Mullin’s final advice: Don’t miss vs. Nova
SAN ANTONIO — The overwhelming consensus is Michigan needs to slow Villanova down. To make Monday’s national championship a grind-it-out affair, a half-court game played at a methodical pace against the top-ranked offense in the country.
But one of the four coaches who knocked off the top-seeded Wildcats — St. John’s Chris Mullin — believes that would be a mistake.
“Ideally, if you have the personnel, you want to get up and down the floor against them, speed the game up,” Mullin said in a phone interview. “They play somewhat of a controlled game. You can speed them up if you have the personnel to do that.”
You have to be smart about it, though, Mullin said. Pick your spots. Don’t force shots. Make the most of your opportunities in transition, because of how good Villanova is when it can set up its defense. Most importantly, don’t let the Wildcats get comfortable.
“If they put that press on, we always liked to be aggressive and go score on it. But if you do that and miss, it’s not a good idea,” the Hall of Fame player-turned-coach said. “You can do that, but you have to get out there and convert. There’s no question Michigan is capable of doing it.”
St. John’s knocked off Villanova, 79-75, at Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 7. It also nearly upset Nova at the Garden on Jan. 13, falling 78-71. In the win, the Red Storm nearly equaled the Wildcats from 3-point land, hitting 6-of 15, compared to 8-of-33 for Villanova. That will be essential to Michigan pulling off the win.
“They’re going to have to at least stay close from the 3-point line,” Mullin said. “Either at least shut them down or limit them to a workable number of makes, or [come close to] matching them.”
That’s obviously easier said than done. Villanova shoots 40.1 percent from deep, and set a Final Four record Saturday with 18 made 3-pointers. Michigan, meanwhile, shoots 36.2 percent from 3-point land, and doesn’t have a single rotation player who shoots at least 40 percent.
Of course, the Villanova team St. John’s beat is vastly different now, Mullin pointed out. In the win, starters Phil Booth and Eric Paschall were out with injuries. The Wildcats have gone 13-2 since that defeat and won 10 straight games.
“They’re healthy and they’re 100 percent locked in. They’re playing as well as they have all year, which is the ideal situation,” Mullin said. “When they shoot the ball like they did on Saturday, they’re unbeatable. They’re the most efficient team in the country, so they do it more times than not.”
Mullin said he wouldn’t take any joy or personal pride if Villanova wins the national title, even though it would mean his team had defeated the national champion. He is, however, hoping the Wildcats prevail.
“I’m rooting for them, I love their team,” Mullin said. “All their guys are good guys. They play the right way. Jay Wright is class personified. He wins with class, loses with dignity when he does, which is not often. As far as that standpoint, I dig the whole program.”