Bill Self will not be surprised if the Villanova Wildcats implement a game plan that once worked to perfection against Kansas on the biggest of stages.
"This could be a game they shoot 35 on us," Self, Kansas' 17th-year basketball coach said, referring to the number of 3-pointers that could be launched by No. 18-ranked Villanova Saturday against No. 1 KU.
"We've got to do a good job running them off the line," Self added of KU defenders chasing Villanova's perimeter players, who have combined to average 9.6 3s in 25.2 attempts per game.
Tipoff is 11 a.m. Central at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. KU is 9-1; Villanova is 8-2.
This is the same Villanova program that converted a Final Four-record 18 3s in 40 attempts in a 95-79 national semifinal victory on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio. The Wildcats tied the Final Four record for 3s in a game in the first half alone, making 13 in 26 tries in racing to leads of 22-4 and 47-32 over a stunned KU team.
"The way they play ... from past experience I know they shoot a lot of threes," KU senior center Udoka Azubuike said of Villanova, which has made 38.1% of its 3-point tries this season (96 of 252) compared to KU's 37.3% (75 of 201).
"The bigs step out and shoot a lot of threes, too. They pass the ball, do a lot of cutting to the basket," Azubuike added, acknowledging he has vivid memories of the Final Four onslaught.
"All of them could shoot from the three-point line. It was hard to play help defense against them. When you play help defense, it leaves a man wide open from three. When we played them they couldn't miss."
A year ago, Villanova hit 8 of 28 3s as the Jayhawks, who went 5 of 15 from 3, prevailed 74-71, on Dec. 15, 2018 in Allen Fieldhouse.
"You always have to be conscious who the shooters are, what sets they like to get into," said KU sophomore guard Devon Dotson. He has led a KU defense that has been solid guarding 3-point marksmen so far this season.
The Jayhawks, who rank third in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage defense, have held opponents to 29.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Five teams have failed to hit 30% of their 3-point tries in games vs. the Jayhawks.
"We have to be aware where they like to get their shots from. We worked on it this week," Dotson said of trying to "run them off the line."
"Coach Self's big thing is if they can't get a shot off, it has no chance of going in," Dotson continued. "We have to make them uncomfortable at all times. We've been working on things like that. A road game is a little bit different. You've got to be tighter, more together. They like to shoot a lot of threes. You have to be aware of that."
Villanova is led by guard Collin Gillespie and forward Cole Swider (21 3s each) as well as forward Saddiq Bey and guard Justin Moore (16 apiece). The Wildcats averaged 29.7 3-point attempts per game in their first six games of the season.
They attempted just 14.3 3s a game in their first three games of December. However, in their last game, Villanova went 10 of 31 from 3-point range in a win over Delaware.
Overall, 252 of Nova's 592 field goal attempts have come from beyond the arc. That's 42.6% of the Wildcats' total shots. In all, 201 of KU's 594 shots have been 3s. That's 33.8% of the Jayhawks' total shots.
"We are an inexperienced team and sometimes we don't mix it up enough," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "We get three-happy or get too focused on drives. We need to mix it up more and that comes with experience."
KU coach Self, who is 3-4 versus Villanova all-time (Wright is 4-3 against KU), seeks a strong defensive effort Saturday.
"Our numbers have been very good," Self said of that 29.9% mark on foes' 3s. "I think there are reasons teams shoot more threes against us, because of our size and maybe Doke (Azubuike being a rim protector inside). We don't do a good job running teams off the line like we should. We've got to run them off the line but keep them in front of you, too," Self added.
Villanova freshman forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, a former Bishop Miege and IMG Academy standout who chose Villanova over KU and North Carolina in recruiting, has averaged 12.1 points and 9.7 rebounds. He is 7 of 20 from 3-point range this season.
"He is terrific, a 4 man playing the 5," Self said of the 6-9, 235-pound Robinson-Earl. "He can stretch it. He plays so hard and sound. He's an unbelievable free-throw shooter (26 of 31). What's he average 12 and 10 already? He leads the team in minutes played, too (31.4 per game). We're happy for his success, happy he's doing well. I wish he wasn't where he's at. (But) we are doing well here, too. It's worked out well for him. He'll have a great career there."
The Jayhawks' players will head to the Philly airport right after Saturday's game and catch flights to their hometowns or hometowns of friends for Christmas. The team will gather in Lawrence for practice the night of the 26th. KU's next game is at Stanford at 2 p.m. Central time on Dec. 29.
