FACTS & STATS: Site: Ford Field (72,818) -- Detroit, Michigan. Television: CBS. NCAA Tournament Record: Villanova 44-28, Kansas 78-36. Series Record: Kansas leads, 2-1.

GAME NOTES: The top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks continue their journey towards a national title tonight, as they tangle with the 12th-seeded and upset-minded Villanova Wildcats in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Regional. The winner of this bout will move on to face either Davidson or Wisconsin on Sunday. The Jayhawks are making their 25th appearance in the Sweet 16, as they reached this round with a pair of convincing victories. The program opened tourney play with an 85-61 triumph over 16th-seeded Portland State before defeating eighth-seeded UNLV 75-56 in the second round. Winners of nine straight games overall, Kansas has now captured 78 all-time victories in the NCAA Tournament and it is in search of its first title since 1988. As for Villanova, it barely made it into this tourney, so it is a bit surprising the team is still competing for a championship. After coming from behind to knock off fifth-seeded Clemson, 75-69, in the first round, the Wildcats handled 13th-seeded Siena, 84-72, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in the last four years. In order to continue its run however, Villanova is going to have to make history, as no No.12 seed has ever defeated a No.1 in the history of the NCAA Tournament. With respect to the all-time series, Kansas holds a 2-1 edge over Villanova, although the Wildcats upset then second-ranked Kansas, 83-62, in the most recent meeting in 2005.

Scottie Reynolds has been terrific all season long for the Wildcats and he has been even better in the tournament. The versatile Reynolds tops the roster in scoring (16.0 ppg), assists (3.3 apg) and steals (49), and in this tourney he is averaging team-highs of 23.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 3.5 apg. Dante Cunningham has provided a nice complement to Reynolds on the season with 10.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg and in this event he is producing 11.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg. In the team's second round win over Siena, Cunningham had 14 points and six boards, while Reynolds led the charge with 25 points, eight rebounds and five helpers. After being limiting to just four points in the first round, Corey Stokes erupted for 20 points in the victory over Siena. Villanova has shot 50 percent or better in both its tourney games, while holding each of its opponents under 40 percent shooting overall.

The Jayhawks are outscoring their opponents by a ridiculous 20.0 ppg margin, and they are also shooting an efficient 50.8 percent from the floor compared to just 38.0 percent by their opponents. Darrell Arthur paces this attack with a team-high 13.1 ppg and 6.2 rpg for the season, and he has averaged 13.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg through the first two games of this tourney. Brandon Rush, who has contributed 15.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg in this event thus far, adds 13.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg to the mix for the season and he is also shooting 43.9 percent from three- point range. Mario Chalmers knocks down 47.1 percent of his long-range attempts for his 12.6 ppg and he also heads the club in assists (4.5 apg) and steals (85). In the tourney thus far, Chalmers has stepped up to lead Kansas in scoring with an average of 16.5 ppg. Darnell Jackson turns in 11.5 ppg and a team-best 6.7 rpg on the season, but he has seen those numbers dip slightly to 9.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg in this event. In the squad's second round game, Chalmers led four double-figure scorers with 17 points in a triumph of UNLV. Russell Robinson posted 13 points, while Rush and Sherron Collins chipped in with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Kansas hit on 58.0 percent to its field goals and held UNLV to a dismal 26.7 percent shooting effort from the floor.

Villanova has had a nice run, but expecting it to advance past Kansas could be a lot to ask. The Jayhawks are loaded with talent from top to bottom and they should be able to control this game and capture the victory rather easily.

Predicted Outcome

Kansas 80, Villanova 62