Villanova vs. Michigan: Odds, Final Predictions for 2018 NCAA Championship Game

The 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament was historically fun in the sense Cinderellas ran wild more than usual. 

In the end, though, it comes down to a pair of blue-blooded powerhouses battling for the title. 

The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines were here a handful of years ago and are no stranger to the title scene, while the No. 1 Villanova Wildcats continue to stand as a modern juggernaut under head coach Jay Wright. 

If Cinderellas couldn't make it to the title game, it's hard to ask for something better than a star-fueled showdown between Moritz Wagner and Jalen Brunson Monday night. 

2018 NCAA Championship Game

Matchup: No. 1 Villanova (-6.5) vs. No. 3 Michigan

Date: Monday, April 2

Time: 9:20 p.m. ET

TV: TBS

Odds courtesy of OddsShark. 

It's not too hard to see why oddsmakers stand with Villanova going into Monday's showdown. 

Those Wildcats went 4-0 and 13-3 against the ESPN RPI top 25 and 50, respectively, while also ranking No. 1 at KenPom.com, checking in with the top mark in adjusted offensive efficiency and top 15 on the defensive side. 

Predictably, the tournament has been a breeze for Wright's team. None of the first three games came within 10 points, and the first big test against No. 3 Texas Tech was a 71-59 victory. A Final Four game against No. 1 Kansas looked like it could be a problem, but the Wildcats rattled off an easy 95-79 win. 

There, Villanova set a Final Four record by hitting 18 three-point attempts, paced by Eric Paschall's game-high 24 points on a 4-of-5 mark from deep. At this point, the Wildcats making history is somewhat routine: 

Michigan hasn't had it as easy, something emphasized before the tournament with a 4-4 mark against the RPI top 25 and a 5-4 clip against the top 50 despite a strength of schedule of 61. The Wolverines slot third in adjusted defensive efficiency but sit 31st on the offensive side. 

One bracket hiccup came in the second round against No. 6 Houston, where Jordan Poole needed to hit the game-winning shot to escape with a 64-63 win. After mopping up No. 7 Texas A&M, the Wolverines hit another roadblock of sorts via a 58-54 escape of No. 9 Florida State while only shooting 38.8 percent from the floor and 18.2 percent from deep. 

The up-and-down play popularized the theory the Wolverines could fall to Sister Jean and the No. 11 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers in the Final Four. Wagner bailed Michigan out with his 24 points and 15 boards, making him one of two players on the team to hit double-digit scoring on a night his side went 7-of-28 from deep and missed six shots from the free-throw line. 

He made a bit of history in the process, becoming the third player over the last 40 years with 20 points and 15 boards in a Final Four game. 

"Wow. If you put it like that, it's probably cool," Wagner said, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "But to be honest, I kept looking possession by possession. We had trouble scoring the first half. We scored 22 points and that was kind of the only way we found our way to the basket, grab offensive rebounds and get second-shot opportunities."

Ken Pomeroy noted the bigger challenge Michigan should present for Villanova's shooters: 

The problem for the Wolverines extends beyond their own up-and-down performance besides Wagner. 

Mainly, Villanova looks unstoppable. Even before the Final Four game, the Wildcats had shot 41 percent or better from deep in three tournament games on extensive attempts. The exception was the win against Texas Tech in which they struggled with a 4-of-24 mark from deep. 

No matter—five players pitched in with double-digit production, they won the battle on the glass 51-33 and with the shots not falling, altered the game plan and got to the basket, attempting 35 attempts from the charity stripe. 

If the Wildcats had stumbled in the slightest when the shots from deep weren't falling, oddsmakers might feel more confident in the Wolverines. But this is a big line for a title game and for good reason, as Wright's side had no problems adapting to the opponent and cruising anyway. 

Monday, look for Wagner to do what he can again while cleaning up on the glass. But rebounds won't matter if Villanova is shooting its usual clip. The versatility to adapt and perhaps get Wagner in foul trouble is there as well, so the Wildcats should jump out to an early lead and squeak past. 

Prediction: Villanova 78, Michigan 73