Wolverine TV podcast: Previewing Michigan vs. Villanova, latest on spring football, more
Michigan Wolverines basketball is in the Sweet 16 for a fifth straight year, and the Maize and Blue’s football team is 10 practices into spring ball. TheWolverine.com’s Clayton Sayfie, Anthony Broome and Chris Balas — who’s reporting live from San Antonio — are here to break it all down.
Balas discussed his unique experience on his trip from Michigan down to San Antonio, which included some fantastic conversations with the parents of Wolverines fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks, who scored 23 points in Saturday night’s win over Tennessee and has been a part of 15 career NCAA Tournament games already. The three hosts also discussed the keys to a Michigan victory and gave their predictions. They then talked about what they heard from players and coaches inside the football building this week — a lot of intel on the Michigan defense — and a transfer that could potentially join the fold.
Watch the Michigan football and basketball podcast below.
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More On Michigan vs. Villanova
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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