No. 1 Kansas holds on, beats No. 17 Villanova 74-71

The Final Four rematch in Lawrence, Kansas, didn’t disappoint.

No. 1 Kansas survived a late push from No. 17 Villanova on Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse to hold on to its undefeated record, beating the Wildcats 74-71.

“This was a good game that allows you to have a quality win and you play through the experiences that make you better,” Kansas coach Bill Self said after the win, via the Associated Press. “But Jay (Wright) would tell you, we’re both going to play in bigger games than this.”

Kansas jumped out early, and held a solid 9-point lead with less than three minutes left in the first half. However a huge 11-2 run, sparked by seven points from Villanova point guard Collin Gillespie, brought the Wildcats within just two points heading into the locker room.

The two teams were still in a tight battle at with less than eight minutes to go in the game, tied up 54-54. Though a quick 6-0 run helped the Jayhawks pull ahead in the next four-minute stretch to retake control of the game.

With just one minute left, Villanova guard Phil Booth have the Wildcats one last push by throwing down a massive dunk to bring them within just five points.

While Kansas kept knocking down free throws in the final minute, Gillespie and Booth took things into their own hands. Gillespie drained five straight points, and then recorded an assist by dishing to Booth, who drilled a deep contested three-point bucket with just 20 seconds left.

Booth then followed it up with a layup on the next possession to make it just a two-point game.

However, a pair of Dedric Lawson free throws on the other end and one last defensive stand, resulting in just a single Gillespie free throw, sealed the deal for the Jayhawks, giving them the three-point win.

Lagerald Vick led the Jayhawks with 29 points and seven rebounds, shooting 9-of-15 from the field. Lawson finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds, and was nearly unstoppable inside throughout the game.

Booth led Villanova with 29 points, shooting 11-of-21 from the field, and Gillespie added 15 points.

“This atmosphere was just awesome,” Wildcats coach Jay Wright said, via the Associated Press. “We played a great program, just a great atmosphere — tough game — and they just did a great job getting Lagerald Vick in spots where he wanted it, and Dedric Lawson, you know you’re not going to shut them out.”

The win marked Kansas’ 39th straight win in Allen Fieldhouse as the No. 1 team in the nation. It also marked Villanova’s second straight loss, as it fell to Penn 78-75 on Tuesday.

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