The Kansas Jayhawks and the Villanova Wildcats faced off in the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship game on Monday night. Who won?
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Kansas
The Jayhawks cruised to a victory in the Elite Eight, beating the Wildcats by a score of 81-59. It was a complete team effort by Kansas, with every player making a contribution on both ends of the court. This win sends the Jayhawks to the Final Four for the first time since 2012.
Roster
The Jayhawks have several experienced returners and talented newcomers that will be looking to make an impact this season.
Leading the way for Kansas will be junior guard Marcus Garrett, who was named to the Big 12 Preseason All-Conference Team. Garrett averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last season and will be counted on to provide leadership for the Jayhawks this season.
Joining Garrett in the backcourt will be sophomore Ochai Agbaji, who averaged 11.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a freshman last season. Agbaji will be looked to for scoring and rebounding this season, as well as expected to take on a larger role with the Jayhawks with the departure of Dedric Lawson.
In the frontcourt, Kansas will be relying on junior Silvio De Sousa and senior Udoka Azubuike to lead the way. De Sousa averaged 7.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season while Azubuike, who missed significant time due to injury, averaged 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in just nine games played. Both players are expected to have big seasons for the Jayhawks and provide a strong presence in the paint on both ends of the court.
Rounding out the roster for Kansas are a number of talented newcomers that will look to make an impact this season. Freshmen Quentin Grimes, Devon Dotson and David McCormack are all expected to see time in Kansas’ rotation this season and could make significant contributions for the Jayhawks this season
Record
The Jayhawks have played more than 6,000 games in their storied history. They have an overall winning record in those games, but they have not always been the best team in college basketball. In fact, they have only won five national championships. The most recent came in 2008, when they defeated Memphis in the championship game.
That being said, the Jayhawks are still one of the most successful programs in college basketball history. They have won 27 conference championships and made 41 NCAA Tournament appearances. They have also produced some of the best players in the game, including Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning and Paul Pierce.
Coach
Jay Wright is in his 18th season as the men’s basketball Head Coach at Villanova University. Under his leadership, the Wildcats have won five Big East regular season titles and two Big East Tournament championships. In 2016, Coach Wright led the Villanova Wildcats to their first NCAA National Championship in 31 years.
Villanova
Roster
Jalen Brunson (5) – G
Donte DiVincenzo (10) – G
Mikal Bridges (25) – F
Omari Spellman (14) – F
Phil Booth (5) – G
Eric Paschall (4) – F
Collin Gillespie (2) – G
Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (23) – F
Jerome Robinson (0) – G
Record
In their last meeting on Feb. 25, 2019, No. 3 Villanova defeated No. 9 Kansas, 71-59. The Jayhawks have an all-time record of 2-5 against the Wildcats.
Coach
Jay Wright is an American college basketball coach for the Villanova Wildcats men’s team. He has been the team’s head coach since 2001, leading the Wildcats to 14 NCAA tournament appearances, six Big East regular season championships, and four Big East Tournament championships. In 2016, he led Villanova to its second ever National Championship, defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels in the title game.
The Game
Kansas beat Villanova in the NCAA basketball tournament last night. The Jayhawks won by a score of 64-59. This was a close game throughout, with neither team leading by more than six points.
Score
In the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship, the Villanova Wildcats defeated the Kansas Jayhawks by a score of 79-62.
Highlights
The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, also known and branded as NCAA March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), to determine the national championship. The winners of the regional semifinal games advance to the Final Four, where they compete in two semifinals and then the championship game.
Kansas beat Villanova to win the 2019 NCAA men’s basketball title. The Jayhawks never trailed in the game, winning 63-59.
This was a rematch of last year’s championship game, which Villanova won. This time around, it was Kansas that emerged victorious in a close game.
Both teams had strong seasons and entered the tournament as top seeds. Kansas had some early struggles but managed to make it all the way to the title game. Villanova started off strong but couldn’t keep up its momentum in the final game.
In the end, it was Kansas that came out on top and won its first NCAA title since 2008.
MVP
Killing it from three, junior guard Marcus Foster scored 22 points for the Jayhawks, leading the Jayhawks in scoring for the game. But it was his all-around play that earned him MVP honors.
Foster also had 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in the game. He was crucial in Kansas’ ability to come back from a 10-point deficit in the second half. When it mattered most, he came up big, nailing a three with under a minute to play to put the Jayhawks up by 1.
