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The last moments Saturday. (John McDonnell / The Washington Post)
Bieler
Sports reporter covering national topics, including fantastic football, as well as coverage of teams in the D.C.
Virginia and Texas Tech will meet in the NCAA Tournament Finals on Monday night with both schools looking to win their first-ever men's basketball championship. Here is everything you need to know about the championship game.
When: 9:20 p.m.
Or: US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis.
TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery and Tracy Wolfson).
Current: March Madness Live.
Point of propagation: Virginia less-1.5, from Monday afternoon.
Probable entries: For Virginia, forward Mamadi Diakite and Guards Kihei Clark, Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter started four straight games after Diakite entered the starting lineup in the second round of the tournament.
For Texas Tech, guards Davide Moretti, Jarrett Culver and Matt Mooney, along with top men Tariq Owens and Norense Odiase, have started 35 games out of 37 as a group, although Owens' status remains uncertain after an injury to ankle suffered Saturday night.
How did they arrive here: Virginia (34-3) started the season with 16 wins in a row before the first of two defeats against Duke. His only other loss came to Florida State in the ACC tournament semifinal. The Cavaliers opened the NCAA tournament with double-digit wins over Gardner-Webb (16th) and Oklahoma (9th). Then come three close encounters: First, a 53-49 win over Oregon, 12th seed, in a match tied with four minutes to play. Then, an 80-75 overtime win over third-seeded Purdue was highlighted by Diakite's equalizer in the final moments of regulation. And finally, Saturday's 63-62 victory over Auburn, with a winning margin on Kyle Guy's three free throws with less than a second to play. It was Virginia's 10th win against a ranked team this season, a school record.
The Red Raiders (31-6) have won 15 of their first 16 games and finished at the top of the Big 12 standings. They lost to West Virginia in the title match of the conference tournament, but look like dominant since. Texas Tech crossed its NCAA tournament schedule: a 72-57 win over Northern Kentucky, ranked 14th, a 78-58 win over No. 6 Buffalo and a 63-44 win over Michigan, 2nd, before reversing the previous one. 1 seed Gonzaga in the Western Region final to reach its first final in the history of the school. The Red Raiders used a big race early Saturday night in the second half to get away from the winner of the Eastern Region, Michigan State, in a 61-51 win.
Fast facts: Virginia has never played Texas Tech. . . Virginia is in first place in the country in defense, and is the only school in the country with an average of less than nine turnovers per game. . . Virginia is one of two schools in the country with players from five different continents. (Maine is the other). . . Virginia is 28-0 this season leading up to the half and 32-0 by limiting opponents to less than 50%.
Texas Tech is trying to become the first Texas champion to win a national championship since Texas Western in 1966.. . Jarrett Culver was the school's first Big 12 player of the year and leads the team in scoring, rebounds and assists. . . Texas Tech leads the nation in defense percentage, limiting opponents to 36.8%. . . Davide Moretti is second in the country in free throws, making more than 92% of his attempts.
They said: "We know what we are doing. We know how good Texas Tech is, so we know it will be an aerial fight. The coach always says that joy lies in the competition. We are therefore very excited to participate in competitions. We would like to cut the nets. I can not – I would probably be speechless if we could do it. I'm sure it would mean the world to me. That's what all kids expect and what we work so hard for. But as the coach said, the joy lies in the competition. – Virginia Warden Ty Jerome.
"Everyone has dreams and goals, but that's why we have a knock on the door. You just keep hitting. You never know when the door sometimes hits you in the face, but sometimes you put your foot in the door, then in the shoulder, and then you can get through. – Tony Bennett, Virginia coach.
Coach Chris Beard "told us this summer: I do not know if it was the first day, but it was early. He said, "We have enough in this gym, in this locker room just here to play on the last Monday night. And one or the other coach is psychic – he could be psychic – because we are the last Monday night. We just believe it and believe one in the other. – Matt Mooney, Texas Tech goaltender.
"Why not us? We have good players. We have a big university. We play probably in the best league in the country. We won the Big 12 title of the regular season. We are a good team. We have good players. Yes, I think we deserve to be here, like many other teams. You must be lucky, but we did it. – Texas Tech Chris Beard.
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In a sport dominated by programs such as Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas, the finale has turned out to be fresh and weathered. In this process, he also found the promise of bruising. Even the statistics clash like grotesques on a dance floor. In terms of defensive efficiency adjusted according to KenPom.com, Virginia ranks fifth and Texas Tech first. In adjusted offensive efficiency, Virginia ranks third, Texas Tech 28th. Now what? (Read more)
To get here, U-Va. had to look in the mirror. Now the Cavs have to beat a team just like them.
Jerry Brewer writes, "You're looking forward to playing the Red Raiders as much as getting a nudge for the kisser. It is rare that the Cavaliers are confronted with such a disturbing opponent. The 2018 NCAA basketball tournament final will be made up of many things: slow, physical, tense, tense, balanced, and brilliant in defense. But pleasure will not be at the top of the list, if at all. The dividing line between competition and entertainment will be clearly defined. "(Read more)
Virginia and Texas Tech Bring Old School to National Championship Game
John Feinstein writes: There is no doubt that Virginia and Texas Tech have gone so far with defense, although they use totally different styles. The Cavaliers wear you out with their row defense, making you think you're open from the three-point line when that's really not the case, and attack anyone who decides to go inside. Texas Tech is attacking everything that moves on the perimeter. No pass is undisputed. Leave the ball anywhere near a Red Raider, and it may be slapped a moment later. "(Read more)
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