After Kansas defeated Villanova 81–65 in the first of two national semifinal games on Saturday night in New Orleans, NBA Hall-of-Famer and basketball analyst Charles Barkley has seen enough to make his pick in Monday’s national championship game.
“Let me tell you something. Not only are [Kansas] going to play for the national championship Monday, they’re going to win the national championship Monday. I’ve seen enough, they’re gonna be tough for anybody to beat,” Barkley said during the postgame coverage on TBS.
The Jayhawks enjoyed a wire-to-wire victory behind strong offensive performances from David McCormack (25 points) and Ochai Agbaji (21 points).
Although Villanova cut the Kansas lead to inside 10 with less than five minutes to play, Jayhawks guard Christian Braun hit two late threes to put the game away and send Kansas to its first national championship appearance since the 2011-12 season.
Kansas coach Bill Self will be seeking his second national title with the program in three tries. He won his first and only championship in the 2007-08 season when the Jayhawks knocked off Memphis 75–68.
The Jayhawks will face the winner of Duke and North Carolina, who play in the second national semifinal game on Saturday night in New Orleans.
