NOVA & OVA !

Wildcats make it two in three years with dominant cap to dream season

SAN ANTONIO — Perfection lasted for 40 minutes, when Villanova pulled the upset for the ages, and dethroned Patrick Ewing and Georgetown in 1985.

Perfection played out over 4.7 seconds in 2016, when Ryan Arcidiacono sprinted up the floor, and tossed the ball to Kris Jenkins, who elevated to hit his shot for the ages.

For national title No. 3? The Wildcats stretched perfection across an entire NCAA Tournament.

No. 1 Villanova became the fourth team in history to win every tournament game by double-digits, finishing its dominant run by obliterating No. 3 Michigan, 79-62, at the Alamodome, and becoming just the fourth team since 1975 to win two titles in as few as three years.

Villanova (36-4) became the first champion in nine years to win every game by doubledigits — by an average of 17.7 points — and matched the largest margin of victory in a title game since then.

Coach Jay Wright, who has led the Wildcats to the most wins in a four-year span (136) in Division I history, joined Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams as the only active coaches with multiple championships.

“I just have the best job in the country, my hometown, my wife’s alma mater, my favorite team growing up,” said Wright. “... As a coach, there’s just nothing better.”

The career-best performance of sixth man turned the tourney’s most outstanding player, Donte DiVincenzo (31 points), set a titlegame record for scoring off the bench, as he scored the most points in the championship in 29 years.

“I really can’t get my mind around it,” Wright said on the court. “I never dreamt of this. … I thought we played our best game in the championship game.”

Michigan (33-8), which had won 14 straight games, has now lost four straight championship games (1992, 1993, 2013) since winning its first title in 1989, while its loss extended the Big Ten’s 18-year drought without a national champion.

With Moe Wagner, the Wolverines looked to have the most dominant player on the floor, initially overwhelming the Big East’s best, and hitting his first four shots, while keeping Michigan in front for most of the first half.

Entering the championship game holding opponents to 58.6 points, and 24 percent 3-point shooting, during the NCAA Tournament, Michigan’s length and aggressive perimeter defense kept the nation’s highest-scoring team from finding a rhythm which rarely leaves it.

Coming off a Final Four record 18 3-pointers in the semifinals, Villanova didn’t hit from outside in the first seven minutes, and opened 1of-9, as Michigan took a seven-point lead.

National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson scored Villanova’s first four points, then went 18 minutes without another point. Projected lottery pick Mikal Bridges and teammate Phil Booth combined for six points in the first half. It was a good time to have six starters. DiVincenzo, who could only watch from the sideline in a suit as an injured redshirt freshman two years ago, brought back Villanova’s championship swag, hitting seven of his first nine shots, and scoring 18 first-half points to spark a 23-7 run, and give Villanova a 37-28 halftime lead.

DiVincenzo hit 10-of-15 shots, and joined Glen Rice as the only players to score at least 30 points, with five 3-pointers in the national title game.

“I did not think I was gonna have this kind of night,” DiVincenzo said. “I just try to bring energy. ... I just wanted to help my team.”

With the Wolverines struggling from the perimeter, and Wagner (16 points) getting support only from Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman (23 points), Villanova sprinted out to a 18-point lead less than six minutes into the second half. It was over. And it was perfect. “Nobody has more titles than us in the past few years,” said Jenkins, two years after giving Villanova its first championship in 31 years. “We’re finally getting the respect that our program deserves.”