DONTE A HOT PHILLY SUB!
6th man DiVincenzo nets record 31 as Nova stakes claim to 2nd title in 3 years
VILLANOVA 79 MICHIGAN 62
SAN ANTONIO – The Alamodome crowd chanted “DiVincenzo” as the Villanova reserve drained yet another 3-pointer.
Donte DiVincenzo set a national championship record for most points for a nonstarter with 31 during a 79-62 victory against Michigan.
On a team full of stars, DiVincenzo was the only steady hand for Villanova. He’s come off the bench for all but 10 games this season to average 13 points. He picked the perfect time to have the game of his life, tying Danny Manning’s point total for Kansas in 1988.
Even when national player of the year Jalen Brunson picked up his fourth foul and headed to the bench with 10:51 remaining for a 7-plus minute stretch, DiVincenzo kept the Wildcats in control, shooting 10 of 15 with five 3-pointers.
The Wildcats’ sixth-man won most outstanding player of the Final Four
“Honestly, when I got into the game, all I was trying to do was play hard,” DiVincenzo said. “I just wanted to help my team offensively.”
DiVincenzo, who was just a cheerleader for Villanova during that championship run in the 2015-16 season, had the first 30-point effort in a title game since Miles Simon did it for Arizona against Kentucky in 1997. The sophomore from Delaware broke his foot early in his freshman season and was limited to eight games and a medical redshirt. He was on the bench when Kris Jenkins hit the winner at the buzzer to give Villanova the championship against North Carolina. “That year versus this year it was tough not being out there competing with these guys,” DiVincenzo said.
DiVincenzo said adjusting to coming off the bench this season was not easy.
“Early in the year it was difficult, not being a starter,” he said. “Just knowing the reason why is those guys ... it just made it so much easier for me.”
DiVincenzo finished 10-for-15 from the field, with five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. He had the highest scoring game for any single player against Michigan’s stingy defense this season and became the sixth player in the last 40 years with a 30-point NCAA title game.
As confetti rained from the rafters, players mobbed DiVincenzo, who held onto the ball as teammates hugged him until he finally launched it toward the ceiling. Eventually he and Brunson found each other among the streamers on the court, holding each other’s heads in their hands.
The championship was a second in three seasons for Villanova, cementing coach Jay Wright’s legacy as one of the most elite in the game. The last one against North Carolina in 2016 came down to a wild shot at the buzzer. Villanova rolled over Michigan on Monday night in San Antonio.
It was the largest margin of victory in a title since North Carolina beat Michigan State 8972 in 2009.
Brunson scored only nine points on 4 of 13 shooting. But it was a surprise to no one that even on the bench in foul trouble the team leader was bringing players into the huddle.
When Villanova was struggling with its shots in the first half, DiVincenzo provided a wake-up call for the Wildcats. When Michigan tried to make a move on Villanova in the second half, DiVincenzo put down the uprising with 11 straight points and a wink toward the sideline.
DiVincenzo had 16 points on an assortment of drives and mid-range shots in the first half as Villanova started 1 for 8 from 3-point range. “It was no surprise at all,” said Brunson. “We knew (DiVincenzo) had it in him. There’s plenty of players on this team top to bottom that have that in him. Nothing we haven’t seen before.”
The Wildcats’ offense, the best in the country with shooters all over the floor, perked up late and surged to nine-point halftime lead. The advantage quickly bulged to double-digits in the second half. Michigan had whittled it down 12 with about nine minutes left when DiVincenzo hit 3 from up top. The next time down he let another one fly — why not? — and after it swished through he looked toward the sideline and gave a wink.