Villanova nets second title in three years
SAN ANTONIO – They chanted his name from the cheap seats: “Di-Vincen-zo, Di-Vin-cen-zo.” By the time Donte DiVincenzo was done doing his damage, Villanova had another title and college basketball had its newest star.
The redhead kid with the nickname Big Ragu scored 31 points Monday to lift ’Nova to another blowout tournament victory – this time 79-62 over Michigan for its second title in three seasons.
The sophomore guard had 12 points and an assist during a first-half run to help the Wildcats (36-4) pull ahead, then scored nine straight for Villanova midway through the second to put the game away – capped by a three-pointer he punctuated with a wink over to TV announcers Jim Nantz and Bill Raftery on the sideline.
Villanova won all six games by double digits over this tournament run, joining Michigan State (2000), Duke (2001) and North Carolina (2009) in that rare air.
One key question: Could this be one of the best teams of all time?
Maybe so, considering the way Jay Wright’s team dismantled everyone in front of it in a tournament that was dripping with upsets, underdogs and parity.
Maybe so, considering the Wildcats won in seemingly every way imaginable. This victory came two nights after they set a Final Four record with 18 three-pointers, and one
week after they relied more on defense in a win over Texas Tech in the Elite Eight.
That debate’s for later. DiVincenzo squashed any questions about this game with a 10-of-15 shooting night that was better than that.
He opened his game-sealing run with an around-the-back dribble to get to the hoop and get fouled. On the other end, he delivered a two-handed rejection of Michigan’s Charles Matthews, when Matthews tried to bring it into the paint.
The three-pointer that sealed it came from a big step behind the arc; yes, the man was feeling it.
About the only drama as the night closed was whether DiVincenzo could unwrap himself from his teammates’ mob hug to toss the ball underhanded toward the scoreboard. He succeeded there, too.
Early on Michigan looked like it would put up a strong fight and Moe Wagner was at the center of the action again for the Wolverines. Wagner, who had 24 points in the semifinals, scored nine points on perfect shooting to begin the game.
Unlike in the semifinals against Kansas, it took a while for the Wildcats to hit their first three. DiVincenzo finally broke through at 12:44. They had six by that point against Kansas.
Milwaukee native Jordan Poole scored to make it 18-14 Michigan with 11:51 left in the first half. The Wolverines were 7 of 11 from the field at that point.
Wagner finally missed and even though the three-pointers weren’t falling for Villanova, the Wildcats hung in there with twos and defense. Michigan led, 21-18, with 7:32 left in the first half.
Villanova was just 1 of 8 from threepoint range at that point, but the Wildcats held Michigan scoreless for 3:27.
That’s when DiVincenzo got hot. He had 16 points through 16 minutes, carrying the Wildcats. Villanova led, 30-26, after trailing by as many as seven earlier.
DiVincenzo already had his second highest scoring game since mid-February and was two points shy of his NCAA Tournament high of 18 in the second round against Alabama.
On this night, with a national championship on the line, it was a fitting reminder that this Wildcats team is more than just a remarkably good three-point shooting team.
It was a tournament-tested group capable of winning in a variety of ways – and in Monday’s win against Michigan, it was just as much about Villanova’s strong defensive finish to the first half and its rebounding.
After the Wolverines started the game 8 of 12, Villanova held Michigan to 3-of-16 shooting for the final 11 minutes of the half as the Wildcats dug out from an early 21-14 deficit to lead, 37-28, by the break. That included a stretch of seven straight misses, followed by the Wolverines missing their last six shots of the half – one of those being DiVincenzo’s soaring-in block of Simpson.