CHICAGO — If Kansas, the No. 1 seed/champion of the 2022 Midwest Regional is to reach the NCAA title game, it’ll have to get past a familiar foe in Villanova, the No. 2 seed in the South Regional.
Villanova (30-7) defeated No. 5 seed Houston 50-44 Saturday in an Elite Eight game in San Antonio. The Wildcats have also defeated Michigan (63-55), Ohio State (71-61) and Delaware (80-60) in the NCAA Tournament this postseason.
Nova’s second-leading scorer, Justin Moore, suffered a right lower leg injury late in the Houston game and his status is unknown for the NCAA semifinal game vs KU on Saturday night in New Orleans, which will tip off at 5:09 p.m. Central and air on TBS. He was to undergo an MRI upon the team’s return from Texas to Philadelphia.
Moore, according to ESPN.com, “slipped while driving to the lane with 35 seconds left in Saturday’s game and had to be helped off the court. He did not take part in the postgame celebrations, with his teammates coming to see him at the end of the bench after the final buzzer sounded.”
Jermaine Samuels had 16 points and Collin Gillespie six, while Moore had eight in the win over Houston.
Coach Jay Wright’s Wildcats pounded the Jayhawks 95-79 in a 2018 Final Four semifinal on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio. The Wildcats went on to win the national title. In 2016, the Wildcats defeated KU, 64-59, in an Elite Eight game on March 26, 2016 in Louisville. Nova went on to claim the NCAA crown that season as well. Back in 2008, KU defeated Nova in the Sweet 16 en route to its own national title.
The two programs each have won three NCAA Tournament titles (KU in 2008, 1988 and 1952; Villanova in 2018, 2016 and 1985). Nova leads the all-time series 5-4. The Wildcats have won four of the last five meetings. Last meeting in the series was the Wildcats’ 56-55 win over KU on Dec. 21, 2019.
The previous season — on Dec. 15, 2018 — the No. 1-ranked Jayhawks, who had just claimed the top spot in the AP poll, downed the No. 17-ranked Wildcats, 74-71, in a rare 11 a.m. contest at Allen Fieldhouse.
Here’s a look at the head-to-head battles between KU and Villanova:
Villanova 56, Kansas 55, Dec. 21, 2019, Philadelphia: Jermain Samuels hit the game-winning shot for Nova. Devon Dotson scored 15 points for the Jayhawks. Udoka Azubuike had 12 points and 11 boards and Ochai Agbaji 11 points. Samuels had 15 and Gillispie 12 for Nova.
Kansas 74, Villanova 71, Dec. 15, 2018, Allen Fieldhouse: Kansas senior guard Lagerald Vick, who left school before the end of the season, scored 29 points, while senior forward Dedric Lawson added 28 in a wild two-man scoring spree.
Villanova 95, Kansas 79, NCAA Final Four, March 31, 2018, San Antonio, Texas: In a showdown between a pair of No. 1 seeds, the Wildcats buried KU amid a barrage of three-pointers. Villanova hit a Final Four-record 18 threes in 40 attempts. The 18 three-pointers tied for the most made against KU in any game. Iowa State made 18 against KU in 2017 and Nebraska 18 in 2002.
Villanova 64, Kansas 59, NCAA Elite Eight, March 25, 2016, Louisville: No. 2-seed Villanova held forward Perry Ellis to a season-low four points on 1-of-5 shooting. No. 1 seed KU (33-5) hit 46 percent of its shots, but just 6 of 22 threes in losing for the first time in 18 games. Villanova (33-5) hit 40.4 percent of its shots and was 4 of 18 from three.
Villanova 63, Kansas 59, Battle4Atlantis semifinal, Nov. 29, 2013: Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 10.1 seconds left to erase a 59-58 deficit and lift the unranked Wildcats to victory over No. 2-ranked KU.
Kansas 72, Villanova 57, NCAA Sweet 16, March 28, 2008, Detroit: Brandon Rush scored 16 points, Russell Robinson 15 and Mario Chalmers 14 as No. 1 seed KU blasted No. 12-seed Villanova. KU went on to defeat Davidson in the Elite Eight, then beat North Carolina and Memphis in San Antonio for the NCAA title.
Villanova 83, Kansas 62, Jan. 22, 2005, Philadelphia: Allen Ray hit four threes and scored 27 points while Curtis Sumpter hit five three-pointers and netted 25 as unranked Villanova handed No. 2-ranked KU its first loss of the season in 15 games.
Kansas 86, Villanova 79, Jan. 2, 2004, Allen Fieldhouse: Keith Langford scored 24 points and Wayne Simien 23. David Padgett contributed 15 points and nine rebounds as the No. 13-ranked Jayhawks (8-2) tripped unranked Villanova (8-3). Langford scored seven points in a tiebreaking 23-5 run for the Jayhawks, who hit 35 of 41 free throws.
Kansas 55, Villanova 49, NIT quarterfinals, March 18, 1968, New York: Rodger Bohnenstiehl scored 15 points, Dave Nash 13 and JoJo White 10 for KU (22-8), which went on to beat St. Peter’s in the semis, 58-46, then lost to Dayton in the NIT final, 61-48.
