The Michigan basketball team is going to have an exciting non-conference slate this season. The Wolverines recently set up a matchup with Duke in February in Washington D.C., and now Michigan is finalizing a home-and-home series with Villanova. The two teams will meet up in Ann Arbor next season with a return game at Villanova during the 2026-27 season.

“NEWS: Villanova and Michigan are finalizing an agreement to begin a home-and-home series this season in Ann Arbor, according to multiple sources,” Jon Rothstein said in a post. “Return game at Villanova during the 2026-27 season.”

Michigan and Villanova have met up a few times since 2018, and the matchups have been on some of the biggest stages in college basketball. The 2018 national championship game featured the Wolverines and Wildcats, and Villanova ended up pulling away in that one to reach the top of the college basketball world.

It didn't take long for the Wolverines to get revenge against Villanova as the two teams met again at the beginning of the following season. It was a home game for Villanova, but it was never close as the Michigan basketball team cruised to a 27-point victory.

The most recent matchup between these two iconic college basketball brands was in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. After a surprise run to the Sweet 16 as an 11-seed, Michigan met up with three-seed Villanova with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line. It was a close game, but the Wildcats ended up on top.

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Since that last matchup, a lot has changed for both of these programs. Juwan Howard was the head coach at Michigan at that time, but after missing the next two NCAA Tournaments, the Wolverines moved on and hired Dusty May from FAU.

The Wildcats ended up making the Final Four in 2022, but Jay Wright retired when the season ended. Villanova hired Kyle Neptune, and the program hasn't been the same since. The Wildcats haven't been to the big dance since 2022, and they decided to move on from Neptune after the conclusion of this past season. Now, former Maryland head coach Kevin Willard is the head coach of the program.

Dusty May has been with the Michigan basketball team for just one season, but he already has the Wolverines looking like a national title contender ahead of year two. After a historically bad 2023-24 season, May led Michigan to a Big Ten Tournament title and Sweet 16 berth in his first year. The future is looking bright in Ann Arbor.

After a strong first year from Dusty May and a new head coach coming to Villanova, both of these fan bases are feeling optimistic about the future. This should be a fun matchup.