SAN ANTONIO — Villanova is a steady-humming machine with the most accomplished coach in the Tournament not named Coach K. The No. 2 seed Wildcats have won two national titles in six years and are seasoned and savvy.
The Wolverines are a refurbished vehicle testing their acceleration. They lost 14 games and slid in as an 11 seed. Point guard DeVante’ Jones is expected to return from injury, otherwise they’d start three freshmen. Villanova starts three seniors, including sharp-shooting Big East Player of the Year Collin Gillespie.
Obviously, it’ll be a tough task for Michigan in the Sweet 16 Thursday night. Too tough? Uh, have you watched a minute of this madness, as unpredictable as virtually any NCAA Tournament ever? It’s impossible to separate the Cinderellas from the Cinderblocks, and Michigan is somewhere between the Cinders.
And then there’s the potential equalizer. Hunter Dickinson is the mean-mugging monster in the middle, brash and mischievous and menacing all at once. While Michigan faces a tough task, Villanova faces a tall one against a 7-footer playing his best basketball, freed from the physical rigors of the Big Ten.
In comeback victories over Colorado State and Tennessee, Dickinson scored 48 points, the most by a Michigan player in the first two Tournament games since Juwan Howard in 1994. He shot 16-for-23 with 17 rebounds, three 3-pointers and was 13-for-15 on free throws. And here’s the don’t-say-it-out-loud part: Only three total fouls in two games.
Oh yes, Dickinson is happy to be rid of the rugged, rigid Big Ten.
“This season was definitely like not the best, not the way that we wanted to,” Dickinson said. “Other fans definitely let us know that, particularly Michigan State, Illinois, who else? Ohio State. Who else? There was one more. Oh, oh, the team down in Madison, the red and white team, they definitely let us know how they felt about our season. We heard those NIT chants. They were hurtful. It's funny how they'll be watching us on Thursday back in their cribs.”
Dickinson likes to rib about cribs and just about anything else. Assistant Phil Martelli says the 7-1 sophomore center would be an ideal wrestling villain, and I think he means it as a compliment, mostly. When Michigan beat Michigan State on March 1 with Martelli as the interim during Howard’s suspension, Dickinson tweeted out, “January. February. Martelli.” During that game, Dickinson was especially animated, waving his arms and staring at MSU’s bench, and was told by officials to tone it down.
Attention-getter
Villain, meet Villanova. The Wildcats under nattily attired Jay Wright are buttoned-up and locked-down. They run one of the most patient, efficient offenses in the country and shoot the 3 as effectively as anyone. Eric Dixon, a 6-8, 255-pound sophomore, is their biggest starter, and as good as they are, this is not Wright’s most physically talented team. They know it’ll take a bunch of guys to stop the Wolverines’ big guy.
“I think Michigan presents some difficulties in Hunter,” Gillespie said. “He’s really big and he makes the right decisions, whether he's going to score or kick it out. They're a really good team. They're well coached. We have to guard them as a team and guard their big as a team as well.”
Dickinson is accustomed to the attention and welcomes it, although he’d prefer not to welcome double-teams in the post. When he plays, he’s fierce. When he talks, he’s amusing and insightful. He says his on-court demeanor is a way to fire himself up. Howard also shows plenty of emotion and isn’t interested in harnessing anyone.
“He’s so humble, talking to you guys, but sometimes you see him on the floor, you might think he's arrogant,” Howard said of Dickinson. “He plays with a lot of emotion. And Hunter works hard, man. I know because individually, him and I work together on player development, before practice, sometimes after practice, on off days. To come out and compete the way he did (against Tennessee), I told him we were going to you on the inside. You're the backbone of our team, and be ready. I also asked him to be greedy. And what does that mean? Be aggressive.”
Dickinson and Eli Brooks were aggressive out of necessity against the Volunteers, and will have to be the same against the Wildcats (28-7). Villanova has become a blueblood under Wright, who’s 32-15 in the Tournament in 21 seasons and won the national championship in 2016 and 2018. The Wildcats blitzed Michigan, 79-62, in the ’18 title game in San Antonio.
These Wildcats have four seniors in their top six, all capable of shooting the 3, and they lead in the nation in free-throw percentage at 82.6. By seeding and style, Villanova is a solid favorite, five points according to Vegas. But through a rough season, Howard kept his players engaged, and now has them playing with a confident edge. He’s proving to be an excellent motivator, persistently positive, while still growing as a young coach.
Comeback kids
To a degree, Howard’s demeanor helps explain how the Wolverines have weathered tense times in the Tournament. They trailed Colorado State by 15 and won by 12. They trailed Tennessee by six with eight minutes left and closed on a 22-8 run. Michigan is 5-1 in the Tournament under Howard, and including John Beilein’s run, has gone to five straight Sweet 16s.
To find a more dangerous 11 seed, you’d have to go all the way back to, well, last year, when No. 11 UCLA reached the Final Four by beating No. 1 seed Michigan. UCLA also was a talented team that churned through injuries and other obstacles and peaked at the right time.
Tracking tournament trends can be a fool’s errand because it’s so unpredictable. But for two years now, the Big Ten has struggled mightily. Nine teams made the field each year, and Michigan is the only one to reach the Sweet 16 both times. Purdue is still alive now.
The Big Ten hasn’t won a national title since Michigan State in 2000, although Michigan reached the championship game in 2013 and 2018. Perhaps the conference’s physical style doesn’t prepare teams for more proficient offensive teams. Asked to compare Villanova to a Big Ten foe, Dickinson had an interesting response.
“Maybe like a more disciplined Iowa team,” Dickinson said. “Iowa is really free flowing and they have a couple sets, but it's mostly just a lot of them making up their own sets. Villanova is really disciplined. Coach Wright has them really trained to do the Villanova system. But both teams have a lot of shooting. Both teams don't have that 7-foot big man like the rest of the Big Ten has.”
Iowa raced to the Big Ten conference tournament title with its lethal shooting and breakneck pace, then lost in the first round to 12th seed Richmond. Purdue is still alive with its big men, 7-4 Zach Edey and 6-10 Trevion Williams. Villanova has most of the edges in this matchup, but Michigan has a towering one. And Dickinson doesn’t mind letting people know he enjoys the view up there.
