The two teams are seeking their first college basketball national title in school history.
FINAL FOUR AFTERMATH
Virginia (1) defeated Auburn (5) in the Final Four 63-62 to advance to the National Championship on April 6 but not without major controversy. Virginia had two calls go their way in the final 1.5 seconds of the game.
First, Virginia’s Ty Jerome appeared to have double-dribbled, which is a turnover and would’ve given Auburn the ball with a 2-point lead, but the referees didn’t call it.
Next, Virginia’s Kyle Guy missed a 3-point shot with 0.6 seconds left in the game during which the referee called a foul. So, Guy was awarded three free throws – all of which he made to seal the Virginia victory. Many onlookers don’t think Auburn’s Samir Doughty actually fouled him, even though there was slight contact between the players’ legs in the air.
Texas Tech (3) defeated Michigan State (2) 61-51, with Michigan State scoring its lowest amount of points the entire season.
Texas Tech senior guard Matt Mooney led all scorers with 22 points and also hauled in 3 rebounds and had 1 assist. Top prospect Jarrett Culver scored 10 points with 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Texas Tech and Virginia will square off to bring home their university’s first national basketball championship.
HOW TO WATCH
When: Monday, April 8 at 9:20pm EST on CBS
Where: US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Virginia and Texas Tech are both great defensive teams. Expect another low-scoring men’s basketball game, which has been the theme of the 2019 tournament. Virgina’s Jerome and Guy will continue to make clutch shots as will Texas Tech’s Culver.
A final score of around 118 points looks to be the sweet spot. Popular bets for this game are 1st and 2nd half winners, 1st and 2nd half over/unders, and a total game over-under. Player prop bets like total points for a specific player or even the first player to make a basket are common bets too.
Ultimately, it comes down to this: will a physical, tough defense be enough to create large lead for Texas Tech? Because they’ll need a large lead late in the game to actually win. For a number one seed, Virginia has barely won many of their post-season games, scoring in the fourth quarter to narrowly escape with victories.
Will there be another controversial call to end the game? Or maybe we’ll get a high scoring affair, guns-slinging affair to the shock of almost everyone?
Tune in tonight to watch the action unfold. And let lady luck be on your side while using 5 Dimes – just as lucky has been key for both of these teams (especially Virginia) in the past few games.
