College Sports: Red Raider Madness: Texas Tech's Course to First-Ever NCAA Championship Entry

Editor's Note: This story has been updated.

Follow us as the Texas Tech basketball team heads for the title game against Virginia on Monday in the NCAA. The Red Raiders dropped some important programs ahead of Monday's championship game, and SportsDay was with him on Tech throughout his NCAA career.

You can not get enough of the Red Raider March Madness trip? Read our latest stories about head coach Chris Beard, second-year star Jarrett Culver, and the rest of the Tech program below. Do not forget to follow SportsDay Big 12 insider Chuck Carlton, which will be available for coverage of the Final Four.

NCAA Final Four and Championship Schedule

NCAA title game

The game is at the US bank stadium in Minneapolis.

Break the Final Four

– Behind Chris Beard's "Street Dog" mentality, Texas Tech is taking up the challenge of matching the hardness of the state of Michigan

"We are tough," said Tech striker, Tariq Owens, "just as the state of Michigan is tough".

Star Jarrett Culver pointed out that coach Chris Beard had introduced the Spartans as a model of resistance during the season.

"This is not the first time we see the MSU," Culver said. "Once we had the chance to play them, we already knew we had to deal with their toughness."

– "The best-trained team we've ever had": Why the Beard team has nothing to do with the legend of technology, Gerald Myers

If you want to know why Tech is playing against Michigan State in the Final Four, call Gerald Myers.

Look at many of Chris Beard's practices, Gerald?

"Every day," he says.

Your verdict?

"This defense," he says, "is the best I've ever seen."

– Tech to deal with a Michigan State team with similar qualities

In his first final, Tech may meet the only team in the NCAA tournament to boast of toughness and physical play as much as the Red Raiders. Michigan State, second in the standings, beat Duke 68 to 67 on Sunday in the East region.

– More Texans buy tickets on StubHub than in the country of origin of another school

Could Texas Tech have a home advantage for its game against Michigan State's Final State? If the first reports on the secondary market are an indication, this could be the case.

More news and analysis

– From the intriguing first year to technological fame: how Culver's basketball DNA has been instrumental in its evolution to an NBA perspective

"Every time it's filmed, it's different when you see it in person – its length and speed, its ability to get where it wants to go," said John Brannen, Northern Kentucky coach. , about Culver before his team's match against the NCAA in the first round Technology. "The big guys always seem to have about 30% more to give, that's what it looks like, it always looks like it can be turned on anytime."

"It's a sign of an incredible talent."

– By developing neglected talent in the NBA's prospects at Tech, Beard has become one of the best coaches in college basketball.

This year, Beard has established himself as one of the best university basketball coaches. This comes from a guy who coached at Division II Angelo State as recently as 2015.

One of the main reasons why Beard is able to develop talent. He makes the most of his players.

– How a pre-season team building retreat became a launch pad for Tech's climb up to the Final Four

In October, just before basketball practice began, coach Chris Beard asked his team to board a bus and head south from Lubbock to an unknown destination. After traveling about 103 km, Tech arrived.

It was the Circle 6 Ranch in Stanton, a place usually used for church camps. This weekend, he became the launch pad for Tech's ascent to his first NCAA finals.

– For Norense Odiase technician, the NCAA Red Raiders tournament is an escape from reality

"I think about it every day," Odiase said about the car accident that occurred in February, which killed two of his cousins. "I'm not the same person at all, it's the one thing that really interests me, it's the team that wins and moves forward, other things will take care of themselves and the good God will allow me to overcome them. "

– In the adventure of Davide Moretti, who grew up in Italy and became one of Tech's most dangerous shooters

The work Moretti is talking about, the countless hours spent forging a cold-blooded shooter, fearing no situation, is coming to light well before he reaches Texas Tech.

Growing up in Italy, Moretti's friends went to the beach and headed for a nearby basketball court.

– Why this family has traveled more than 1,000 kilometers in Minnesota for Tech's first appearance in the Final Four

Joshua and Christina Moore, two Texas Tech bunkers, and their three children – Luke, Zachary and Catherine – arrived in Minneapolis Friday morning to attend their team's first appearance in the history of the event. 39; school.