On Tuesday, Dec. 9, Villanova men’s basketball suffered an eye-opening 89-61 defeat to No. 2 University of Michigan at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, MI.
Villanova (7-2) was unable to find any solutions for the No. 1-ranked defense in the country, finishing with a season-low 61 points. Michigan (9-0) held Villanova to 23 points in the first half. The Wildcats finished the game, shooting 33.9% and 27% from beyond the arc. The Wolverines scored 46 points in the paint and shot 47.8% (33-69) from the field.
“Everyone talks about their offense,” Villanova coach Kevin Willard said. “But everything is predicated off their defense. They use the length well. They switch great. They pretty much have two rim protectors at all times.”
The Wildcats were outrebounded for the first time this season, 53-33, a season high for Michigan. Villanova senior forward Duke Brennan was held to a season-low six rebounds (three offensive).
Villanova totaled a season-high 21 fouls, compared to Michigan’s 12
Michigan also won the assist battle, 17-6.
In the first five minutes, Michigan jumped out to a double-digit lead while Villanova could not find any offensive rhythm. Michigan junior Elliot Cadeau poured in 15 first-half points, aiding a 14-2 Wolverine run.
Despite the inefficient first half, Villanova graduate guard Devin Askew led the team offensively, shooting 4-for-10 from beyond the arc. Coming off a 17-point performance in the team’s Big 5 Championship win, Askew finished the first half with 15 of Villanova’s 23 first-half points. He went on to finish the night with 18 points, shooting 5-for-13 on three-pointers.
Askew is now averaging 9.9 points per game off the bench.
Only three other Wildcats scored in the first half, while Michigan had nine different scorers.
Michigan entered halftime with a dominant 53-23 lead over Villanova.
In the second half, Michigan opted to play its bench for most of it. The Wolverines had 10 different scorers in the back half of the game. No scorer had double digits.
After trailing by 30 points at the half, Villanova’s chances of a comeback were slim to none. Freshman guard Chris Jeffrey scored a career-high 12 points in the second half, shooting 5-for-6 from the field.
Michigan sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. led Michigan with 10 rebounds.
Villanova now will return home to host the University of Pittsburgh (5-5) on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Finneran Pavilion (4:30 p.m., truTV/TNT). Pitt has won the last six meetings and narrowly leads the all-time series, 32-33.
