Villanova vs Kansas Predictions, Odds, Picks

• The Villanova Wildcats beat the Houston Cougars 50-44 in the Elite Eight.
• The Kansas Jayhawks beat the Miami Hurricanes 76-50 in the Elite Eight.
• Villanova beat Kansas 56-55 the last time they played in 2019.

Villanova Wildcats vs Kansas Jayhawks Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook

The Villanova Wildcats will face the Kansas Jayhawks in the Final Four. These two teams went up against each other in the 2018 Final Four, and the Wildcats came out victorious 95-79.

Villanova has arguably the most successful college basketball program of the last five years. They are now being considered a new blue blood.

The Wildcats had some close games in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. They beat the Michigan Wolverines 63-55 in the Sweet 16 behind Jermaine Samuels’ 22 points. Samuels shot 8-13 overall and 5-5 from the free throw line.

The Wildcats took on the Houston Cougars in the Elite Eight. The game was a low-scoring defensive battle, but Villanova came out on top 50-44. The Wildcats led 27-20 going into the half, but Houston tried to fight back in the second half. Jermaine Samuels again led the Wildcats in scoring with 16 points on 6-10 shooting.

Even though Villanova won their Elite Eight game, they suffered a big loss when Justin Moore tore his ACL. Moore underwent surgery for his ACL tear and will miss the rest of March Madness. The Wildcats have to expect every player to step up a little to compensate for Moore’s absence.

The Kansas Jayhawks have arguably the best team of the last five years. They do not have any stars but play strong team basketball.

Other than the First Round, Kansas has had a tough March Madness. They took on an injured Creighton Bluejays team in the Second Round and only won 79-72. They followed that up with a 66-61 victory over the Providence Friars in the Sweet 16. They were losing late in that game but went on a 7-0 run to put the game away.

Kansas faced an offensively talented Miami Hurricanes team in the Elite Eight. The Jayhawks struggled shooting the ball in the first half and were losing 35-29 going into halftime. However, they put their foot on the accelerator in the second half and won 76-50. Ochai Agbaji returned to form in this game and scored 18 points in 34 minutes. He shot 8-12 overall and went 2-2 from behind the three-point line.

Since Villanova will be without Justin Moore, I am picking Kansas to win this game. Kansas has more offensive weapons and passes well.

Pick:

Kansas beats Villanova 66-60. Kansas covers, Under 133.5 points.

Head-to-Head: Villanova Wildcats vs Kansas Jayhawks

Why Might the Villanova Wildcats Win?

The Wildcats are the underdogs, but they can win if they ride the hot hand and make the extra pass.

Jermaine Samuels had the hot hand in Villanova’s last two games. Collin Gillespie had the hot hand in the game before that. You never know who will be your x-factor in March. It could be anyone in this game against Kansas. Whoever it is, the Wildcats have to let him play free and find his shots.

Villanova is not a great passing team. They only average 12.1 assists a game. They are facing a Kansas team that often plays excellent defense, so they need to make the extra pass and find the open man.

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Why Might the Kansas Jayhawks Win?

The Jayhawks are the favorites but will only win this game if they avoid fouling Villanova on defense and draw fouls on offense.

Villanova is the greatest free throw shooting team in college basketball history. They are on pace to set a record with their team free throw percentage. They are currently hitting 82.3% of their free throws, an unheard-of number in the college ranks. Kansas cannot foul them, or Villanova will build a lead off free throws.

Villanova is playing with a shortened rotation since the season-ending injury of Justin Moore. Since that is the case, Kansas has to draw fouls and force Villanova to play lesser-used players. If Kansas does this successfully, they will be able to exploit the weaknesses of Villanova’s bench.

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Villanova Key Player: (G) Caleb Daniels

Guard Caleb Daniels has the challenging task of filling in for Justin Moore. Daniels plays a lot of minutes as Villanova’s sixth man but will likely be thrown in a starting role this game.

Daniels is an efficient player but much less of a scorer than Justin Moore. He only averages 10.2 points per game compared to Moore’s 14.8.

Daniels needs to look for his shot more and make the most of his scoring opportunities. He will be the difference-maker for the Wildcats.

Jayhawks Key Player: (G) Remy Martin

Guard Remy Martin has been the star of March. He is averaging 16.8 points per game this March and arguably KU’s most dangerous scorer.

Martin needs to run this offense and keep on looking for his shot. He will lead this team to the National Championship game if he continues playing well.

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