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Villanova runs over Michigan to win national title

Donte DiVincenzo's 31 points were the most ever for a non-starter in a championship game and the first 30-point performance in a title game in 21 years.
Credit: USA TODAY Sports

USA TODAY — SAN ANTONIO, Texas — They call him “Big Ragu,” because he has a deliciously Italian name and flaming red hair. Monday night in front of 67,831 at the Alamo Dome he did not simmer so much as bubble over, bursting with offensive efficiency when his team needed it most.

But long before Donte DiVincenzo was christened “Big Ragu” by FOX broadcaster Gus Johnson in winter 2017, those in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., knew DiVincenzo as something else. Dubbed “The Michael Jordan of Delaware” because of his propensity for dunking, Kathie DiVincenzo worried about her youngest son.

“Outsiders, the media, they can be harsh,” Kathie said. “That nickname, it’s a lot to live up to.”

It wasn’t Monday night.

Two years ago in Houston, backup guard Phil Booth propelled Villanova to the 2016 title when he came off the bench to score 20. This time it was DiVincenzo, whose game-high 31 set a record for most points scored by a non-starter in NCAA championship game history. His sizzling shooting (10-of-15) helped the Wildcats roll to a 79-62 win over Michigan, earning their second trophy in three years.

Clearly, something about the Lone Star State meshes well with Villanova reserves.

DiVincenzo, who broke his foot eight games into the 2015-16 season and watched the last national championship from the bench, swore he did not familiarize himself with highlights from Booth’s performance two years ago. Booth was not thinking it looked similar, either.

“I didn’t ever get hot like that!” Booth cried in a celebratory locker room afterward, calling DiVincenzo a “sparkplug on both ends.” DiVincenzo showed off his vertical Monday too, leaping high to swat away two shots and throwing down a tomahawk dunk at one point.

Wright didn’t think about two years ago either — he thought about four years ago. That’s when Wright learned a lesson about playing hot underclassmen over veterans, courtesy of Booth.

In the 2015 NCAA Tournament versus N.C. State, Booth, then a freshman, came off the bench firing, scoring nine points in 14 minutes for the Wildcats. But in crunch time Wright went with upperclassman Dylan Ennis instead of the hot hand, and Villanova lost 71-68.

“I said to myself, ‘I’m never gonna do that again,’” Wright recalled. “If one guy’s going, freshman or not, we’re going with him.”

Two nights after blitzing Kansas with a barrage of threes in the semifinal, the Wildcats (36-4) started slow against Michigan as the Wolverines’ length and athleticism made it impossible to get a good look from the perimeter. Michigan forward Moritz Wagner had his way with Villanova on the other end, scoring nine of Michigan’s first 11 points. The Wolverines (33-8) got to the rim at will, hitting seven of their first 11 shots.

Enter Big Ragu.

DiVincenzo jumpstarted Villanova’s offense, going 7-of-10 from the field and scoring 18 points in the first half, as Villanova finished the first period on a 23-7 run, taking a 37-28 lead into the locker room. The Wildcats also held Michigan scoreless for the final 3:34 of the first half.

“Anytime you get into a rhythm like that, where you can pull up from anywhere and just knock them down, it’s tough to stop,” said Michigan’s Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who scored 23.

When the second half started, DiVincenzo lasted all of 52 seconds on the bench.

“There was a play that occurred, and we wanted to make a quick teaching point (with another player) so we subbed him in there,” explained assistant Ashley Howard.

That’s how good these guys are. A backup goes off in the first half, and no one even considers starting him in the second. He only went in early because someone else needed a talking-to.

DiVincenzo hadn’t cooled in the second half, at one point hitting back-to-back threes to increase Villanova’s lead to 62-44 with 7:48 to go. After the second heat check, DiVincenzo turned and winked at Los Angeles Lakers player Josh Hart, one of many former Wildcats in the crowd who joined the on-court celebration when confetti rained from the ceiling as the clock hit 00:00.

“You can never have too many shooters, as you can see,” Wright said. “We had five out there who weren’t making them, but our sixth man could.”

