THE MATCHUPS
(1) VILLANOVA VS. (3) MICHIGAN Monday, 9:20 p.m., TBS
POINT GUARD
Everyone’s player of the year, Jalen
Brunson’s numbers are silly good — 19.2 points per game on 52.7 percent shooting from the field and a 2.6 turnover-to-assist ratio — and the ultra-skilled and extremely smart junior has been just as efficient in the tournament, posting 17.6 points, 4.4 assists and 49.1 percent shooting. Zavier
Simpson, the engine to Michigan’s eighthranked defense, has shut down several elite point guards, from Purdue’s Carsen Edwards to Michigan State’s Cassius Winston, but he hasn’t seen anyone quite like Brunson. Edge: Villanova.
SHOOTING GUARD
Neither player has to score to be effective. Villanova’s Phil Booth and his counterpart,
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, can break out for big scoring games — Abdur-Rahkman scored 24 points in the Sweet 16 rout of Texas A&M — but their value is in their defense, ball-moving and poise. A versatile defender from Allentown, Pa., who grew up following Villanova, the 6-foot-4 Abdur-Rahkman will be essential to limiting the Wildcats’ explosive perimeter attack. Edge: Michigan.
SMALL FORWARD
Charles Matthews has shook off a lateseason slump to lead Michigan in scoring in the tournament, averaging 16.6 points on 53.2 percent shooting. And yet the Kentucky transfer will be the other small forward on the floor Monday night, facing almost certain NBA lottery pick Mikal
Bridges. The 6-foot-6 junior is one of the nation’s best two-way players, a 43.5 percent 3-point shooter and lockdown defender who was a third team Associated Press All-American. Edge: Villanova.
POWER FORWARD
Eric Paschall could lead most highmajor programs in scoring, the 6-foot-8 Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., native is that talented. On Villanova, he’s often a third or fourth option. But the Fordham transfer, known more for his defense and rebounding, is clearly capable of being an offensive force, as evidenced by his 24-point tour de force on 10-of11 shooting in the national semifinals against Kansas. Isaiah Livers, a 6-foot-7 freshman forward, is a starter in name only, scoring just four points in the tournament. Edge: Villanova.
CENTER
Omari Spellman, Villanova’s dynamic redshirt freshman, won’t have the mobility edge like he did against Kansas. Michigan’s Moe Wagner, a projected first-round draft pick from Germany, has a versatile game similar to Spellman’s, possessing the rare ability for a big man to stretch the defense from the 3-point line and own the paint. Just ask Loyola Chicago. The 6-foot-11 Wagner hammered the Cinderella darlings in the national semifinals, with 24 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and three made 3-point shots. Edge: Michigan.
BENCH
Villanova has the most explosive reserve, redshirt sophomore Donte
DiVincenzo, and freshman Collin Gillespie is a lights-out 3-point shooter. But Michigan has more options coming off its bench. Forwards Duncan Robinson and
Jon Teske are both capable of making an impact — Robinson from the perimeter and Teske in the paint — and cocky freshman guard Jordan Poole has been a factor throughout the tournament, sinking the buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-pointer in the second round against Houston, and scoring seven points Saturday against Loyola Chicago. Edge: Michigan.
COACH
The argument can easily be made these are the two best coaches in the country. No coach develops players better than Villanova’s Jay
Wright. His players don’t just get better year to year — they take massive leaps — and they stay on campus longer, because of the culture Wright has created. Then there is John
Beilein, an expert in-game tactician, willing to adjust on the fly. Michigan lacks the offensive firepower his teams have been known for, but the Wolverines are in the title game because of their defense, a nod to Beilein’s flexibility to work around his talent. Edge: Even.