In an NCAA tournament that has provided many surprises, it's safe to assume one thing will happen in Monday night's national championship game between Villanova and Michigan: Plenty of 3-pointers will be shot.
The nation's top-scoring offense this season, the Wildcats set an NCAA record with 454 3-pointers. Villanova connected on 18 3-pointers in Saturday's semifinal win over Kansas -- a Final Four record -- and their 66 3-pointers in the tournament are also a record.
"This is Golden State Warriors here," Michigan coach John Beilein said.
While the Wildcats are known for their fast-paced offense, Michigan has more of a defensive reputation. The Wolverines have the nation's eighth-best scoring defense, allowing just 62.9 points per game. But they're no slouches from beyond the arc, ranking 11th nationally in 3-pointers made.
In fact, Villanova and Michigan rank in the top seven in 3-point attempts.
The teams will square off for the title at 9:20 p.m. Eastern time at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The Wildcats are looking to win their third national championship, and their second in three years. In 2016, they beat North Carolina on Kris Jenkins' 3-pointer at the buzzer.
A No. 1 seed, Villanova has had a relatively smooth path to the title game, winning all its games by at least 12 points.
The Wildcats (35-4) are led by point guard and National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson, who averages 19.2 points and 4.7 assists. Swingman Mikal Bridges, a projected NBA lottery pick, averages 17.6 points and 5.3 rebounds.
The Wolverines (33-7), meanwhile, are in search of their second national championship, the last one coming in 1989, when Glen Rice led them past Seton Hall. This is Michigan's fourth title game since then.
A third seed, the Wolverines survived a couple of close calls in the tournament, beating Houston by one point and Florida State by four before locking up their spot in the championship game Saturday by disposing of March Madness darling Loyola-Chicago, 69-57.
Michigan's top player is 6-foot-11 power forward Moritz Wagner, who averages 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. In Saturday's win over Loyola, Wagner, a big man who can shoot the 3, carried the Wolverines with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Shooting guard Charles Matthews averages 13.1 points. And point guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman averages 12.6 points and ranks second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio.
“It’s just a really well-coached, disciplined team that you expect (to see) at this time of year," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "That’s what you’re going to play against. So we’re looking forward to a great challenge.”