Villanova went on cruise control early in the second half despite a less-than-stellar night from player of the year Jalen Brunson (nine points on 4-of-13 shooting) and foul trouble from Booth (two points on 1-of-4 shooting). Mikal Bridges, almost assuredly a lottery pick at this point, scored 19 on 7-of-12 shooting. Redshirt freshman Omari Spellman, who might also be off to the NBA, grabbed 11 rebounds and chipped in eight points.

But no one need worry about the future of this program just yet. DiVincenzo, the Most Outstanding Player, could leave but will be a starter if he comes back. Eric Paschall (six points, eight rebounds) was named to the All Final Four team after a 24-point performance against Kansas. Even true freshman Collin Gillespie, who averages just 14 minutes a game, contributed. He forced a shot clock violation on defense, hit all four of his free throw attempts, grabbed five rebounds and a steal and dished an assist in the win.

After the trophy ceremony, as players waited for One Shining Moment to play on video screens, Brunson and Gillespie flanked DiVincenzo, arms draped around each other’s shoulders, talking about what they had just accomplished.

It wasn’t just that Villanova won; it was how the Wildcats did it. In a tournament rife with upsets, with the first 16-over-1 and a Cinderella that danced well past midnight and into the Final Four in Loyola-Chicago, Villanova made its run to the championship look easy. In a season were multiple pundits claimed there were “no great teams,” the Wildcats won their NCAA tournament games by an average of 17.3 points.

In four Final Four games over three seasons they have shot absurdly well in domes, connecting on 57.5 percent (126-of-219) of their field goal attempts, including 47.5 percent (47-of-99) from three. This led Howard, the VU assistant, to ponder if Villanova should consider scheduling future non-conference games in football stadiums.

“That would be nice,” he said. “Maybe we could get a dome built on campus, too. That would be even better.”

Two titles in three years is something only the bluebloods dream about, typically. As Monday night bled into Tuesday morning, Wright admitted he did not even imagine winning one title, let alone multiple. He figured the 2009 Final Four appearance, where Villanova lost 83-69 to North Carolina in the national semifinal, would serve as the highlight of his career, and felt fortunate to have that line on his resume.

Now, consider this: Wright joins only Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina’s Roy Williams as active coaches with more than one NCAA men’s basketball championship.

“Wow,” Wright said softly, leaning back against the wall and lost in thought when he heard that trivia. “I’ll tell you honestly, I do not count myself in that category. I still like looking up to them … we’ll call that ‘mind-boggling.’”

Monday night though, everyone was looking up to DiVincenzo — particularly one toddler in Delaware.

DiVincenzo’s performance in the championship game was possible, his parents said, because of Donte’s brother John. Older by nine years, John took Donte everywhere with him when they were little, bringing him to the park, playing one-on-one and teaching him the game of basketball.

John is 30 now, dad to 2-year-old John Michael, and living in Wilmington where he works at a car dealership. He couldn’t make it to San Antonio, so he watched from his living room, texting his parents “I can’t believe this!” as Donte dominated on the biggest stage of his career.

In John’s home, there is no mention of “Big Ragu” or “The Michael Jordan of Delaware.” There he’s just “Uncle Day,” because 2-year-old John Michael can’t yet pronounce “Donte.” John Michael was allowed to stay up late Monday night to watch Uncle Day. During games, he waves at the TV when Donte comes on the floor, and runs to kiss the screen anytime there’s a close-up of his favorite uncle.

“Absolutely, he would not miss this,” DiVincenzo said afterward, confident that bedtime got pushed back.

Presumably, while Donte was dropping 31, John Michael’s little legs got quite the workout running back and forth to the TV to celebrate Uncle Day.

He didn’t cool in the second half. And even with Jalen Brunson and fellow starter Booth in foul trouble, Michigan had no answers. A three from Mikal Bridges (19 points, four rebounds) with 3:50 to play gave Villanova a 22-point lead, as the Wildcats cruised to the title.

It did not matter that national player of the year Brunson struggled most the night, going just 4-of-13 and scoring nine points. Villanova shot 50 percent in the second half and 47 percent on the night, eventually draining 10 threes after starting 1-of-8.

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