In her final game at Crisler, Michigan’s Naz Hillmon delivers another All-American performance

ANN ARBOR – Shortly after Michigan dispatched Villanova 64-49 on Monday at Crisler Center, head coach Kim Barnes Arico and star forward Naz Hillmon hugged near center court as fans chanted, “MVP.”

When Hillmon visited Ann Arbor as a four-star prospect in the 2018 class from Cleveland, Barnes Arico laid out her vision for the Michigan program in a PowerPoint presentation.

Hillmon and Barnes Arico are living that vision as the Wolverines’ historical season continues into the Sweet 16. The first Associated Press first-team All-American in program history walked off the court at Crisler Center one final time Monday after another MVP-like performance.

She recorded her 50th career double-double, finishing with a game-high 27 points, 11 rebounds and five steals to help No. 3 seed Michigan (24-6) pull away in the second half.

“I think the bigger the stage with Naz, the more she performs,” Barnes Arico said. “Everybody had an opportunity to see that tonight. She’s very special.”

Not only was Hillmon a force on the offensive end, shooting 12-of-16 from the floor, but she also drew the toughest defensive assignment guarding Big East Player of the Year Maddy Siegrist, the second-leading scorer in the country averaging 25.8 points.

Siegrist was limited to 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

“She’s extremely impressive,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said of Hillmon. “She showed exactly why she is the All-American out on the floor.

“She plays both ends of the floor at the highest level, and she doesn’t tire either. It’s really impressive. That’s why she’ll be a great pro when she finishes up here. Physically, I think she did a really nice job of knocking Maddy off her mark on some of the cuts just being in position.”

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In typical Hillmon fashion, she deflected all the praise onto her teammates. In the postgame news conference, she was flanked by senior guard Leigha Brown, who transferred to Michigan from Nebraska before last season largely because of the opportunity to play with Hillmon.

The duo, which combined for 47 points Monday, helped Michigan earn a top-four seed to be able to host the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament for a first time. The Wolverines are now headed back to the Sweet 16 for a second straight season and will have the chance to reach the Elite Eight for the first time with a win over No. 10 seed North Dakota State on Saturday in Wichita, Kansas.

“I say it more times than not that I don’t look as good without my teammates,” said Hillmon, who became the first Michigan basketball player, man or woman, to reach 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds this season. “One of them (Brown) is sitting right here. She makes me look really good when she’s passing me the ball. And just how many threats we have around me, there is no way I could be the player that I am today without them. I think that is one thing to keep in mind.”

With an experienced team led by its five seniors, Barnes Arico said she is embracing every moment of the Wolverines’ postseason run.

But when it finally does come to an end, she hopes to see Hillmon’s number retired at Crisler, where the Wolverines went 16-0 this season.

“I think she belongs in the rafters of Crisler for sure,” Barnes Arico said of Hillmon, who ranks second in program history in points and rebounds. “I mean we always talk about the house that Cazzie (Russell) built, but we sometimes talk about the house that Nazzy built on the women’s side anyway.”

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