Michigan
33-8
Villanova
36-4
Michigan Comes Up Short Against Villanova in National Championship Game
4/2/2018 11:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» The loss snapped Michigan's 14-game win streak that dated back nearly two months to Feb. 6. The Wolverines end the season with 33 wins, a program record.
» Senior Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman led Michigan with 23 points. He finishes his collegiate career as the school's all-time leader in games played (144).
» Junior Moritz Wagner (16 points, seven rebounds) and sophomore Zavier Simpson (10 points) also scored in double figures.
Site: San Antonio, Texas (Alamodome)
Event: NCAA Tournament (Championship Game)
Score: #2 Villanova 79, #7 Michigan 62
Records: U-M (33-8), Villanova (36-4)
Next U-M Event: Season completed
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The third-seeded University of Michigan men's basketball team saw its magical NCAA Tournament run end on Monday (April 2), falling to top-seeded Villanova, 79-62, in the national championship game at the Alamodome.
Senior Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who ended his collegiate career by playing in his school-record 144th game, led the team with 23 points, while junior Moritz Wagner chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Zavier Simpson was also in double figures with 10 points. The Wolverines shot 43.6 percent (24-for-55) from the field for the game but struggled from three-point range, hitting only 3-of-23 attempts (13 percent).
Though the loss snapped Michigan's 14-game win streak -- its last loss was nearly two months ago on Feb. 6 at Northwestern -- its appearance in the national championship game caps one of the best seasons in program history. The Wolverines won a program-record 33 games, captured the Big Ten Tournament for the second consecutive year, and made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament that culminated in its second trip to the Final Four in six seasons.
The pace was quick from the opening tip, as Michigan jumped out to an 11-8 lead at the first media timeout behind nine points from Wagner. A three-pointer and explosive take to the hoop on consecutive possessions from Abdur-Rahkman and an and-one from freshman Jordan Poole made it 18-14 before another Wagner layup gave Michigan its largest lead at 21-14.
Villanova answered with a 9-0 run, as Michigan went scoreless for more than five minutes until Abdur-Rahkman broke the spell with a layup. The Wolverines got back to within two, 30-28, following a dunk from junior Charles Matthews, but those were their last points of the half as Villanova scored the last seven and led 37-28 at halftime.
The Wolverines came out of the locker room and fed Wagner in the post on the first possession for a layup. But the Wildcats punched back with another 7-0 run right after, expanding their lead to 44-30.
The closest Michigan got the rest of the way was 12 after a dunk by Matthews with 9:08 to go. Every time the Wolverines looked like they were primed for a run, Villanova had an answer, as Donte DiVincenzo buried three-pointers on the following two possessions to quell a potential comeback.
DiVincenzo led Villanova with 31 points. The Wildcats won their second national title in three seasons with the victory.
