Collin Gillespie and Villanova were willing, but Kansas proved too much for the Wildcats.
The Jayhawks’ perimeter shooting, aggressive defense and size resulted in a 81-65 victory over Villanova in the Final Four on Saturday night. Kansas will face North Carolina on Monday for the NCAA championship.
The combination of Kansas senior guard Ochai Agbaji, a consensus All-American, hitting his first four 3-pointers on the way to 21 points and senior big man David McCormack (season-high 23 points on 10-for-12 shooting) dominating inside put Villanova in a hole from which it never recovered.
“The reason they were effective inside with their size was because they got us spread out early with Agbaji hitting 3s and we weren’t able to get off and help in the post,” Villanova coach Jay Wright.
Wright started sixth man Caleb Daniels, a redshirt senior, in place of versatile junior guard Justin Moore, who had surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon he suffered in the final minute of the Elite Eight win over Houston. Moore flew to New Orleans earlier Saturday and, with his leg on a scooter, joined his teammates for the Final Four.
Since he normally plays six guys and couldn’t use Moore, Wright had nobody coming off the bench averaging double-figure minutes this season. His first sub was junior guard Chris Arcidiacono, a Neshaminy graduate, 8½ minutes into the game. Junior guard Bryan Antoine was the only other reserve to play until the final 35 seconds. Antoine’s late 3-pointer was the lone points from the backups.
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After limiting Houston to 1-for-20 shooting from 3-point range, Villanova couldn’t prevent Kansas from hitting seven of its first 10 from behind the arc as its deficit swelled to 18 (36-18). The Jayhawks ended up 13 for 24 (.542) from 3-point land.
Gillespie, an Archbishop Wood grad, helped keep the Wildcats close and led the Wildcats with 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range during his 39 minutes on the floor. Gillespie, who received the Wooden Award on Saturday that’s given annually to the best player in men’s basketball, became emotional after going to the sidelines in the final minute of his record-setting 156th game at Villanova.
The reality suddenly hit him that this was his last game in a ‘Nova uniform. Asked how he would like to be remembered at Villanova, he said “as a guy who would have done whatever it took to win games.”
“I loved every second of it,” Gillespie said. “I have brothers that will last me a lifetime now. And I have coaches that I’ll be friends with for life, as well. I’m just super grateful to have been a part of this. It’s bigger than me and it’s just a really special place.”
His teammates and Wright also reflected on what Gillespie, a two-time Big East Player of the Year, meant to the program. He came off the bench as a freshman for the Wildcats’ 2017-18 national champions and earned numerous other athletic and academic awards during his five years on the Main Line.
“He’s one of the greatest Villanova basketball players, but also one of the greatest Villanova people that I’ve ever met,” Slater said. “And I’ll go to war for Collin Gillespie any day.”
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“It’s not just being a basketball player but being a Villanova man,” Wright added. “And he’s one of the best ever.”
Gillespie and the Wildcats did everything they could for him to play one more game, but Kansas had other ideas.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly
