The Villanova Wildcats will be looking to earn their second national championship in three years when they take on the Michigan Wolverines Monday night in the finals of the NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
While March Madness has been full of surprises throughout the tournament, Villanova (35-4) has been solid throughout the last three weeks of play. The No. 1 seed in the East, the Wildcats have won each of their NCAA Tournament games by at least 12 points, and easily dispatched Kansas 95-79 in the Final Four.
Bombs Away for Villanova
That semifinal victory over Kansas included a record-setting 18 3-pointers for Villanova, far surpassing the previous record of 13 in a Final Four game. Junior forward Eric Paschall led the way with 24 points on 10-11 shooting, while five other players also scored in double digits.
That’s all part of Villanova’s explosive offensive attack, which has given opponents fits all season long. But the Wildcats believe it’s really their defensive effort that will determine their success against Michigan.
“Obviously we’re very talented offensively,” junior guard Jalen Brunson, the AP player of the year, told reporters. “But when it comes to us staying together on defense, that’s what makes it special and we’re going to keep getting better and keep getting better and be ready for Monday.”
Villanova is looking for its third national championship in school history, having previously won titles in 1985 and 2016.
Wolverines Fly Under Radar
Michigan (33-7) is seeking its second national championship, having first captured the title in 1989. The Wolverines ended the surprising run of Loyola-Chicago in the Final Four, coming back from a 10-point second-half deficit to take control of the game and win, 69-57.
While it’s hard to say that the No. 3 seed out of the West region is a Cinderella, Michigan is clearly entering the final as an underdog. That’s a position that coach John Beilein is very comfortable being in.
“This team’s had no attention at all,” Beilein told reporters. “Until we went up to beat Michigan State we weren’t nationally ranked. Now we’re playing on Monday night.”
While Villanova has arguably been the best team in the country this year, Michigan comes into the final as the hottest team in college basketball. The Wolverines have won 14 straight games heading into the national championship.
Michigan’s biggest challenge will be dealing with a Villanova lineup in which every player on the floor has the ability to shoot from the outside.
“They can all shoot,” said Michigan center Mo Wagner. “They’re really, really efficient at multiple positions. Usually when you play a good team, there’s something you can give up and can make a defensive game plan. But that’s not the case here.”
Villanova enters the final as a seven-point favorite according to Bovada, with many other bookmakers putting the line at 6.5 points. That makes Villanova the biggest favorite in a national championship game since 2010, when Duke was a seven-point favorite over Butler.
