Kansas vs Villanova: the Wildcats' Experience to Play a Key Role

The Final Four of this year's College Basketball National Championship will take place in New Orleans. Kansas Jayhawks and Villanova Wildcats will take the court first at Caesars Superdome. Who will secure the spot in the main game of the season? We'll pick a few options to bet on. 

The Jayhawks haven't missed a March Madness in over 20 years since the 2003/04 season under Bill Self. In 2008, Kansas, then played by Russia's Sasha Caun, won a national championship. Is it time to repeat that success?

On their way to the 2022 Final Four, the Jayhawks beat Texas Southern (83-56), Creighton (79-72) and Providence (66-61) as the first seed in their region. In the regional final, Kansas handily defeated Miami 76-50.

The Jayhawks are an experienced team. The main stars are fourth-year guard Ochai Agbaji, who averages 18.9 points per game; fourth-year guard David McCormack (10.1); third-year players Christian Brown (14.3) and Jaylen Wilson (11.0).

While the Jayhawks won the championship in 2008 and then reached the national semifinals at most cases (in the 2017/18 season), the Wildcats have been the best team in the country twice in the last six years - 2015/16 and 2017/18. A third title in such a short time would be a phenomenal accomplishment. And Jay Wright's team is very close to it.

On their way to the 2022 Final Four, Villanova defeated Delaware (80-60), Ohio State (71-61) and Michigan (63-55). The Wildcats handled Houston, 50-44, in the regional final.

The team's leaders include representatives from another 2018 championship season - Colin Gillespie, averaging 15.6 points per game; and Jermaine Samuels (11.1).

The bookmakers consider Kansas the favorite for this game. But it seems that the odds of winning here are about equal. Moreover, Villanova can be helped by their championship experience, which the Jayhawks do not have. The Wildcats still have members of the 2017/18 title-winning lineup. Kansas State, with the exception of coach Self, does not have any. We'll take that as a reason to bet on Villanova.

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