David McCormack jumped up to throw down a dunk over Samuels. There is a time and a place.
The Kansas Jayhawks ran out to a big lead and held on for an 81-65 win over the Villanova Wildcats in the first game of the Final Four in New Orleans. The Jayhawks will play for the NCAA trophy for the first time since 2008 if they win the title on Monday night.
The first NCAA tournament meeting between the Duke Blue Devil and the North Carolina Tar Heels was preceded by a contest.
The team of Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway, and Joe Lunardi talked about what went right for Kansas on Saturday, what went wrong for Villanova, and what the impact would be of a Kansas victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference school in the final on Monday
The Jayhawks star, and their season-long (career-long?) is Ochai Agbaji. The factor is X.
After a brief slump in the second half of the Elite Eight win over Miami, Agbaji got back to his winning ways on Saturday night. He hit two 3s in the first three minutes and went 4-for-4 from deep in the first eight minutes. The two backbreaking 3s in the second half were huge, as they slowed Agbaji down and kept them at an arm's length.
The key was always going to be McCormack. He had to decide if he could stay out of foul trouble, stay on the floor and be effective, or if he had to leave the game. Kansas made its intentions known quickly. The Jayhawks were 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 He had 13 points in the first 11 minutes. The big man went to work at the other end when the Jayhawks were being attacked by the smaller players. The two finished with 46 points.
If you told KU fans in November that the hero of their national semifinal would be McCormack, they would be surprised. It could be a better word. There has been a lot of discussion about whether the Jayhawks should go small. For one night, at least, he went big. It started right away. The first few minutes of the game were dominated by Agbaji 3s and post feeds to McCormack, who was too much for the Wildcats to handle. The poster dunk put up 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting and it all summed up to a magnificent performance.
You can watch every Men's NCAA Tournament game live. March Madness is live.
The Jayhawks are likely to beat North Carolina than Duke. Mark Williams was a defensive force around the rim for the Blue Devil. He is capable of neutralizing McCormack on his own down low, which would pose a problem for the Jayhawks because of how well he has played in Kansas wins over the past couple of seasons. Duke is vulnerable against teams that can draw Williams away from the basket and force the Blue Devil to guard for longer stretches in space.
In terms of personnel, the Jayhawks have had big men down low in McCormack and Lightfoot to throw at their opponents. North Carolina likes to run pick-and-pops and they have a big man who can deal with Brady Manek. I think the aggressiveness of the Tar Heels on the wings could cause problems for Agbaji and Christian Braun. This is not to say that Kansas cannot beat Duke. It could be a tougher match up than North Carolina.
The rarity of basketball excellence without big-time football is demonstrated by the Wildcats. The only truly elite programs in that category are Villanova and Gonzaga.
Regardless of the Final Four result, the legacy of Jay Wright is secure. The most limited team of his four to reach the national semifinals, Wright did another masterful job in winning the Big East tournament and the NCAA South Regional.
The Cats should be celebrated as one of the most beloved teams in program history. When a statue of Wright is built, he will join Scottie Reynolds, Ryan Arcidiacono and Jalen Brunson as the coach's personal Mount Rushmore.
Bill Self has done everything he can at Kansas, but knows that the only national title he will ever get is a Big 12 title and nine No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. The narrative is permanently changed by the removal of the nets in New Orleans.
There is a short list of coaches with multiple NCAA titles. If the Jayhawks win a fourth trophy on Monday, they will move into a tie with five other schools on the all-time list.
The Jayhawks are due here. Two years ago, they were the best team in the country, and they might be the best team remaining in 2022.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
