Written by Marc Tracy at New York Times.com
Early in the second half, the Villanova freshman Jalen Brunson made the poor decision to drive and try a tough layup, which he missed, prompting a Kansas fast break — three words that should strike fear into the heart of any Kansas opponent.
Guard Frank Mason III passed up a 3-pointer in order to feed the team’s starving star, Perry Ellis, having perhaps his worst game of the season. Ellis’s post move was typically crafty, but the shot hit the back of the rim and bounced out.
With its leading scorer all but unable to score — in no small part because of a wisely planned and executed defensive game plan — No. 1-seeded Kansas, the team ranked first over all by the selection committee, lost its first game in more than two months, 64-59, to Villanova on Saturday in the South Regional final of the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament. The No. 2-seeded Wildcats advanced to their first Final Four since 2009. They will play Oklahoma on Saturday in Houston.
It is the first Final Four appearance for the Big East since that storied conference took on a new, slimmer roster three seasons ago amid the latest bout of realignment. Villanova Coach Jay Wright became the second coach to lead two Big East teams to the Final Four, according to a conference spokesman, joining the likes of Jim Calhoun, Jim Boeheim, Rick Pitino and John Thompson.
Kansas’s fierce perimeter defense limited one of college basketball’s best 3-point-shooting teams to a 4-for-18 performance beyond the arc.
Ryan Arcidiacono, Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart had 13 points apiece for Villanova. Daniel Ochefu added 10 points and 8 rebounds.
Even so, Villanova missed its final five field-goal attempts, and eight of its final 10 attempts. At one point, the Wildcats went more than four minutes without any points, and they scored just 8 points in the final 4 minutes 28 seconds, all on free throws.
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