No. 2 seed Villanova (34-5, 16-2 Big East) vs. No. 1 seed North Carolina (33-6, 14-4 ACC)
NRG Stadium, Houston, 9:19 p.m., TV: TBS
Last time out
Villanova enters Monday night’s national championship game coming off of dismantling Oklahoma, 95-51, for the largest margin of victory in Final Four history. The Wildcats were able to put together a complete performance at both ends of the court in the victory. On the offensive end, Villanova shot a blistering 71.4 percent on 35 for 49 shooting overall. It also knocked down 11 of 18 shots from beyond the arc. Josh Hart led six Wildcats in double figures with 23 points, going 10 for 12 from the floor (see story).
On defense, Villanova held Sooners star Buddy Hield, who was averaging better than 25 points per game, to nine points (more on 'Nova's D). It was just the second time all season Hield was held in single digits and his second-lowest scoring output of the year. Hield made his first attempt from three, then missed his last seven straight as the Sooners shot 22.2 percent from deep.
North Carolina is fresh off of an 83-66 win over Syracuse on Saturday in the Final Four. The Orange were within 10 points with less than four minutes to go, but a 9-0 Tar Heels run would put the game out of reach. Brice Johnson and Justin Jackson each scored 16 points to lead the way. North Carolina knocked down 54 percent of its shots.
Series history
North Carolina holds an 11-4 advantage over Villanova in the all-time series. The two teams have met six times in the NCAA Tournament, and the Tar Heels have come out victorious on five occasions.
The last time North Carolina and Villanova met was in the second round of the tournament in 2013. North Carolina won, 78-71.
NCAA Tournament facts/figures
This will be Villanova’s first national title game appearance since winning it all in 1985. North Carolina has won the championship five times, most recently in 2009. The Tar Heels beat the Wildcats in the Final Four that year to reach the title game.
Villanova has been tearing its way through tournament competition. Four of its five wins have come by at least 19 points — 30, 19, 23, five and 44. And in those games, the Wildcats have gone off for 86 points or more.
The Wildcats are led by Hart’s 15.5 points per game on the offensive end. Daniel Ochefu mans the middle and provides 10.1 points and 7.6 boards per contest. Kris Jenkins pitches in 13.6 points per game, while Ryan Arcidiacono averages 12.4 points and 4.3 assists. Jenkins, as is well-documented by now, will be playing against his brother, North Carolina junior guard Nate Britt (see story).
Villanova scored 1.45 points per possession against Oklahoma. Earlier in the tournament, the Wildcats scored a season-high 1.60 points per possession against Miami in the Sweet 16.
North Carolina is the 10th-best scoring offense in the country at 83 points per game. The Tar Heels’ 48.4 percent shooting clip is the 15th best in the nation.
Jay Wright was named the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year on Sunday (see story).
Scouting North Carolina
Perhaps North Carolina’s biggest asset is its size and athleticism up front. In Saturday’s game against Syracuse, head coach Roy Williams had three players who were 6-foot-8 or taller in his starting lineup. Those forwards — Johnson, Jackson and Kennedy Meeks — combined for 47 of the team’s 83 points.
Johnson is the one in the bunch to really watch. The senior big man is averaging 17 points and 10.5 rebounds per game on the season and has 23 double-doubles, good for fifth most in the country. He can have a major impact on the game in the middle. Look no further than his 39-point, 23-rebound performance in January against Florida State.
One of the biggest questions though is what will the Tar Heels get from Marcus Paige. Paige is North Carolina’s facilitator on offense, but he can disappear at times. He’s averaging more than 12 points per game and shooting right below 40 percent on the year, but has more single-digit scoring games (10) than 15-plus-point games (9).