Championship game predictions

[tower912]

Villanova 85- Michigan 72.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Michigan 71
Villanova 68

My gut is saying Michigan plays their best game and Villanova is slightly off.

[mubb3434]

Nova 85
UM 79

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Villanova 91
Michigan 74

It's reasonably close for the first few minutes and then Michigan runs into a buzzsaw

[naginiF]

Nova 86
Mich 74

but it's not that close

It's reasonably close for the first few minutes and then Michigan runs into a buzzsaw

If you have not seen the Lawrence police twitter feed during/after the FF game check it out, but on the subject of buzzsaws...
https://twitter.com/LawrenceKS_PD/status/980268152427892736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbssports.com%2Fcollege-basketball%2Fnews%2Flawrence-police-are-trolling-kansas-for-an-ncaa-tournament-loss-again%2F&tfw_creator=Chip_Patterson&tfw_site=cbssports

[MU82]

Michigan 71
Villanova 68

My gut is saying Michigan plays their best game and Villanova is slightly off.

I like this pick. Most other Scoopers will pick Nova, so you can be the "right" one. Plus, your reasoning is sound.

Having said that ...

Nova 88
Hoopin' Harbaughs 68

[brewcity77]

The only way Nova loses is if they are off and Michigan is great. If Nova is hot, they win. If Nova is average (like they were against Kansas), they win. If Michigan is average or below, Villanova wins. Michigan could absolutely win this game. But they just need too much to go right for them and wrong for Villanova.

Villanova 88
Michigan 70

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

If Nova is hot, they win. If Nova is average (like they were against Kansas), they win.

Did you think they were average during that game?  I thought it was one of their better performances of the tourney - no real foul issues and offense generally humming. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Did you think they were average during that game?  I thought it was one of their better performances of the tourney - no real foul issues and offense generally humming.

I thought it was a B+ game for them. I've seen them be even more dominant

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Nova 86
Mich 74

but it's not that close
If you have not seen the Lawrence police twitter feed during/after the FF game check it out, but on the subject of buzzsaws...
https://twitter.com/LawrenceKS_PD/status/980268152427892736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbssports.com%2Fcollege-basketball%2Fnews%2Flawrence-police-are-trolling-kansas-for-an-ncaa-tournament-loss-again%2F&tfw_creator=Chip_Patterson&tfw_site=cbssports

That's fantastic.  Even better that many of the repliers didn't get the joke

[jsglow]

The only way Nova loses is if they are off and Michigan is great. If Nova is hot, they win. If Nova is average (like they were against Kansas), they win. If Michigan is average or below, Villanova wins. Michigan could absolutely win this game. But they just need too much to go right for them and wrong for Villanova.

Villanova 88
Michigan 70

I'm about like Brew.  Nova wins going away 8 out of 10 times.  But it only takes once.

[brewcity77]

Did you think they were average during that game?  I thought it was one of their better performances of the tourney - no real foul issues and offense generally humming.

Nova always has seems to have one huge run. They did it against us a few times and in most games I saw (Texas Tech was the only exception). The reason they looked dominant was they did it the first 5 minutes.

Otherwise, they shot slightly above average from 3 (45% vs 40% on the season, nothing special) and were a bit better on ppp (1.34 vs 1.27). It was a good performance, but not at all an outlier. Nova is just that much better than most teams.

Also, I'd point out Michigan hasn't played a team better than a 5 in the tournament. The high seeded Big Ten teams they beat generally bowed out early, so there's a decent case they haven't played a team of this calibur since UNC in non-con (who steamrolled them).

[jsglow]

Nova always has seems to have one huge run. They did it against us a few times and in most games I saw (Texas Tech was the only exception). The reason they looked dominant was they did it the first 5 minutes.

Otherwise, they shot slightly above average from 3 (45% vs 40% on the season, nothing special) and were a bit better on ppp (1.34 vs 1.27). It was a good performance, but not at all an outlier. Nova is just that much better than most teams.

Also, I'd point out Michigan hasn't played a team better than a 5 in the tournament. The high seeded Big Ten teams they beat generally bowed out early, so there's a decent case they haven't played a team of this calibur since UNC in non-con (who steamrolled them).

+1

[NickelDimer]

Nova's shown they can win in every possible way this year. Barring a monumental collapse of their offense combined with lights out shooting by UM they should control from the opening tip and never truly be in jeopardy of losing. That being said Beilien's offense is really good and UM competes hard. Nova by 7 in the end

[🏀]

Michigan's going to get clowned.

Nova - 87
Michigan - 69

[GGGG]

Michigan hasn't played a team close to this good all tournament.  And if they go on one of their shooting droughts, they will find themselves down 15-20 in a hurry. 

Nova has about a 85% chance of winning this game.  But upsets have happened before and wouldn't be out of the question. 

