Michigan Basketball: Breaking down the rest of the Final Four
Villanova
If Kansas’ offense scared you, I’ve got some bad news. Villanova is much scarier. The Wildcats boast a historically great offense that does just about everything well.
On Villanova, everyone can shoot. The top seven rotational players on the team all shoot well. Forward Eric Paschall is the weakest three-point shooter in the starting five, but he still puts up a respectable 33.3 percent from deep.
Omari Spellman is Villanova’s stretch five, and he might be the team’s best shooter, going 44.6 from behind the arc. He’s a bit undersized at 6 foot 8 but he plays bigger and is respectable as a shot-blocker and rebounder.
Mikal Bridges is the potential NBA lottery pick on the team, but point guard Jalen Brunson is one to watch out for as well. Brunson has a 26.1 usage rate, is a sharpshooter from deep and can drive exceptionally well. He also has a solid assist rate and barely turns the ball over.
The whole team rarely commits turnovers, and is solid at getting second chances when they do miss. That’s how the Wildcats win when they’re not shooting well. Their game against Texas Tech was Villanova’s worst of the tournament. The team shot 33.3 percent from the field, including an awful 16.7 from deep on 24 attempts.
Despite throwing brick after brick, Villanova still racked up 20(!) offensive rebounds, held onto the ball well enough, and made its free throws count. That’s how the number one offense in the country had a terrible shooting game and still won 71-59 against a great opponent.
On defense, Villanova is very good at limiting threes. It’s less effective at shutting teams down inside with such a relatively small team, but that usually doesn’t matter. Villanova more often than not makes its threes, and three is greater than two.
If Michigan basketball gets to face Villanova in the NCAA Championship, John Beilein’s team better hope the Wildcats shoot like they did against Texas Tech. Even that still might not be enough.
This is a team even more daunting than Louisville was in the 2013 championship game. It would be Beilein’s biggest challenge yet, and toppling this team in the finals would be the best way to finish off this incredible season of Michigan basketball.