Villanova vs. Michigan: 2018 National Championship Prediction, Preview, Betting Odds, Start Time

Villanova and Michigan will play the final game of the 2018 NCAA Tournament Monday night at San Antonio’s Alamodome. Both teams have been impressive during March Madness, but one stands out as the clear favorite with college basketball’s national championship on the line.

Entering the field of 68 as the No.1 seed in the East region, Villanova has been the national title favorite since the tournament began. Only No.1 Virginia had fewer losses on the year, and the Wildcats have been dominant over the last few weeks.

The betting line is up to 6.5 points in favor of Villanova, according to OddsShark, and the over/under is 144.5.

Villanova cruised to a 95-79 victory over No.1 Kansas in the Final Four. They’ve won every tournament game by at least 12 points, defeating three teams seeded No.5 or higher.

Michigan has been impressive in March Madness, as well, ending No.11 Loyola-Chicago’s Cinderella story in the Final Four with a 12-point win. The No.3 seed in the West region has won three of its tournament games by double-digits.

The Wolverines haven’t played anyone like the Wildcats in the tournament. It’s clear Loyola was underseeded, though they weren’t among the nation’s elite teams. Michigan hasn’t even faced a No.5 seed during March Madness, needing a buzzer-beater to defeat No.6 Houston in the second round in what’s been their most difficult matchup.

Plenty of experts picked Michigan to reach the Final Four after they won the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines are on a 14-game winning streak, suffering their last loss nearly two months ago.

Junior forward Moritz Wagner has led the way as the team’s top scorer and rebounder. He had a historic performance in the Final Four with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Maybe he can carry Michigan to their first national championship in 29 years.

The Wolverines might be hard-pressed to defeat Villanova without with a similar performance from their best player. The Wildcats are the nation’s top offensive team, and few opponents have been able to slow them down.

Led by Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, both of whom made the 10-player Wooden Award All-American Team, Villanova has six players that score more than 10 points per game. They are a deadly shooting team, having already set an NCAA Tournament record for three-pointers made. The Wildcats made 18 three-pointers on their way to beating Kansas Saturday night, and they average 11.6 threes per game.

Villanova is the sport’s best team. They are playing their best basketball of the year, winning their last nine games by an average of 18.7 points while scoring 86.4 points per contest. As good as Michigan is defensively, the Wildcats simply have too many weapons.

The national championship game is scheduled to start at 9:20 p.m. EDT on TBS, and it should end with Jay Wright’s squad winning their second title in three years.

Prediction: Villanova over Michigan, 80-70