Clearly want Nova to win, but if there is one B10 guy I wouldn't mind seeing get a title it's Belein.  Considered a real good guy who runs a very clean program. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Clearly want Nova to win, but if there is one B10 guy I wouldn't mind seeing get a title it's Belein.  Considered a real good guy who runs a very clean program.

Agreed with this. One of my favorite non Big East coaches

[Goose]

I was thinking about this yesterday, I want Nova to be considered a real rival to MU and I hope they get smoked. I know many on here like cheering/supporting another conference team, but I personally want to raise the bar in my thinking. If ND was in BE and playing for NC, I believe few would be pulling for them. To me, that what a rivalry is all about.

So--I am going Michigan by 10+ points. I think they have a hot hand, a great, great coach and are the better team at the moment.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I was thinking about this yesterday, I want Nova to be considered a real rival to MU and I hope they get smoked. I know many on here like cheering/supporting another conference team, but I personally want to raise the bar in my thinking. If ND was in BE and playing for NC, I believe few would be pulling for them. To me, that what a rivalry is all about.

So--I am going Michigan by 10+ points. I think they have a hot hand, a great, great coach and are the better team at the moment.

I'm getting to the point where I agree with this. When Mack was hired away from Xavier, I found myself thinking "good,  I hate those guys." Found myself thinking the sane thing when our big East brethren lost in the non conference,  even though I knew it was bad for Marquette.

I don't have Bucky or ND level hate for any of our conference compatriots, but the hate is starting to grow. Not sure if I can ever hate Nova though... They just play such a beautiful brand of basketball that it's hard not to appreciate them.

[lawdog77]

Michigan's JV schedule just ended. They are playing a Varsity team now. Nova up big all game but wins by only 10 once the walkons play.

[Goose]

TAMU

I agree hard to hate Nova, but I can appreciate their style and still root against them. For me, it is time to see hated rivals in BE and not be pulling for them.

[tower912]

TAMU

I agree hard to hate Nova, but I can appreciate their style and still root against them. For me, it is time to see hated rivals in BE and not be pulling for them.

MU will take the money.   (tourney shares)     I disagree with this line of reasoning.    5 years ago, the fear was that the Big East was going to be a mid-major.   10 like-minded basketball schools banded together with the intention of being the best basketball-only conference in the country.   MU's record has not been what any of us truly want over the last 5 years.   But our basketball-only brethren's success is a proxy success for MU.   It is a proof of concept.     My opinion of other Big East schools will always be tempered by my appreciation of them coming together in the face of football.   Sure, I am learning to dislike other fanbases and other coaches.    But that dislike ends at tourney time, as (A) we all need the money, and (B) we need to stick it to the big football dominated state schools.       Go, Nova. 

[MU82]

I was thinking about this yesterday, I want Nova to be considered a real rival to MU and I hope they get smoked. I know many on here like cheering/supporting another conference team, but I personally want to raise the bar in my thinking. If ND was in BE and playing for NC, I believe few would be pulling for them. To me, that what a rivalry is all about.

So--I am going Michigan by 10+ points. I think they have a hot hand, a great, great coach and are the better team at the moment.

Goose:

Me picking Nova to win has nothing to do with "supporting" another Big East team. I simply happen to think the team that was No. 1 nationally for much of the season, and has gone 21-0 against non-BE teams and 14-0 in neutral-site games, and just smoked a very good Kansas team is better than the fourth-place team from a mediocre conference that didn't have to play a top-5 seed in this entire tournament and was losing to a clearly exhausted Loyola team with 7 minutes to go.

I absolutely would root against Notre Dame in a similar situation ... but I wouldn't hesitate to predict that they'd win if I thought that's what they'd do. I mean, I root for Marquette, but I don't pick us to win the national title every year!

I don't understand how predicting Villanova to win this game makes Nova any more or less likely to be a "real rival to MU" than predicting Villanova to lose does.

Also, if you would, please explain your reasoning behind Michigan is "the better team at the moment." I'm not being snarky. I watched Nova beat Kansas by 1,000 and Michigan barely get past Loyola, but I certainly could be missing something. It wouldn't be the first time.

[jsglow]

Don't get the Nova hate at all.  Jay never passes on an opportunity to talk up each and every team in the conference.  Moreover, he seems to strongly believe that we're better together than apart.

I'm going to point to one perfect example.  Jay could have had a hissy fit when Nova may have successfully fouled Sammy with a few tenths left.  And with the kids already streaming on the court, he could have tried to insist on a technical foul.  But he showed restraint and perhaps, we'll never know, shook his head 'no' at the ref on the far side with his hand up.  He allowed what was clearly the 'right thing' to happen with dignity. And he graciously shook Wojo's hand in the line.  Class.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Big East pride! Go Nova!