into a turnover that scrappy Villanova forward Mikal Bridges covered up. A few free throws later and the Wildcats’ first Final Four trip since 2009 was sealed.After repelling run after run from the Jayhawks, the Wildcats clung to a three-point lead with less than 10 seconds remaining as guard Frank Mason III sought to make a play to bring Kansas even. The Wildcats were there to meet him, as they had been all night, pestering him into a turnover that scrappy Villanova forward Mikal Bridges covered up. A few free throws later and the Wildcats’ first Final Four trip since 2009 was sealed.
The trip to college basketball’s biggest stage marks a breakthrough for Villanova Coach Jay Wright, who had positioned his program for such a run the past two years, only to watch his team upset in the early rounds as prohibitive favorites. Josh Hart (Sidwell Friends) and Kris Jenkins (Gonzaga), a pair of former All-Mets, led the way for Villanova with 13 points apiece. Senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono also had 13, underscoring the kind of low-key offensive night Villanova had yet to experience in the tournament. The trip to college basketball’s biggest stage marks a breakthrough for Villanova Coach Jay Wright, who had positioned his program for such a run the past two years, only to watch his team upset in the first or second rounds as prohibitive favorites. Wright was ambushed by his players as he entered the locker room on Saturday, each one dumping a full bottle of water on their coach after he had removed his pinstriped navy suit coat.
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“They got me. They got me really bad in the locker room,” Wright said on the dais, his partially drenched purple shirt two different shades. “I wear it as a badge of honor.”
Wright may be known as the most stylish coach in America, and his team had developed a reputation as a well-oiled offensive machine over the past ten days. But Saturday, the entire group showed it could grind out the most frustrating of games. Josh Hart (Sidwell Friends) and Kris Jenkins (Gonzaga), a pair of former All-Mets, led the way for Villanova with 13 points apiece. Senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono also had 13, underscoring the kind of low-key offensive night Villanova had yet to experience in the tournament.
But it was still enough to knock off the Jayhawks, the overall No. 1 seed in the 68-team field. Next up: Oklahoma next week in the Final Four.But it was still enough to knock off the Jayhawks, the overall No. 1 seed in the 68-team field. Next up: Oklahoma next week in the Final Four.
Villanova had vowed to turn this into a “street fight” sort of affair, as Arcidiacono predicted Friday, and it succeeded from the onset. The Wildcats (33-5) had arrived in the Elite Eight largely because of their offensive prowess. They bludgeoned their first three opponents in the tournament by an average margin of more than 24 points. They hung 92 points on Miami in the South Region semifinal, which was the most in a Sweet 16 game since 2012. [NCAA tournament: Complete coverage of the Elite Eight, and more]
But Kansas (33-5), one of the best defensive teams in the country, forced the Wildcats to earn their points in half-court sets instead of the transition game they favor. Even as the Wildcats hit just two of their first nine three-pointers, they led for most of the game on the strength of a swarming defensive effort, spearheaded by Jenkins, who drew two early charges, including one on Kansas star Perry Ellis. Villanova had vowed to turn the clash into a “street-fight”, as Arcidiacono predicted Friday, and that approach succeeded from the onset. The Wildcats (33-5) earned a berth in the Elite Eight largely because of their offensive prowess. They bludgeoned their first three opponents in the tournament by an average margin of 24 points. They hung 92 points on Miami in the South Region semifinal, which was the most in a Sweet 16 game since 2012.
But facing Kansas (33-5), one of the best defensive teams in the country, forced the Wildcats to earn their points in half-court sets instead of the transition game they favor. Even as the Wildcats hit just two of their first nine three pointers, they led for most of the game on the strength of a swarming defensive effort, spearheaded by Jenkins, who drew two early charges, including one on Kansas star Perry Ellis.
Ellis was held scoreless in the first 20 minutes and finished with just four points, one game after torching Maryland for 27 points in the Jayhawks’ Sweet 16 win Thursday.Ellis was held scoreless in the first 20 minutes and finished with just four points, one game after torching Maryland for 27 points in the Jayhawks’ Sweet 16 win Thursday.
By the time Jenkins tied up Ellis for a jump ball to spoil another Kansas possession midway through the first half, Villanova was in the midst of a 13-0 run. Kansas committed eight turnovers and was held scoreless for seven minutes during that burst, and Jenkins hit a deep three-pointer from the left perimeter to extend the Wildcats’ halftime lead to seven. [Anthony Gill is U-Va.’s alternative rock as Cavaliers prepare for Syracuse]
Villanova scored just six points over the first 8 minutes 22 seconds of the second half, struggling to acclimate to the defensive adjustments made by Kansas. Jenkins was bottled up and taken out of the game with his fourth foul with just over 13 minutes to go, and Devonte’ Graham’s banked three punctuated a 9-0 run that gave Kansas a 40-36 lead. Wayne Selden Jr. followed that shot up with a circus act of his own, spinning a runner near the top of the backboard after he took contact. He finished the three-point play to make it 45-40 with 10:50 remaining. “That was completely a team effort. From the day we found out we were playing Kansas, everybody on the team locked in and knew he was the number one guy on the scouting report,” said Villanova center Daniel Ochefu.
