SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The feeling of déjà vu was in full effect Monday night in the same state and a relative stone's throw from where the Wildcats celebrated their second men's basketball national title just two years earlier. Redshirt sophomore guard Donte DiVincenzo set an NCAA championship game record with a career-high 31 points off the bench and Villanova (36-4) won its third national title with a 79-62 triumph over Michigan (33-8) at the Alamo Dome.

DiVincenzo keyed a 23-7 run to end the first half which turned a seven-point deficit into a 37-28 advantage at halftime. He scored 12 points in that game-changing spurt, including a layup at the 10:23 mark of the period to start the run and a three-pointer with 6:08 left which gave the Wildcats the lead. DiVincenzo was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, and was joined on the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team by junior guard and National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson, redshirt junior guard Mikal Bridges and redshirt junior forward Eric Paschall.

Despite being in his familiar sixth man role off the bench, DiVincenzo led all players with a game-high 37 minutes. He shot 10-of-15 from the field and made 5-of-7 from long range to spur a Wildcats offense which had all it could handle early on from the Wolverines perimeter defense. Bridges scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half and wound up 7-of-12 from the field, while Brunson scored nine points and redshirt freshman forward Omari Spellman added eight with 11 rebounds.

Michigan opened the second half with a basket to pull to within 37-30, but Bridges answered with a layup at the other end and Paschall drained a three-pointer moments later which extended the lead to 12 points (42-30) with 18:51 remaining. The lead was never smaller than a dozen the rest of the way.

The last chance for the Wolverines to take back some momentum came after they cut an 18-point deficit to 53-40 as the contest neared the midpoint of the second half. DiVincenzo made one of two free throws with 10:36 left though, and then drained long range three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to stretch the VU lead to 62-44 at the 7:48 mark.

That sequence took place with Brunson on the bench after being whistled for his fourth personal foul with more than nine minutes to play in the half. Paschall and redshirt junior guard Phil Booth also picked up their fourth personal fouls in the second half, joining Brunson on the sidelines as the game wound down towards its conclusion.

Bridges provided five key points via a 3-point basket and a pair of free throws to push the Villanova lead to 67-50 as the game clock ticked below five minutes. After another Bridges triple, the Wildcats were in front 74-54 with 3:21 to play.

Villanova got four early points from Brunson at the game's outset but it was Michigan's Moritz "Moe" Wagner who was able to lift his team to an early advantage. Wagner scored seven points as the Wolverines grabbed an 11-6 lead after five minutes of play.

Six straight points from DiVincenzo gave the Wildcats a lift, but Michigan continued to hold the lead thanks to 7-of-11 shooting from the floor in the first eight minutes of activity (.636). It was 19-14 after Jordan Poole converted a traditional 3-point play at the 11:51 mark of the period.

The Wildcats began making gains at the defensive end, holding Michigan without a field goal for a five-minute stretch midway through the period. However, Villanova's offense was held in check by Michigan at the other end as the Wolverines continued to hold the edge, leading 21-18 with 7:32 to play in the half.

But the improved defense and the offensive fireworks from DiVincenzo (18 points on 7-of-9 shooting) helped the Wildcats regain the lead. After a Michigan timeout with 1:24 to play in the first half, VU held a 34-28 advantage on the scoreboard. Villanova held Michigan to .4-of-17 shooting over the final 11 minutes of the period.

The 2017-18 Villanova Men's Basketball season is presented by KeyBank.