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The No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks are headed to the 2022 NCAA Tournament national title game after defeating the No. 2 Villanova Wildcats in the semifinal round 81-65. The Jayhawks got out to a hot start courtesy of star guard Ochai Agbaji and built a nice 40-29 halftime lead. The Wildcats had cut the deficit to nine at one point, but late Kansas basket gave the favorite a double-digit edge at the break.
Villanova would eventually cut the gap to six, before key baskets from David McCormack and Christian Braun gave the Jayhawks enough room to pull away. McCormack finished with a game-high 25 points, while Agbaji added 21.
BIG SHOT BRAUN pic.twitter.com/Hn2rjyxnlq
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 2, 2022
With the win, Kansas advances to the national title game for the first time since 2012. The Jayhawks lost that game to Kentucky. Prior to that appearance, Kansas won the championship in 2008 over Memphis.
The Jayhawks entered March Madness at +600 to win it all per DraftKings Sportsbook.