Donte DiVincenzo arrives as the hero Villanova needed in national championship

Scott Gleeson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption National title game: Can Moe Wagner and Michigan topple Villanova? SportsPulse: Trysta Krick and USA TODAY Sports' Scott Gleeson look ahead to Monday's national championship game and discuss if Michigan can take down red-hot Villanova.

SAN ANTONIO —Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo, the Wildcats sixth man and upstart scorer off the bench, was more than an X-Factor in the national championship game against Michigan on Monday night.

DiVincenzo was the hero for 'Nova — and the title game's most outstanding player, finishing with 31 points off 10-for-15 shooting. His dominant offensive performance included a pair of back-to-back dagger three-pointers with about eight minutes remaining that put the game out of reach for the Wolverines.

The sophomore guard scored 18 huge first-half points to help give the Wildcats a 37-28 halftime lead. DiVincenzo's hot first-half shooting (7-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-4 from three) helped Villanova regain the game's momentum after starting slow. Each three he hit gave 'Nova much-needed life, while his backdoor cut dunk, assist to Omari Spellman and block of Zavier Simpson late in the half ignited a stale offense and off defense.

Most importantly, DiVincenzo's offense helped national player of the year Jalen Brunson, who was off most of the game after scoring his team's first two baskets. And while the Wildcats were firing on all cylinders as a unit in Saturday's national semifinal win over Kansas, setting a Final Four record for three-pointers, only DiVincenzo got it going in the first half. The rest of the team is 1-for-9 from beyond the arc at halftime.

By the time the rest of the Wildcats got going, DiVincenzo's electric play served as the punctuation point on Villanova's second national title in three years.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE TITLE GAME