Home I Latest News I Final Four Part II: MSU v Texas Tech
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is just 2 games away from the Championship Game. We take a look at the second Final Four game in the closing segment of our two part story.
This Final Four matchup is a game of king slayers. In the Elite 8, both teams knocked out No. 1 seeds, sending a wrecking ball through the nation’s collective bracket. No. 2 Michigan State and No. 3 Texas Tech will have plenty to prove in this contest.
The Spartans have a rich and consistent athletic history. This is their 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament, with a total of 33 appearances. They’ve been to the Final Four 10 times and have two NCAA National Champion trophies in their display case, so they are no strangers to winning in the post season. Laker legend, Magic Johnson, was a key part of the first championship team in 1979. The second title came 21 years later in 2000.
Michigan State is the only team left that has actually won an NCAA Championship. Coach Tom Izzo is the only coach left that has seen a National Championship, let alone a Final Four game, from the court and not the couch. This experience could be the edge they need to be the best in the NCAA this year.
This tournament has featured tons of near misses, and MSU had one of them in the first round versus No. 15 Bradley. The Bradley Braves led by one at the half and the Spartans refused to relax until the final buzzer with a score of 76-65. MSU’s most impressive stat of the game was the near perfect shooting from the charity stripe, going 25/26 from the line.
Next was fellow Big Ten fellow rival and No. 10 seed Minnesota, where they breezed past the Gophers 70-50. Yawn.
The outcome was similar versus No. 3 LSU. Michigan jumped out to an early lead and the Tiger defense couldn’t keep up.
This year’s Duke squad is intimidating, to say the least. They were No. 1 overall going into the tournament, favored to go all the way. But the Spartans, specifically Cassius Winston, put a stop to that in an intense 68-67 heart attack. What a game. Really evenly matched. Zion Williamson did all he could to keep his team in the hunt. Rebounds, blocks, dunks, airing out 3’s; this kid is a beast and it is going to be so much fun to see him in the NBA.
Winston put up a team high 20 points and 10 assists against Zion’s 24 points and 14 boards.
The Red Raiders might not have been on everyone’s Final Four bracket this year, but they certainly are making a name for themselves. Texas posted a stellar regular season, netting 30 wins and a Big 12 Conference championship. This is the furthest the organization has gotten in the NCAA Tournament after reaching the Elite 8 last year.
What’s amazing is that the squad that made it to the round of 8 in 2018 looks nothing like the one you see today. Coach Chris Beard had to replace 6 key players on the roster that made up 70% of their scoring bulk.
The first two rounds of the tournament looked like cake walks for the Red Raiders as they pummelled No. 14 Northern Kentucky 72-57 and retired No. 6 Buffalo 78-58. Tech guard Jarrett Culver put on a clinic in both games, scoring 29 and 16 points respectively. Culver could be the last NBA prospect remaining in the tournament and he’s living up to the hype.
Tech went up against a strong No. 2 University of Michigan team, but dispatched them easily by 19. The Red Raiders go into the Final Four having won all their previous tournament games by the biggest margins.
Texas Tech finally came across some resistance when they took on No. 1 seed Gonzaga. They didn’t look like a team that has never been to the Final Four when they handed the Bulldogs their first loss in 25 games. In fact, they looked right at home. It was an incredible matchup for the first half, with the Bulldogs taking the lead 37-35. The second half bumped up the intensity and the urgency to win. A hardnosed defense won the game for Tech, as they held the Zagss to 42 percent shooting, 10 points or so below their average.
“Texas Tech is going to the Final Four,” Beard said. “Some of you look surprised. But Texas Tech is going to the Final Four.”
The second game of the Final Four tips off at 7:49pm central, after the conclusion of the Virginia/Auburn game.
On paper, it’s basically an even ballgame, with the Spartans a 2.5 point favorite. The Over/Under for total points scored is set at 132. Both teams have been making the Under a solid bet recently with Texas Tech gonig under in 4 of 7 and the Spartans doing the same in 5 of the last 6. Once again, Intertops is the place to bet on the Over/Under. This game is going to come down to defense and general grit. Michigan feels more powerful, but Texas Tech is riding high and carrying momentum.
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