On the strength of a three-point barrage, Villanova blew past Kansas 95-79 to earn a chance to play for the national championship on Monday night.

Kansas opened the scoring with an Udoka Azubuike dunk. In what felt like the blink of an eye, a pair of 11-0 runs had the ‘Cats holding a 22-4 lead, and the Jayhawks never truly threatened again. They would get as close as 12 in the first half before ‘Nova took a 42-27 lead into the break.

The second half brought more of the same, as the ‘Cats maintained a 20-point lead for much of the half. Kansas closed to within 14 with 9:23 to go, but Villanova responded with five straight points to restore the cushion, and the ‘Cats had an answer every time the Jayhawks even sniffed momentum. They continually kept Kansas at arm’s length, finally cruising to a 95-79 win.

The narrative around this game will focus on the three-point shooting (18-40), and rightfully so. The ‘Cats tied the record for three-pointers in a Final Four game IN THE FIRST HALF, setting a new record just over a minute into the second half. ‘Nova also set the record for threes made in a season in Division I basketball. The previous record was 442, set by VMI in 2006-07. The ‘Cats have now made 454 three-point field goals this season.

Villanova ran the offense to near perfection. The ‘Cats assisted on 20 of 28 made field goals, constantly generating good looks. That fact that nearly every Wildcat had the jump shot working (seven ‘Cats hit a three, six hit two or more), we also can’t discount the quality of the looks playing a role in the good shooting. Kansas elected to not let Jalen Brunson work out of the post, consistently sending double teams, but Brunson calmly passed out of the double, sending the Jayhawk defense scrambling. People will also look at the 40 three-point attempts with wide eyes, but the ‘Cats didn’t simply ignore the inside. ‘Nova got plenty of penetration, it simply passed out to open shooters rather than putting up a ton of shots at the rim. Also, ‘Nova did shoot 18-25 from two-point range. For the game the ‘Cats shot 55.4% overall and 45% from three.

For all the hoopla surrounding the offense, it was another solid defensive performance as well. Kansas shot 45.2% from the field and 33.3% from deep. ‘Nova only forced nine turnovers, but it did an excellent job turning those turnovers into offense. The ‘Cats also did a very good job limiting Kansas in transition. Devonte’ Graham and Malik Newman got theirs offensively, going for 23 and 21 points respectively. But Svi Mykhailiuk had just 10 points on 2-8 shooting, and the Jayhawks got just nine points from their bench. Kansas is an excellent offensive team, and the ‘Cats held them in check for much of the game.

Kansas deserves a lot of credit for sticking in this game. The three-point eruption they endured would have taken a lot of teams out the game, but the Jayhawks kept coming. They did appear to get out of their offense at times, settling for quick shots, but it’s hard to fault them for that. Thanks to Villanova’s shooting and experience the Jayhawks weren’t able to make a lot of inroads, but they continued to bring it.

We have to start our look at the individual performances with the ‘Nova bigs.

Eric Paschall was fantastic, hitting 10 of 11 shot attempts, including 4-5 from three, for a game-high 24 points (also a high for his Villanova career). He added three rebounds and three assists.

Omari Spellman was again a monster. He finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. He knocked down a couple early threes that really helped build the Villanova momentum, and his work defensively and on the glass was huge.

Jalen Brunson remained steady and unflappable, contributing 18 points, six assists, two rebounds and a steal while orchestrating the offense flawlessly.

Phil Booth was productive with 10 points, six assists and three rebounds.

Mikal Bridges had a “quiet” game with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

Donte DiVincenzo was very good, adding 15 points on 4-6 shooting and 3-5 from three. He also grabbed eight rebounds and dished three assists.

Collin Gillespie hit 1-2 from beyond the arc for three points and grabbed a rebound.

It was an excellent all-around team effort from the ‘Cats. They took the game’s biggest stage and put on a show and will be rewarded with an opportunity to play for their second national title in three years.

The ‘Cats will take on Michigan for national championship on Monday night at 9:20 on TBS.