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It’s time to find out who will be crowned the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champion! Tune in to watch Kansas take on Villanova at 9:00pm EST on CBS.
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Kansas vs. Villanova
The game will start at 6:09 PM EST on ESPN. You can also catch the live stream on Watch ESPN.
What time is the game?
The game is scheduled to start at 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 31. It will be broadcast on CBS.
What channel is the game on?
The game will be broadcast on CBS.
How can I stream the game?
For the first time ever, college basketball’s biggest game will be streamed live on Twitter. The championship game betweenKansas and Villanova will be available to anyone in the U.S. with a Twitter account, regardless of whether they’re a subscriber to a traditional pay-TV service.
To watch, just go to twitter.com/FinalFour or twitter.com/MarchMadness on your desktop or mobile device and look for the “live” video at the top of your timeline on game day — no Twitter login required. The game will also be available on CBSSports.com, NCAA.com and through the CBS Sports App for iOS and Android devices.
As part of our deal with the NCAA, we’re also live streaming the national semifinals (Alabama vs. North Carolina and Syracuse vs. Virginia) on Saturday, April 2, as well as the championship game on Monday, April 4 — meaning that 96% of all March Madness games this year will be available live on Twitter.
Kansas
The Jayhawks will take on the Wildcats at 8:49 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 17. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
Team records
Records entering the 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament
Kansas: 27-3 (13-2 in Big 12)
Kansas State: 21-10 (9-8)
Wichita State: 24-8 (15-4)
Villanova: 25-9 (12-6)
Key players
As the defending champions, the Jayhawks will be led by a strong core of experienced players. Senior guard Devonte’ Graham is the team’s leading scorer and has been a steadying force for Kansas all season. He’ll be joined in the backcourt by fellow senior Svi Mykhailiuk, who provides a scoring punch off the bench.
In the frontcourt, junior center Udoka Azubuike has been a force in the paint, averaging over 13 points and seven rebounds per game. He’ll be joined by sophomore forward Lagerald Vick, who has emerged as a dangerous 3-point shooter.
The Jayhawks will need all of these players to step up if they want to repeat as champions.
Team stats
The Jayhawks have not played a ranked opponent since losing 88-81 at then-No. 10 West Virginia on Jan. 3. They have won 13 straight against unranked foes, a streak that includes Wednesday’s 85-80 victory at TCU.
Kansas is 20-1 when scoring 70 or more points and 8-8 when failing to reach that mark. The Jayhawks average 74.2 points and have a plus-9.4 scoring margin.
Kansas is shooting 47 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 70 percent from the foul line. The Jayhawks average 38 rebounds, 14 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks per game.
Dedric Lawson leads Kansas in scoring (19.2), rebounding (10.3) and blocked shots (1.8). Lagerald Vick contributes 16 points per game while shooting 53 percent from 3-point range, and Quentin Grimes averages 11 points.
Villanova
The game is set to start at 6:09 p.m. EST on Saturday, December 19. It will be broadcast on ESPN.
Team records
The Jayhawks have the best overall record in the history of the tournament, having gone 218–74 (.746) in 97 appearances. They have also won a record five straight tournaments (2018–2022), and a record six overall (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022). The Jayhawks have also made more Final Fours than any other team, with 17. The Wildcats have been to 16 Final Fours and have a 16–15 record (.516).
Key players
In order for Villanova to beat Kansas, some key players will need to step up.
Bridges is the usual suspect for the Wildcats. The redshirt junior is averaging 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He shooting 50 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from three-point range. Bridges will likely be guarded by Allen, which could be a problem for the Jayhawks defensively.
DiVincenzo is another player to watch for Nova. The redshirt sophomore is averaging 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. He had a strong showing in Nova’s win over Xavier, scoring 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range.
Omari Spellman will also be a key player for Villanova. The freshman is averaging 10.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 58 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range. He had a double-double in Nova’s win over Xavier with 15 points and 10 rebounds while also adding four blocks.
Team stats
The Villanova Wildcats men’s basketball team is an American college basketball team that competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. The team plays its home games in the on-campus Pavilion with a capacity of 6,500. Jay Wright is the head coach and the Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament 33 times, winning the national championship in 1985 and 2016.
Prediction
Incredibly, the Jayhawks are 5.5-point underdogs against the Wildcats in the rematch of last year’s national title game. That’s hard to believe given Kansas’ run this season and Villanova’s recent struggles, but it is what it is. The Jayhawks have been very good against the spread this season, going 17-10 ATS. They’re also a perfect 6-0 ATS in their last six games as an underdog.
