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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Unable to carve up Kansas with its precise half-court offense, Villanova instead turned to its defense as the avenue to reach the Final Four.

Forcing 16 turnovers, the next-to-last one ruining the Jayhawks' final chance to tie, the Wildcats knocked off the South Regional top seed 64-59 on Saturday night at KFC Yum! Center to attain their first national semifinal in seven years.

Up by three points after forward Kris Jenkins knocked down two free throws with just over 13 seconds left, No. 2 Villanova denied Kansas a last shot. Backup forward Mikal Bridges swiped the ball from guard Frank Mason and the Wildcats called timeout with 4.6 seconds left to save possession.

Guard Jalen Brunson iced the result with two free throws with 3.5 seconds remaining as Villanova (33-5) moved on to a matchup with West Regional champion Oklahoma next Saturday night in Houston.

Jenkins, guard Ryan Arcidiacono and guard Josh Hart each scored 13 points and forward Daniel Ochefu added 10 for the Wildcats.

Guard Devonte' Graham had a game-high 17 points for the Jayhawks (33-5) and guards Wayne Selden and Frank Mason hit for 16 each. But forward Perry Ellis, who averaged 23 points per game in Kansas' three previous NCAA Tournament games, managed only four points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field.

The first half was marked by predictable offensive struggles as both teams tried to figure out the best defense either had seen to this point in the tournament.

Playing at a cautious pace, Kansas inched out to a 16-12 lead with 10:41 left as Selden slalomed through the defense for a driving layup. But the Jayhawks wouldn't score again for nearly seven minutes as Villanova's zone defense forced a spate of turnovers and missed 3-pointers.

Ochefu's dunk capped a run of 13 straight points and gave the Wildcats a 25-16 lead with 4:09 left. Kansas crawled within 29-25 after Graham made a 3-pointer in the last 30 seconds. However, after taking its first-half timeout to set up a final shot, Villanova cashed in on a 3-pointer from the right wing by Jenkins for a 32-25 advantage at halftime.

NOTES: Villanova is the first team to win three straight Big East regular-season titles since Connecticut did so from 1994 to 1996. ... Kansas' 79-63 win over Maryland on Thursday night was its 12th this season against a ranked team, the most in program history. ... The Jayhawks knocked down their 300th 3-point shot in the first half, the first time in school history they achieved that milestone in a season.