Villanova at Kansas

Villonova has gotten a lot of people to jump on their bandwagon with their recent play. They came back from dead, and in the end blew out a frustrated inexperienced Clemson team. The Tigers had not been in the tourney for over 10 years, and did it ever show. Such is not the case with Kansas. Villanova deserved to be higher than a 12 seed - we have no issue with that. So, we don't underestimate them. The numbers don't lie though, as this team shoots just 43%, which is about as bad as it gets on this level. On the road, they are bad, shooting just 42% and posting a 9-9 record. They also don't defend the three very well, ranking 250+ there. They are the only team in the entire tournament from a multiple bid conference that lost eight games by double digits! When they play good teams, and lose they lose big! Many feel they are in peak form now, at the right time, and that their poor play is all part of the past. What happened then in the Big East Tournament when they faced Georgetown? They lost by 19 because they couldn't shoot or defend the long ball. They also lost to Louisville late in the season, dropping the game by 14. In their last eight games against tournament teams, Kansas is winning by 16.3 ppg. Many of those were vs. teams better than Nova. The Jayhawks shoot 51%, knocking down 40% of their three-pointers. They also defend at 38%. There will be mismatches all over the floor, and they favor Kansas. We like them to win and cover.