Saturday night Villanova will take on Kansas for a spot in the national championship game.

The Jayhawks are the third Big 12 team the ‘Cats will face in the tournament, but Kansas will present a different challenge than defensive-minded West Virginia and Texas Tech. Instead the Jayhawks will look to match Villanova offensively.

Kansas secured wins over Kentucky, Syracuse, Texas, TCU, Baylor, Texas A&M, Kansas St., Oklahoma, West Virginia and Texas Tech throughout the season. Looking at games against the two Big 12 teams ‘Nova faced in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8, the Jayhawks went 3-0 against West Virginia (winning by five, eight, and 11) and 1-1 against Texas Tech (losing by 12 and winning by two).

The Jayhawks are ranked 8 in KenPom, checking in at 5 in offensive efficiency and 41 in defensive efficiency.

Offensively, Kansas is similar to Villanova. The Jayhawks protect the ball reasonably well, committing a turnover on 16.7% of possessions. They also trot out a number of players capable of hitting from deep, as four Jayhawks shoot 37.8% from three or better. As a team Kansas shoots 49.3% from the floor and 40.3% from deep. Kansas is averaging 81.4 points per game.

Per Synergy Sports, Kansas is rated “very good” or “excellent” in every offensive situation outside of isolations (“poor”), offensive rebounds (“average”) and hand offs (“average”). Unsurprisingly, those three situations make up a small portion on its offense, just under 14%.

The bulk of the offense comes from spot ups, in transition, and utilizing the pick and roll ballhandler, and Kansas has excelled in these situations.

It all starts with senior guard Devonte’ Graham and his 17.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds. Graham shoots 39.6% from the floor and 40.3% from three. Graham is Kansas’ version of Jalen Brunson, and he can beat you scoring the ball or making plays for his teammates. He can take games over and knows what he needs to do in a specific game for Kansas to be successful.

Jay Wright had this to say about Graham and the matchup with Jalen Brunson "When you look at the point guards we have faced this postseason, he plays at a higher level. We have seen him grow during his time at Kansas and he has size that Jalen Brunson doesn’t have but has the same aggressiveness to take over the game and he gets people shots. They both make the right decisions all the time."

Svi Mykhailiuk represents Kansas’ best three-point shooter at 44.7%. He chips in 14.7 points, four rebounds and 2.7 assists. Mykhailiuk has shown the ability to hit big shots, and he can feast when Kansas has dribble penetration working.

Malik Newman adds 14 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 46.4% from the floor and 41.5% from three. Newman has blossomed down the stretch and exploded in the tournament. He’s averaged 21.8 points and 5.9 rebounds during the tournament, and poured in 32 points in Kansas’ Elite 8 win over Duke.

7’0” sophomore big Udoka Azubuike chips in 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds in just 23.5 minutes per game. He is incredibly efficient, shooting 77.2% from the field.

Finally, Lagerald Vick contributes 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He shoots 48.7% from the floor and 37.8% from deep.

Like Villanova, Kansas excels at scoring the ball and can do so in a number of ways and with a number of players. The Jayhawks can punish opponents from the perimeter or cause headaches with dribble penetration.

There is a bit of a drop off on the defensive end, but Kansas is still very solid at that end of the floor. The Jayhawks have guarded the perimeter well and have done a good job keeping teams off the free-throw line. Kansas gives up 71.3 points per game. That number is up slightly, to 74, during the tournament.

The ‘Cats should be able to get what they want offensively. They should be able to penetrate, and Newman and Vick have had some trouble handling the pick and roll ballhandler. Omari Spellman’s ability to step out to the perimeter, and pull Azubuike with him, is a bonus for the ‘Cats as well.

Defensively, things are more complicated. Kansas has shot under 40% from three in each of its seven losses this season, so defending the perimeter is a key. But if you sell out to stop the deep ball, Kansas can punish you with dribble penetration. The Jayhawks love to generate offense off penetration and preventing that is key as well. The ‘Cats must also do a good job defending the pick and roll. Villanova’s ability to switch is a plus. Preventing Graham from creating chaos as much as possible is a must. Unlike the last two opponents, where there was a clear offensive catalyst for the ‘Cats to focus on, against Kansas they must be aware of everyone on the court.

Both teams protect the ball well while both have been average at forcing opponent’s turnovers. Whichever team gains an edge here will have an advantage.

Kansas has struggled a bit on the defensive glass, allowing second opportunities on 31.3% of opponent’s misses. The ‘Cats were excellent on the offensive glass against Texas Tech, and this is an area where they could look to gain an advantage Saturday night.

After facing two of the better defensive teams they have seen all season in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8, the script will flip Saturday as the ‘Cats take on one of the best offensive teams they have seen this year. The most comparable offenses ‘Nova has faced, in terms of efficiency, are Xavier, Gonzaga, Marquette, West Virginia and Seton Hall, but Kansas comes in a tick above those teams.

It will be a stiff test, but we wouldn’t expect anything less in the Final Four.

The game is scheduled for 8:49 on TBS.