For the second time in the last three years, the Villanova Wildcats will play for the NCAA men’s basketball championship.
Winners of the East Region, the Wildcats (35-4) earned their return to the National Championship Game with a dominating 95-79 victory over the Midwest Regional champion Kansas Jayhawks in the semifinals of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday night.
The Wildcats came out firing from three-point range, making 13 of 20 (65 percent) at one point in the first half, and that allowed them to seize an early double-digit advantage which never got closer than 14 points over the final 24 minutes of play.
For the game, the Wildcats converted 18 of their 40 tries from three-point range (45 percent) and 36 of their 65 attempts (55.4 percent) against a Kansas team that knocked down only 28 shots and seven triples in a losing effort.
Despite getting outshot, 20 to seven at the free-throw line, Villanova assisted on 20 of its 36 baskets, blocked five shots and committed only 10 turnovers in the win over Kansas.
Forward Eric Paschall led the way for the Wildcats with 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting from the field and a four-of-five effort from three-point range, while teammates Jalen Brunson (18), Omari Spellman (15), Donte DiVincenzo (15), Phil Booth (10) and Mikal Bridges (10) added double-digit point production.
With the win over the Jayhawks, the Wildcats earned their fourth-ever berth into the championship game of the NCAA Tournament, and will attempt to win their third national title in men’s basketball. The Wildcats played for and won the National Championship over the North Carolina Tar Heels on a last-second shot in 2016.
The Wildcats will face off against the Michigan Wolverines in the National Championship Game in San Antonio on Monday night.
The Wildcats came out shooting and making from three-point range, and they used a Final Four record-tying performance from the long-distance shots to their advantage in building a 47-32 lead over the Jayhawks at halftime of the national semifinal.
After missing their first two attempts from three-point range in the early moments of the game, the Wildcats went on to convert 13 of their next 20 tries from long distance. Despite missing their final four three-point tries of the first half, the Wildcats knocked down 13 of their 26 attempts from long distance over the first 20 minutes of play.
Each of Villanova’s five starters knocked down at least two shots from three-point range, and two of the three reserves who saw action in the first half buried one of two attempts from three-point range.
Guard Jalen Brunson led the way for the Wildcats with 13 points in the first half.
Conversely, Kansas was 13 of 30 from the field (43.3 percent) and two of six from three-point range in the first half.
