Wolverines Head to Finneran Pavilion for Rematch with No. 8 Villanova

» Michigan will play its first road game of the season, heading to Villanova for a rematch of last season's national title game at the Wildcats' newly renovated Finneran Pavilion.
» The game is part of the 2018 Gavitt Games, which is an eight-game challenge between the Big Ten and Big East conferences.
» Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis leads U-M with 15.5 points per game, while senior Charles Matthews is just behind at 15.0 points per game.
» Junior Jon Teske has already collected nine blocks in the first two games of the season. In his first two seasons he had 33 total.

NEXT GAME (Gavitt Games)
Wednesday, Nov. 14 -- at #8/8 Villanova (Villanova, Pa.), 6:30 p.m.

The 18th-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team opens its three-game stretch of road games with a rematch of last season's national title game against eighth-ranked Villanova on Wednesday (Nov. 14) at the newly renovated Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The game is part of the 2018 Gavitt Games, pitting the Big Ten vs. the Big East in a series of eight games. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with the game broadcast on FS1.

A Little Bit About Villanova

• The defending national champions are 2-0 to open the 2018-19 season with home wins over Morgan State, 100-77, and Quinnipiac, 86-53.
• Four players are scoring in double figures early in the season for Villanova, led by 20.0 points per game from Phil Booth. Eric Paschall is adding 18.5 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game, while Saddiq Bey chips in 12.0 points per game and Collin Gillespie is averaging 11.0 points per game.
• The Wildcats were selected as the preseason favorite in the Big East for the fifth consecutive season. Eric Paschall and Phil Booth were named to the preseason All-Big East Team, while Jahvon Quinerly earned preseason co-Big East Freshman of the Year honors.
• Villanova posted a 36-4 overall record in 2017-18, defeating Michigan, 79-62, in the national championship game to claim its second title in three seasons.
• After playing all of last season off-campus at Wells Fargo Center, Villanova has returned to campus for a portion of its home schedule at the newly renovated Finneran Pavilion.

Michigan vs. Villanova

• Michigan is 1-3 all-time against Villanova
• All four previous match-ups between Michigan and Villanova have been neutral-site contests
G1: U-M defeated #11 Villanova, 103-87, in the 1970 Rainbow Classic in Hawaii
G2: Villanova defeated #2 U-M, 59-44, in the 1985 NCAA Tournament in Dayton, Ohio
G3: #12 Villanova defeated #12 U-M, 60-55, in 2014 Legends Classic in Brooklyn, New York
G4: #2 Villanova defeated U-M, 79-62, in 2018 NCAA Tournament title game in San Antonio, Texas

John Beilein vs. Villanova

• U-M head coach John Beilein has a 5-5 all-time record against Villanova
G1: at Villanova | L, 103-79 (-24) | 3/17/1994 | Canisius, NIT first round
G2: at Villanova | W, 91-83 (+8) | 2/1/2003 | West Virginia, regular season
G3: at Villanova | L, 73-58 (-15) | 1/31/2004 | West Virginia, regular season
G4: Villanova | W, 67-60 (+7) | 2/14/2004 | West Virginia, regular season
G5: at Villanova | L, 84-46 (-38) | 1/5/2005 | West Virginia, regular season
G6: vs. Villanova | W, 78-76 (+2) | 3/11/2005 | West Virginia, Big East Tournament
G7: at Villanova | W, 91-57 (+34) | 1/8/2006 | West Virginia, regular season
G8: Villanova | W, 67-56 (+11) | 1/3/2007 | West Virginia, regular season
G9: vs. Villanova | L, 60-55 (-5) | 11/25/2014 | Michigan, Legends Classic
G10: vs. Villanova | L, 79-62 (-17) | 4/2/2018 | Michigan, NCAA Championship

What are the Gavitt Games

• Started in 2015, the Gavitt Games are an eight-game challenge series between the Big Ten and Big East conferences. The event is an eight-year deal (2015-22) between the two leagues.
• The series is named in honor of the late Dave Gavitt, former athletic director at Providence and the first commissioner of the Big East.
• So far, the Gavitt Games have ended up in a tie (4-4) in all three events played to date.
• Michigan has appeared only once in Gavitt Games, an 86-70 loss to Xavier at Crisler Center on Nov. 20, 2015.

Two Games In ...

• Michigan is 2-0 after home wins over Norfolk State (63-44) and Holy Cross (56-37). Both games were campus games of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off.
• Following U-M's Gavitt Games road tilt at Villanova (Nov. 14), the Wolverines head to the Mohegan Sun Arena for the championship round of the Tip-Off event. U-M opens against George Washington (Nov. 17) and will play either Providence or South Carolina the following day.
• Despite shooting just 36.4 percent as a team to start the season, the Wolverines have allowed their opponents to shoot just 30.6 percent from the field, 26.9 percent from long range and 42.9 on free throws.
• U-M has shot 50 free throws through the first two games, while opponents have gone to the line just 14 times.
• Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis leads U-M with 15.5 points per game as he is one of two Wolverines to reach double figures in the first two games. The other is Charles Matthews, who is posting 15.0 points per game and recorded U-M's first 20-point game of the season against Holy Cross (Nov. 10).
• Speaking of Iggy, after U-M was trailing 24-18 at the half to Holy Cross, he single-handedly brought Michigan back into the game, scoring 15 of Michigan's first 18 second-half points to give the Wolverines the lead for good. The Maize and Blue went on to hold the Crusaders to 13 points and win by 19, 56-37.
• Jon Teske has nine blocks (4.5 bpg) already this season after 33 total his first two seasons. As a freshman, he had seven and last season he posted 26.
• Picking up where he left off, Zavier Simpson has 12 assists (6.0 apg) including a season-best seven against Holy Cross. What is even better is he has just three turnovers.
• After tying his career best with eight rebounds in the opener against Norfolk State, Isaiah Livers posted his first career double-digit board game with a new career-best 10 against Holy Cross. Coming off the bench, he adds 7.5 points per game and is second on U-M with four blocks.
• Michigan recorded 52 rebounds in the opener against Norfolk State. The last time U-M did that? It was against Norfolk State nearly 10 years ago: 53 on Nov. 25, 2008.

Up Next (Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament)

Saturday, Nov. 17 -- vs. George Washington (Uncasville, Conn.), Noon (TV: ESPN3)
Sunday, Nov. 18 -- vs. Providence/South Carolina (Uncasville, Conn.), 1:30 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. (TV: ESPN or ESPN2)