Villanova defeats Michigan, 63-55, advancing to the Elite Eight and continuing their march through the NCAA Tournament

SAN ANTONIO — Jermaine Samuels is usually a cool customer, with a friendly manner about him, letting his game do most of his talking. In the second half Thursday inside the AT&T Center, NCAA Sweet 16, the Villanova fifth-year forward played it entirely different. Samuels took a charge and emerged off the floor, on the run, pumping his first like a blitzing linebacker who had pulled off the game’s big sack.

In the end, it wasn’t emotion that carried the day for Villanova. It was Samuels, for very large portions of this one. Villanova advanced past Michigan, 63-55, with Samuels leading all scorers with 22 points. The early minutes featured his ability to put up soft, driving, contested layups that spin in from weird angles. The late minutes, a Samuels quick step past Michigan biggest man Hunter Dickinson gave Villanova its final separation, for a 56-50 lead with 2 minutes, 22 seconds left.

“I wanted to stay mobile,” Samuels said of dealing with the 7-foot-1 Dickinson at the other end. “I understand my teammates are right behind me.”

“It just wasn’t our night out there,” Dickinson after his 6-for-16 shooting night, good for 15 points along with his 15 rebounds.

“Our ball pressure was taking that timing off a little bit,” Jay Wright said afterward, “so when he was catching it, he was catching it a little bit off his spot, and we were trying to hold our ground. You saw a couple times he backed us down, it was automatic. We were trying to hold our ground, so instead of taking a five-foot jump hook, it was an eight-, 10-foot jump hook.”

Wright noted that the Wildcats’ scouting report had emphasis on Dickinson and Eli Brooks, who had 14 points, and they’d adjust if anyone else heated up. It never happened. No other Wolverines scored in double figures.

Collin Gillespie provided the final dagger with a three-pointer on Villanova’s next possession, moving the No. 2 seeds into Saturday’s Elite Eight, facing the winner of the Arizona-Houston nightcap here. Gillespie had hurt his knee in a collision near the end of the game, and was in the trainer’s room instead of at the postgame press conference afterward. “I kept asking if he was OK,” Wright said afterward. “He said he was good.” Later, same report: “Appears to be fine,” was the report from Villanova’s coach through a spokesman.

All night, these two teams didn’t just leave it all out on the floor. They left themselves on the floor. One collision going for a rebound, Michigan point guard DeVante Jones was ruled to have committed the foul, except he had fouled Villanova’s massive Eric Dixon. They both hit the floor. Jones stayed there. “Are you good to go or do we need the trainer?” a referee asked Jones. He got up, but came out.

Caleb Daniels, scoreless in the first half, was a massive factor in the second. Villanova’s sixth man, really its sixth starter and usual finisher, jump-started Villanova’s offense after halftime, getting fouled on one possession, driving through heavy traffic in the lane for a layup in the next. When Dixon, left open outside, hit a three on the next possession, Villanova had a 40-31 lead, 14:17 left.

“Caleb had missed a couple good ones,” Wright said. “Then the first one that started, he got a ball reversal that he caught to shoot it, and they flew at him, and he took it to the rim. Then he got another one after that. I think that got him going, and that was really important because we were getting shots, we just couldn’t make them.”

At the defensive end, Daniels blocked an Eli Brooks jumper, just after committing a foul running straight through Brooks for a loose ball. There he was skying for a rebound.

Every time you thought Villanova had achieved a little separation, however, Michigan managed to close it before those final daggers. Brooks kept Michigan in range with a couple of big threes and finished with 14 points.

Those particular minutes played out pretty much the way the season tendencies said they would. Villanova up five, making 3 of 5 threes while Michigan was making 1 of 2. Villanova shooting 54.4% overall to 40% for Michigan. Two Michigan turnovers to one for Villanova.

The actual difference was one two-possession spree. Villanova was up one, until 37 seconds later, up seven. Michigan went zone and Gillespie still used a Dixon screen to nail a three-pointer. Then Justin Moore dribbled right to find his own open space for a three, hit it. Villanova up 18-11, 10 ½ minutes to go in the half.

Different story. Villanova went eight straight scoreless possessions, missing seven straight shots. Michigan turned a miss into a fast-break hoop and then hit a rhythm three to take a 22-20 lead, just under four minutes left in the half. Villanova didn’t wait for the media timeout, called time. Samuels came out of it and scored inside, drawing Dickinson’s second foul, converting it. Then Samuels put back a Gillespie three.

Gillespie, Moore, and Samuels combined for 30 first-half points. The rest of Villanova combined for one.

Villanova made 4 of 5 free throws, Michigan made 1 of 6. Villanova up three points at the break.

As expected, in addition to the inside issues Michigan presents, the Wolverines scored all eight of the first-half fast-break points.

Maybe not that big a deal, in terms of the game itself. Jay Wright said this week that he doesn’t think Michigan once he first thinks of Phil, he thinks St. Joe’s. (Wright also said he doesn’t think 2018 NCAA final when he first thinks of the Wolverines. He thinks of how “we got RAN by them” to get the next season started.) Nobody was running anyone in this one.

On Friday, Jordan Longino is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. HIs season is over. Villanova’s, not yet.