Brunson matchup is Simpson’s one shining moment

SAN ANTONIO — There are no dogs like this in Zavier Simpson’s yard.

Third-seeded Michigan’s self-described pitbull, the player that sets the tone for the Wolverines’ third-ranked defense, has never faced anyone quite like No. 1 Villanova’s Jalen Brunson.

“Brunson is actually a lot different from point guards[ I’ ve faced ],” the 6-foot Simpson said Sunday, on the eve of the national championship game. “He does a lot of things, as far as posting up, and he can definitely drive the ball really well, and he can shoot it.

“Sometimes I ran across a few point guards in the past that either can do one or the other. He can do it all.”

Simpson will be tasked with guarding Brunson, the consensus National Player of the Year, a highly skilled and smart junior who averaged 19.2 points per game this season on 52.7 percent shooting and notched an immaculate 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. He’s the key to the explosive Villanova offense, the floor general who makes everything run smoothly. And it will be up to Simpson to slow him down, to make him uncomfortable, limit his open looks, and make his evening difficult.

“Definitely a matchup that I’m looking forward to. Who wouldn’t?” the Lima, Ohio, native asked rhetorically. “As a point guard, and one who wants to be elite at the next level, who wouldn’t want to look forward to a matchup like [that].”

Simpson has had a huge sophomore season, after being a lightly used reserve a year ago, averaging 7.3 points, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals. He’s shut down a number of top scoring guards, players such as Carsen Edwards of Purdue, Cassius Winston of Michigan State, and Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon. His defense has keyed the Wolverines’ run to the national title game, their 14 consecutive wins and their elite defensive numbers.

“It’s just his mindset,” teammate Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman said. “He takes pride in [his] defense. He hates when people score on him.”

It began in the preseason. New assistant coach Luke Yaklich, who runs the Michigan defense, remembered the first team workout with Simpson.

“I’m going to be the pitbull,” he told Yaklich. “That’s the first day. He’s lived up to that expectation, because he wants to, he has grit, he has toughness, and he’s smart, and he has the personal pride that you need,

to be out in isolation and be able to have the confidence I can stop a guy in space.”

Simpson has struggled offensively in the tournament, averaging 5.8 points per game on 37.5 percent shooting and making just 2-of-11 3-point attempts. He wasn’t at his best in Saturday night’s national semifinal against Loyola Chicago, missing all six of his shots, and committing four turnovers.

He’s looking forward to redemption Monday night — and he’ll have that opportunity against the best player in the country.

“In order to be the best,” Simpson said, “you have to compete with the best.”