The Guru NCAAW Report: Too Much Naz Not Enough Maddy As No. 3 Michigan Moves Away No. 11 Villanova 64-49 on To Sweet 16

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For almost three quarters here early Monday night the Villanova women were the little engine that could against No. 3 Michigan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Wichita Regional at the Wolverines’ Crisler Center.

Upset bound like several others, including the Wildcats Saturday in the win over ninth-seeded BYU? 

Not necessarily, but certainly not ready to be counted out and close the books on this season.

But the force that is senior Naz Hillmon, who was also given the task of also defending Villanova junior all-American Maddy Siegrist, had begun to impose her will enough to two-way threaten with accompaniments from Emily Kiser and reserve Leigha Brown to carry Michigan forward in the final period to a 64-49 victory and a return to the Sweet 16 stage this weekend.

People will talk about the thunderous crowd of 5,581 that cheered the home folks throughout the night, but it’s nothing the Wildcats haven’t experienced in the annual trip to either UConn arenas, in fact the bigger one this season in Hartford where Villanova (24-9) snapped a 169-win combo conference run of the Huskies dating back to 2013.

It’s also a fact it wasn’t always this way when Kim Barnes Arico left a nice operation at St. John’s and arrived here, perhaps not even the first choice based on names being tossed around, to create desirable women’s basketball real estate in a place not considered nirvana.

“It was just a special weekend for our senior class who left such a legacy on our program,” she said. “The game was unbelievable, everything that you would think, everything that we thought heading in.

“Villanova is a great program. I’ve known them for years. I know their style of play. Very difficult to defend. And our team just locked them down.”

So for the helpers on the court and the architect of it all it was a night to celebrate, a note she told the media when the game concluded with Michigan (24-6) in the winning column.

Hillmon had her 50th career double double with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Kiser grabbed 10 off the boards and reserve Leigha Brown scored 20.

“I’ve known their assistant coach a long time,” Barnes Arico said of Villanova’s Joe Mullaney Jr. “And he said, ‘I’ve never seen anyone play with that type of motor on both ends of the floor,’” referring to the Michigan all-American. “He said she’s even better in person than he could have imagined.

“Leigha Brown wanted to come here to have an opportunity to play with Naz Hillmon because she knew they could create something special.”

Going into her last home game after a dynamic collegiate career, Hillmon said, “My thought process before the game was to have fun.  And then there were some moments throughout the game where I was like, you know, we really are hitting the gas pedal and falling into our things, getting our transition and really getting stops on defense. But never settling.

“Like ‘Coach said, `They’re a great team, they were knocking down a bunch of threes. So if we were to relax at any point, they would be able to come back. So never a moment until I came out of the game was I really, like, you know, we got this.”

None of this should distract from the season the Wildcats enjoyed, Siegrist herself claiming all-American status, Villanova taking the Big Five, finishing second to UConn in the Big East, and the promise of being back 12 months from now returning to the Big Dance the program had not experienced since 2018.

In this one, Siegrist, who normally scores in the 20s and sometime next season, baring the unforeseen, will become the all-time scorer in program history, was held to 12 points and grabbed five rebounds.

“I think they were really aggressive,” Siegrist said. “You know, in hindsight, I should have done a few things, differently offensively, but what are you going to do? I mean, I did the best I could.”

Lior Garzon scored 11, and Brianna Herlihy in her final game at the end of six seasons, including time missed by injuries, had 10 points and six rebounds.

Overall, the rebounding differential was massive, 49-25.

“I don’t know if it was so much the crowd as just getting worn down as the game went on,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. “And Naz, she’s extremely impressive. She showed exactly why she is, ,you know, the all-American out on the floor. We said, with Brianna and Maddy looking to put some contact in there, some bodies on players, but we needed more rebounds, from our guards. And that’s just everything. 

“We talked about everyone being a rebounder in today’s contest. And you get caught out of position, but, yeah, it’s a battle trying to beat her to the floor.

“And I think that’s why I think that Naz is such a great player,” Dillon explained. “She plays both ends of the floor at the highest level. And she doesn’t tire either. She’s really impressive. And that’s why she’ll be a great pro when she finishes up here. 

“Yes, physically, I think she did a really nice job of knocking Mad off her mark on some of the cuts just being in position.”

The Wildcats had five three-pointers in the first half and then just one the rest of the way.