Bill Self reveals how Kansas is preparing for Villanova with absence of Justin Moore

The Kansas Jayhawks and Villanova Wildcats are set for a Final Four matchup with a trip to the National Championship Game on the line. Kansas head coach Bill Self knows that his team is in for a tough matchup against Villanova, even with Wildcats guard Justin Moore unavailable for the contest due to a torn Achilles.

Ahead of the Final Four, Self was asked about how Kansas is preparing for Villanova knowing that Moore, one of the Wildcats’ leading scorers, won’t be on the court. Ultimately, Self said that the preparation doesn’t really change all that much.

“I don’t know there’s a lot to prepare differently because I think Jay is still going to do what they do,” Self said. “They did play a game against Connecticut earlier in the season when Justin was out, and Villanova played arguably one of their best games of the year. I think they hung 85 on Connecticut and 6 of 11 from three and 21 of 22 from the line. And they did try to post their guards still the same way, even though Justin’s one of their better posting guards. But they were able to play without him.

“So they can draw from that and know they’re very capable of playing very well even without Justin. We’ll watch that, and we have watched it, but I don’t know if it showed me a lot of different stuff, but it showed me that no matter who they got out there, they’re capable of playing the same way they’ve been playing.”

Losing Moore will be a big loss for Villanova against Kansas

On the season, Moore has played in 36 games, averaging 34.6 minutes per game. He is posting an impressive line with 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Moore is shooting just under 40% from the field and 35.6% from three-point range. This season, Moore ranks second on Villanova’s roster in scoring and third in rebounds.

This season is Moore’s third with the Wildcats. He began his collegiate career during the 2019-2020 season, averaging 11.3 points in 29.9 minutes per game. During the 2020-2021 season, he played 32.8 minutes per game and averaged 12.9 points with 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

As Self alluded to, Villanova has played in one game this season without Moore. That game came in early February, with the Wildcats picking up an 85-74 victory over UConn.

Villanova has played well so far in the NCAA Tournament, but Kansas will be its toughest test yet, and that is especially true considering the loss of Moore.