Mar 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright and guard Ryan Arcidiacono (15) celebrate after beating the Kansas Jayhawks in the south regional final of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
By Bucky Dent
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — If you can’t score as much as usual, then keep the other guy off the board.
Villanova followed that theory Saturday night in a low-scoring South Regional final to dump top-seeded Kansas and claim its first Final Four berth since 2009.
Forcing three turnovers in the final minute, the second-seeded Wildcats bagged a 64-59 win at KFC Yum! Center to land a spot opposite West Regional champion Oklahoma on April 2 in the national semifinals in Houston.
On an evening when Villanova shot just 40.4 percent from the field — after making 59.9 percent in its first three NCAA Tournament games — Villanova (33-5) turned to defense and clutch foul shooting as its avenues.
Although the Wildcats didn’t make a field goal in the final 4:28, they nursed a four-point lead to the finish line by sinking eight straight free throws in the final 33 seconds and stopping the Jayhawks when it most mattered.
“When you’re a parent, you think your kids are the greatest,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “When you see your players live out their dreams, it just makes your heart swell.”
Wright’s heart might have been stopping before it swelled.
Kansas could have tied or taken the lead when it rebounded a miss by guard Josh Hart with 41 seconds left. But guard Devonte’ Graham turned the ball over on what was ruled an offensive foul when he collided with Hart after appearing to lose control of the ball with 34.1 seconds left.
Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Graham made a great hustle play, but lead referee Terry Wymer told a pool reporter that Graham undercut Hart. Wymer and his crew convened after the call and changed it from a common foul.
“The ball came loose and Kansas maintained the ball,” Wymer said. “Therefore, it was a team control foul and they were not shooting a one-and-one.”
But the Wildcats did regain possession and then used the foul line to their advantage. Guard Ryan Arcidiacono swished two one-and-ones and Jayhawks guard Frank Mason countered with a contested 3-pointer and a driving layup.
Wildcats forward Kris Jenkins drilled two free throws to make it 62-59 with just over 13 seconds left. Then Villanova’s defense came up big again as backup guard Mikal Bridges pilfered the ball from Mason.
After a timeout with 4.6 seconds left to save possession, the Wildcats sealed the verdict when guard Jalen Brunson sank two foul shots with 3.5 seconds remaining.
After stealing Kansas’ final desperate inbounds pass, Hart cradled the ball for a second and then heaved it into the rafters as his teammates stormed the floor in celebration. Arcidiacono chest-bumped a teammate near the bench, and Hart and Jenkins embraced about 25 feet away.
“When I caught it, I was in shock,” Hart said of the last seconds. “I’m still at a loss for words.”
Arcidiacono, Hart and Jenkins each scored 13 points. Teammate Daniel Ochefu added 10 points and eight rebounds. Bridges, who played big minutes in the second half after Jenkins drew his fourth foul with 13:37 remaining, contributed six points and five steals.
Graham led all scorers with 17 points before fouling out on his offensive foul. Mason and guard Wayne Selden added 16 points each, but ultimately, the Jayhawks couldn’t overcome an off night from senior forward Perry Ellis.
Ellis came into the game averaging 23 points in the tournament but hit just 1 of 5 shots from the field and finished with four points, five rebounds and four turnovers in the last 34 minutes of his college career.
“They did a great job of swarming me, but maybe I could have demanded the ball more at times,” Ellis said.
It was a harsh ending to a terrific season for Kansas, which won 17 straight before the loss and finished the regular season as the nation’s top-ranked team without a dizzying array of NBA-level talent.
Self said losing regional finals are always the toughest games to lose in the NCAA Tournament.
“I feel like we probably didn’t play our best game, but Villanova had a lot to do with that,” he said. “It wasn’t from a lack of focus or effort, but it just didn’t go our way.”
While Self lamented what might have been, Wright showed up for the postgame press conference drenched from head to toe.
“They got me really good in the locker room,” a beaming Wright said of his players. “But I’m going to wear this as a badge of honor.”
NOTES: Villanova is the first team to win three straight Big East regular-season titles since Connecticut did so from 1994 to 1996. … Kansas’ 79-63 win over Maryland on Thursday night was its 12th this season against a ranked team, the most in program history. … The Jayhawks knocked down their 300th 3-point shot in the first half, the first time in school history they achieved that milestone in a season.
