Defense key if MI is to upset Villanova in NCAA title game

So to help prepare for the big game, let’s take a look at five questions for Villanova to consider in the championship game against MI.

Now Cimini has evaluated the NCAA Tournament championship game from every possible angle. About how the freshmen are spoiled. “They’re a really good team“.

Before Saturday’s game, the MI men’s basketball team huddled around Jordan Poole just outside its tunnel. A great case can be made for Zavier Simpson as the best on-ball defender in this tournament, as the team feeds off his energy and swallows teams whole once they get in the paint. All of the above expect the Wildcats to win their second national title in three years.

Instead, Jordan kicked his legs out, sunk a buzzer beater, and now will play for a title in San Antonio. Duke was loaded with talent. On Saturday night there was no shortage of parties, with videos outside of Good Time Charley’s going viral as hundreds of fans gathered in celebration.

The X-factor in the National Championship game is which team can outlast the other. Navigating the bracket to get there takes a certain amount of good fortune.

“This team is relentlessly driven”, said Jessica Shepard, who scored 19 points to lead the Irish.

– And we love Jay Wright. “We know, always look for the best shot”.

MI had the nation’s No. 3 defense efficiency-wise and put Loyola on lockdown in the second half, forcing the Ramblers into a rash of turnovers. To call it lucky would be a disservice to the time Poole spends in the gym working on his jumper or the court awareness and unselfishness Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman possesses.

All four national semifinalists won their conference tournaments. Obviously both teams in a national championship game can be ranked in the top 12 of the Week 6 AP poll. But half of basketball is stopping the other team, and MI has excelled there. Florida State and Texas A&M were both held five attempts below their season averages in losing to MI in the NCAA Tournament. “We have more jerseys to raise over time“.

Villanova attempted 40 3-pointers and only 25 2-pointers. Yes, the Wolverines’ length and athleticism on the perimeter will make it tough to score … for a bit, anyway.

The offense has been less consistent. The Wolverines haven’t allowed more than 72 since February 3 and are holding opponents to 58.6 points per game during the tournament. But who can forget the A&M onslaught in the Sweet 16?

Michigan, behind a 17-2 run early in the second half, squeezed the basketball life out of Loyola, and the Legend of Sister Jean, Loyola’s 98 year old chaplain, ended in a 69-57 loss to the Wolverines. February wins over Wisconsin and Maryland were nearly as impressive. It wasn’t until Duncan Robinson hit a crucial 3 to pull MI close to Loyola that anyone besides Moe had done anything on offense.

This version of McGraw’s squad refused to lose, and the run was even more improbable because the Irish lost four players over the season to ACL injuries.

This game should be a close one.

Now the caveats. Last year, North Carolina (scoring margin: 0.1645 points per possession) and Gonzaga (0.1638) entered the game on virtually and effectively identical terms.

Who knows what a win by MI tonight might bring, but for now, Western New York’s about the best place to be tonight – besides, maybe, San Antonio, Texas. Free throw shooting has been a problem all season. If you want to mug them and ugly up the game, they can do that too. -Goliath story. The last two teams standing are usually among the very best and, roughly, equals. MI is ready for this game.

Lastly, it’s really hard for No. 1 seeds that make the title game to come out looking worse on this measure than opponents seeded below the No. 1 line.