Kansas defeats Villanova 81-65, advances to NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship Game

The Jayhawks jumped out to an early lead Saturday night and never relinquished it, stunning the shell-shocked Wildcats, who struggled playing for the first time all season without injured guard Justin Moore. 

Kansas was already up 10-0 in the first quarter before some fans had even reached their seats. Villanova was never able to recover, at one point falling behind by 19 points. 

The Wildcats made a small run deep into the second half, cutting the Jayhawks' lead to six. However, Kansas went on a 17-7 run over the final six minutes of the game, cruising to a 16-point victory. 

Kansas shot the lights out all night, finishing 29-of-54 (53.7%) from the field and 13-of-24 (54.2%) from three-point range. 

The Jayhawks' defense was also a nightmare for Nova, forcing nine Wildcat turnovers while holding them to 22-of-57 (38.6%) from the field and 13-of-31 (41.9%) from three. 

Kansas' David McCormack led all scorers with 25 points, followed by teammate Ochai Agbaji who had 21 points, including six three-pointers, in the Final Four victory. 

Collin Gillespie led Villanova with 17 points. 

Kansas returns to the NCAA National Championship Game for the first time in 10 years, when they fell to Kentucky in 2012.