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The 2019 NCAA men’s Final Four wasn’t star-studded, but there was no shortage of drama.
Top-seeded Virginia squeaked past No. 5 Auburn on three last-second free throws from Kyle Guy, while No. 3 Texas Tech held off No. 2 Michigan State with a strong defensive performance to set up a title game between two first-time participants, the Cavaliers and Red Raiders.
This game is going to be a defensive battle. Both of these teams made it this far by stifling opponents, so don’t expect a high-scoring affair.
Here’s everything you need to know about the title game, which tips off Monday on CBS at 9:20 p.m. ET.
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Record: 34-3, No. 1 seed in South Region
Path to Minneapolis: 71-56 over No. 16 Gardner-Webb, 63-51 over No. 9 Oklahoma, 53-49 over No. 12 Oregon, 80-75 (OT) over No. 3 Purdue, 63-62 over No. 5 Auburn
Biggest Strengths: Defense, shooting
Achilles’ Heel: Pace
Thanks to three clutch free throws from Kyle Guy, the top-seeded Cavaliers edged past No. 5 Auburn. Their calling card is their defense, which bullies teams and grinds the pace to a halt, and they’ve used that formula all March and into April.
Offensively, the Cavaliers shot 39.4 percent from three, the seventh-highest clip in the country. Their three leading scorers—Guy, De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome—are all outstanding outside shooters.
Texas Tech’s equally stifling defense will test Virginia’s shooters, but the edge the Cavaliers have offensively could be enough.
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David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Record: 31-6, No. 3 seed in West Region
Path to Minneapolis: 72-57 over No. 14 Northern Kentucky, 78-58 over No. 6 Buffalo, 63-44 over No. 2 Michigan, 75-69 over No. 1 Gonzaga, 61-51 over No. 2 Michigan State
Biggest Strength: Defense
Achilles’ Heel: Rebounding
Much like Virginia, Texas Tech made its name on defense this season. Other than the Red Raiders’ Elite Eight victory over top-seeded Gonzaga, they haven’t allowed an opponent to score 60 points during the tournament.
Sophomore guard Jarrett Culver, a projected top-five pick, handles most of the scoring, with reinforcements from Matt Mooney and Davide Moretti. Tariq Owens, meanwhile, dominates the glass and provides strong rim protection.
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From Embarrassment to the Mountaintop?
Last year, the Cavaliers made the worst kind of NCAA tournament history, becoming the first men’s No. 1 seed ever to lose to a No. 16 seed when they fell to the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in the first round.
A year later, once again ranked at the top of their region, they became the only top seed to survive until Final Four weekend. A victory over Texas Tech would mean a complete redemption.
Two First-Timers
No matter who wins Monday, it will be one of these schools’ first-ever NCAA championship. In fact, neither has even made it to the national title game before.
Virginia had made it to two Final Fours, none since 1984, while Texas Tech had never advanced past the Elite Eight—and the Red Raiders made it that far for the first time in 2018. There may be an absence of big-name superstars in this game, but a new champion will be a breath of fresh air.
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Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
Tournament stats: 19.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.2 BPG
The most high-profile draft prospect in the title game, Culver has had an excellent tournament thus far. He took a back seat as a scorer in the Final Four to Matt Mooney (see below), but otherwise he’s been Texas Tech’s main source of offense, from his opening-weekend 29-point performance against Northern Kentucky to his 22-point Sweet 16 outing against Michigan. A huge title game would be icing on the cake as Culver prepares to turn pro.
De’Andre Hunter, Virginia
Tournament stats: 13.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.0 BPG
Like Culver, Hunter is a projected lottery pick. He hasn’t put up huge scoring numbers thus far, but he had 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting Saturday. Outside of a poor shooting effort against Oregon in the Sweet 16, he’s been solid every game, doing a little of everything.
Matt Mooney, Texas Tech
Tournament stats: 13.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.6 SPG
Mooney is coming off a huge semifinal against Michigan State, scoring 22 points and knocking down four three-pointers. If he can take some pressure off Culver to handle the scoring load, Texas Tech has a good chance.
Ty Jerome, Virginia
Tournament stats: 16.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.6 SPG
Along with Hunter and Kyle Guy, Jerome is the third cog in Virginia’s three-headed backcourt group. He led Virginia in scoring versus Auburn, putting up 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, knocking down four three-pointers along with nine rebounds and six assists.
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Kihei Clark, Virginia
Tournament stats: 8.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.6 APG
Clark’s production doesn’t jump off the page, but he’s had a solid tournament, scoring 12 points against Oregon and nine versus Auburn. Outside of the Cavaliers’ three star guards, he’s provided reliable minutes in the backcourt.
Tariq Owens, Texas Tech
Tournament stats: 9.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.6 BPG
Owens has been quiet as a scorer, only hitting double figures in the first two rounds, but his reliable rim protection is a vital part of Texas Tech’s defensive attack. Against Virginia’s high-scoring guards, the Red Raiders will need him more than ever.
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Both: Three-Pointers
Virginia shoots the ball as well as anyone in the country, while Texas Tech has had success keeping teams off the three-point line. Which side of that dynamic prevails could be what swings this game.
Both: Jarrett Culver
Culver is the best player in Monday’s game. He had a quiet outing against Michigan State on Saturday, and Texas Tech will have to hope that was an anomaly in what has been an otherwise stellar tournament run. The Red Raiders’ best bet will be to get him going early and hope he can match the offensive output of Virginia’s backcourt.
Texas Tech: Slow Down Virginia’s Guards
Texas Tech’s defense will have its hands full with Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter, who are all deep shooting threats and can be effective in other ways as well. Slowing down all three is too much to ask; keeping two of them from going off may suffice.
Virginia: Control the Pace
Virginia thrives when the game grinds to a halt, which forces teams into half-court sets. If the Cavaliers can control the pace and keep Texas Tech from pushing the tempo, they’ll be in good shape.
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