By the time Jenkins tied up Ellis for a jump ball to spoil another Kansas possession midway through the first half, Villanova was in the midst of an 13-0 run. Kansas committed eight turnovers and was held scoreless for seven minutes during that burst, and Jenkins hit a deep three-pointer from the left perimeter to extend the Wildcats’ halftime lead to seven.
Jenkins was bottled up and taken out of the game with his fourth foul with just over 13 minutes to go, and Devonte Graham’s banked three-pointer punctuated a 9-0 run that gave Kansas a 40-36 lead. Wayne Selden Jr. followed that shot up with a circus act of his own, spinning a runner near the top of the backboard after he took contact. He finished the three-point play to make it 45-40 with 10 minutes 50 seconds remaining.
But Villanova, which was galvanized by the resolve it showed after suffering a stunning loss to Seton Hall in the Big East tournament final, responded with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes, keyed by back-to-back three-pointers by Arcidiacono and Hart.But Villanova, which was galvanized by the resolve it showed after suffering a stunning loss to Seton Hall in the Big East tournament final, responded with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes, keyed by back-to-back three-pointers by Arcidiacono and Hart.
Jenkins checked back in for the frantic final 4:59. He was arguably the team’s most animated cheerleader for the nearly eight minutes he sat out. He took a three-pointer on his first touch after returning, and after it hit the front end of the iron and bounced long Daniel Ochefu tipped it back toward the basket to set up an acrobatic finish by Bridges to make it 56-52 with 4:28 remaining. It was the kind of play that defined Villanova’s performance on the offensive end, which was on the exact opposite end of the spectrum from its first three performances of the tournament. After that play, Villanova wouldn’t score for nearly four minutes. “We really just wanted to grind it out,” Arcidiacono said. “We knew they were going to come out firing in the second half, and it was unfortunate Kris got in foul trouble. . . . We just kept grinding. We wanted to make it a street fight, an ugly game.”
Jenkins had trumpeted his team’s defensive identity despite all of the hoopla surrounding the offensive production this week, and he and his teammates backed it up down the stretch. After Selden broke into the lane and cut the lead to two with 2:16 remaining, Villanova came up with critical stops on the next two possessions. Selden missed a corner three-pointer that would’ve ensured the lead, and Graham lost control of the ball as Villanova applied the press and came up with a steal with 34 seconds remaining. Jenkins checked back in for the frantic final 4:59. He was arguably the team’s most animated cheerleader for the nearly eight minutes he sat out. He took a three-pointer on his first touch after returning, and after it hit the front end of the iron and bounced long, Ochefu tipped it back toward the basket to set up an acrobatic finish by Bridges to make it 56-52 with 4:28 remaining. It was the kind of play that defined Villanova’s performance on the offensive end, a stark contrast from its first three performance of the tournament. After that play, Villanova wouldn’t score for nearly four minutes.
Mason who had missed his first five three-pointers on Saturday hit an unguarded three-pointer with 27 seconds left to pull his team within one, then scored with an up-and-under layup after Arcidiacono hit a pair of free throws. Jenkins then pushed the lead back to three with two more foul shots with 13 seconds left, the precursor to the wild finish that ended with Mason on the floor bowing his head after losing the ball to Bridges. Jenkins had trumpeted his team’s defensive identity despite all of the hoopla surrounding the Wildcats’ offensive production, and he and his teammates backed it up down the stretch. After Selden broke into the lane and cut the lead to two with 2:16 remaining, Villanova came up with critical stops on the next two possessions. Selden was hard with a corner three-pointer that would have snatched the lead, and Graham lost control of the ball as Villanova applied the press and came up with a game-changing steal with 34 seconds remaining.
Mason — who had missed his first five three-pointers — hit an unguarded three-pointer with 27 seconds left to pull his team within one, then did it again with an up-and-under layup after Arcidiacono hit a pair of free throws. Jenkins then pushed the lead back to three with two more foul shots with 13 seconds left, the precursor to the wild finish that ended with Mason on the floor bowing his head after losing the ball to Bridges.
“Beginning of the game, to the end of the game, it was ugly” Hart said. “But it was beautiful to us.”