T-Rank Rankings since 02/07/2018 Nova vs. Michigan
| RK | TEAM | CONF | G | REC | ADJOE | ADJDE | BARTHAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan 3 | B10 | 14 | 14–0 | 122.1 | 84.3 | .9781 |
| 2 | Villanova 1 | BE | 16 | 13–3 | 129.0 | 91.7 | .9706 |
Michigan: #1 Defense, #12 Offense (during this span)
Villanova: #15 Defense, #2 Offense
For all the talk about Nova being heavy favorites/unbeatable/largest spread since 2010, the rankings show it may not be that improbable. Since our northwestern loss, they have lost 3 times (while we of course haven't lost during that time). We have essentially equal efficiency rankings during that time. All it takes is one game...let's go!
http://barttorvik.com/trankslice.php?year=2018&sort=&conlimit=All&begin…
Nova is averaging 85 points per game this tournament. They just had a historically good shooting night last night. Assuming they come back to average, and possibly a little below average because we will be the best D they face all year, we should be able to hold them to upper 70s or low 80s. We will probably need 86 or so to win, which we have hit 7 times this season. We won't need our best offensive performance to date, but we will need a top 5ish for the season, along with a standard, stellar defensive performance.
Nova should be favored, but this matchup isn't impossible.