No. 11 seed Michigan will face No. 2 seed Villanova in Sweet 16 in San Antonio
Michigan Wolverines basketball will play in its fifth straight Sweet 16 — a Big Ten record — and it officially has its opponent.
The 11th-seeded Maize and Blue will take on No. 2 seed Villanova Thursday in San Antonio. The South regional semifinal will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET at the AT&T Center.
The Wildcats are set to play in their second consecutive Sweet 16, after beating No. 15 seed Delaware, 80-60, in he first round and disposing of No. 7 seed Ohio State, 71-61, in the second round. They played in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
Villanova is 28-7 on the season and has won seven straight games. Entering Sunday, they ranked eighth nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and 30th on the defensive end of the floor, per Kenpom. The Wildcats shoot the 18th-most three-pointers in the country and connect at a 36.2-percent clip. Similar to Tennessee, Michigan will have to be on high alert for shooters.
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Michigan finished the regular season with 17 wins and was the last team with a bye in the NCAA Tournament field as a No. 11 seed. The Wolverines were down 15 points in the first half but came back to beat No. 6 seed Colorado State Thursday in Indianapolis, 76-63 before winning a thriller over No. 3 seed Tennessee Saturday night, 76-68.
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Michigan and Villanova have some recent history in San Antonio, of course. The two teams met in the 2018 national championship game, with the Wildcats taking home the title behind a 79-62 win. Michigan got revenge with a 73-46 victory at Villanova in the Gavitt Tipoff Games the following November, but this game would serve as much sweeter revenge considering its in the NCAA Tournament.
Three Villanova players who played in the national title game still reside on the roster, with the most notable being fifth-year senior point guard Collin Gillespie. The super senior recorded four points, five rebounds and one assists. Fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks notched one rebound in three minutes of action during the title game.
Both Gillespie and Brooks are huge keys for their respective teams’ success this season. Gillespie, who shoots 41.6 percent from three this year, is a two-time Big East Player of the Year (2021, 2022) and was named a third-team All-American this season. He scored 14 points against Delaware and 20 in the win over Ohio State. Meanwhile, Brooks was an All-Big Ten honorable mention this season, and the team captain scored 23 points in Michigan’s victory over Tennessee, lifting the team down the stretch.
Head coach Jay Wright will face Michigan head man Juwan Howard for the first time.
DeVante’ Jones Is ‘Healthy’
Michigan fifth-year senior point guard DeVante’ Jones did not travel with the team and missed its first-round game against Colorado State while in concussion protocol. He joined the Wolverines ahead of Saturday’s tilt with Tennessee, but played just 12 first-half minutes and wasn’t able to return due to what was described as an illness.
Jones took to Twitter Sunday to update his status, though, saying he’s “back healthy.”
