NCAA tournament run without a close game?

why, you ask?

many reasons:

- kansas played a terrible defensive game, michigan won't

- villanova can rely too much upon the 3, which can get you in a hole when the shots aren't falling

- remember the wisc game where wisc beat a very similar #1 villanova team w/ good D? 

- nova overconfident right now

- mich knows how to play in a close game, nova might get a little tight

- mich is due

- beilein is due

 

 

Have that dirty team feel. Wright is Calipari East, and Villanova is Kentucky East. You know there are dirty recruiting tactics and other shenanigans going on at Nova. This is another dirty vs clean game.

We are the underdog, clearly. We got lucky with only facing low seeded opponents in the tournament so far, but we did beat enough quality opponents in the regular season and BTT that we deserve to be taken seriously in the championship game. Predicting an upset based on patterns or numerology is fun, but we need to play at a top level and Nova needs to have a less than great game. This year there hasn’t been a better team than Nova, but they’re not as invincible as previous champions seemed. So it all depends on who shows up and how they play.

We need to start out making some easy shots.  If we do, we'll calm down and hit them throughout the game.

Beilein needs to give each player an early "five yard pass to the flat" easy shot to let them see the ball go in and get them in the zone.

 

Our D will keep us in it.

Close is always a relative term. Texas Tech is the best defense Villanova has played in the tournament, and that was a 5-point game with four minutes left. Villanova also went 4-24 from three and shot 33 percent overall. It was able to get a win because it got to the line 35 times, and although that number is a bit inflated by late extend-the-game fouling, Nova kept itself afloat in that game by living at the line. Michigan's defense is good enough to slow Nova down from 3, and even though Nova is also top 15 in defense, it gives you open looks. That rating is somewhat influenced by teams getting overwhelmed by its offense and getting desperate. If Michigan controls tempo and limits threes like it's done most of the season, it'll be in the game.

Well, you know Barkley is going to pick Villanova, so we've go tthat going for us

They can hit 3's or pound it inside. Brunson may be their best postup player, Spellman can hit 3s, and Bridges is more than capable of carrying the team. Their losses came against good teams in The Big East when they had injuries. Michigan can win and hopefully will, but anyone thinking Villanova resembles Sparty or any team in the Big Ten is mistaken. I think the key will be to frustrate their bench. DiVincenzo tries to do too much if frustrated and can be turnover prone. Once that starts the rest of the bench also gets unsettled. Michigan wins when they get to Villanova's bench.