Final Four Preview - Kansas v. Villanova

Breaking down the top NBA Draft prospects on Kansas and Villanova

Villanova and Kansas lead off Saturday’s Final Four in New Orleans in what feels like an undercard match, with North Carolina and Duke squaring off Saturday night in the main event.

But while this matchup doesn’t feature two hated rivals or a legendary coach on the doorstep of retirement, this is indeed a heavyweight showdown between legendary programs and Hall of Fame coaches. 

Villanova is looking to win its third title in the last six years, but will be short handed and without Justin Moore, who tore his Achilles in the final minute of the Wildcats’ win over Houston on Saturday. Moore, a gritty 6’4” junior, was second on the team in scoring and assists and arguably Villanova’s best NBA prospect. 

If the Wildcats are to advance to Monday’s championship game, they will need to replace Moore’s production and do something they did on their way to NCAA titles in 2016 and 2018:

Beat Kansas.

Bill Self has a deep Kansas team seeking to win the school’s first title since 2008. That Jayhawks team was loaded and featured five players selected in the 2008 NBA draft.

This Kansas roster is unlikely to have more than three players drafted in June, but it does feature the two best NBA prospects in this matchup: Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun. 

On paper Kansas has the advantage with its depth and top-end talent, but Villanova has an experienced roster led by Collin Gillespie, who was a freshman on the 2018 title team that blew out Kansas 95-79 in the Final Four.

Here’s what I’ll be watching from an NBA Draft perspective: