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Linking Up Texas Tech Basketball, Game Day Is Here

Basketball
Seth C

Linking Up Texas Tech Basketball, Game Day Is Here

Just so many news, notes, and links that I couldn’t put them all in the preview & GDT, which will drop at 10:00 a.m. Enjoy your day. Love you all. Let’s do this.

Links!

SI – Final Four Expert Picks: Who Will Play for the National Title?:

MOLLY GEARY
Why I’m Picking Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have a real argument that they’ve been the nation’s best team over the last couple months (a case backed up by the fact that analytics site T-rank literally has them No. 1 since Feb. 1). A significant improvement in their three-point shooting turned their offense around, and they’re now one of the most complete teams in the country, rivaling the balance of Michigan State itself. After limiting the nation’s most efficient offense in Gonzaga, Chris Beard’s team is battle tested for the Spartans’ O. This should be a close one, but the hunch here is that Texas Tech pulls it out.

If I’m Wrong, It’s Because…Foul trouble hurts the Red Raiders, who have a hard time scoring inside against Michigan State’s second-ranked two-point defense. The Spartans keep Tech’s shooters from catching fire outside and Jarrett Culver from taking over.

X-Factor: The battle of the paint. MSU might have the No. 2 two-point defense, but Texas Tech is right behind it at No. 3. Neither team is going to want to budge in the middle, but with so many talented big men in this game and the abilities of Cassius Winston and Jarrett Culver, it’s hard to picture this turning into a simple three-point shooting contest.

CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander – Cassius Winston is chasing the throne on the way to becoming one of the all-time Michigan State greats:

Winston, who’s whip-smart, had opportunities to play at Stanford and Harvard. Who turns down those opportunities. Winston, a child of Detroit, chose to stay close to home. He’s the oldest of three boys and is extremely close with his little brothers, Zachary and Khy.

“He is an amazing big brother,” Wendi Winston said. “He’s taken it seriously since Zachary was in his mother’s belly. He’s taken the role really seriously.”

He chose to stay close for his family and because he recognized the faults in his game. He lacked toughness, aggressiveness, defensive capability and a certain edge. No other coach drew him in like Izzo.

NY Post’s Zach Braziller – Culture of sacrifice driving Texas Tech’s unexpected success:

At the time, it seemed like a fantasy. Texas Tech was coming off a sensational season, having reached the Elite Elite, but it lost five of its top six scorers. It was adding three new starters, two of them grad transfers new to the program. Merely reaching the NCAA Tournament, some felt, would have been a major accomplishment. That vision was not shared by Beard and his players.

“Everybody counted us out even though we made a great run last year,” senior reserve guard Brandone Francis said Friday as third-seeded Texas Tech prepared to meet No. 2 Michigan State in a national semifinal Saturday night.

“It kind of was a mistake, because we work very hard. You never see us caught up in any drama. We never disrespect our opponent. We live and play basketball the right way. Counting us out wasn’t the right choice, obviously.”

The Detroit News’ Bob Wojnowski – Wojo: Spartans’ Tillman the man to out-tough Texas Tech:

Growing up out of necessity? Nobody embodies it more than Xavier Tillman, the Spartans’ 6-foot-8 sophomore forward who has become much more than an X factor. Since taking over for Nick Ward, who injured his hand, Tillman has become a symbol of the Spartans’ rise, a testament to their toughness. When Michigan State faces Texas Tech Saturday night for a spot in Monday night’s championship game, it’ll be tough on tough, man on man, Tillman on one of the Red Raiders’ big men, 6-9 Norense Odiase and 6-10 Tariq Owens.

The State News’ Casey Harrison – PREVIEW: MSU in for defensive ‘dogfight’ with Texas Tech in Final Four:

The Red Raiders are first in Kenpom’s adjusted defensive rating (84.0) and hold opponents to an average of 59.0 points per game. They dismantled Michigan — a team the Spartans beat thrice in conference play — 63-44, in the Sweet Sixteen. They also beat Kansas, Nebraska and Texas, all teams MSU faced.

With a play-in to the national championship game on the line, both teams are prepared for a defensive-minded matchup.

“I feel this game is going to be a dogfight,” MSU forward Nick Ward said. “It’s two tough defenses. Whatever happens, hopefully, we’ll come out with the win.”

Star Tribune – Texas Tech vs. Michigan State: After sweeping aside No. 1 seeds, title game berth awaits:

X-FACTOR

Matt McQuaid: He is the most important guard in the Final Four that nobody will be talking about. The 6-4 senior (9.8 points per game) helped replace the scoring presence of injured starter Joshua Langford. McQuaid was arguably the MVP of the Big Ten Conference tournament with 27 points on seven three-pointers in the Spartans’ 65-60 victory over rival Michigan in the final.

MLive’s Andrew Kahn – Michigan State faces a Texas Tech team with international flavor:

Moretti, a sophomore, is from Bologna. Freshman Josh Mballa hails from France, as do player development director Max Lefevre and graduate assistant Elliott De Wit. Redshirt senior Brandone Francis is from the Dominican Republic.

The Red Raiders feel that having a culturally diverse group has been a factor in them winning 30 games and reaching the Final Four, where they’ll face Michigan State on Saturday.

Head coach Chris Beard has a history of recruiting international players. His work as an assistant coach with the Swiss national team in the summer of 2014 helped him develop connections overseas. So too did bringing in Lefevre as a graduate assistant in 2013, when Beard was at Angelo State.

Rush The Court’s Brian Goodman – Texas Tech Is The Best Parts Of College Basketball In 2019, Distilled:

The last 10-15 years of college basketball have witnessed a number of changes. The impact of the NBA’s one-and-done rule has been obvious, but think about what else has shaped the game. There has been an influx of international talent as well as a sharp increase in undergraduate and graduate transfers. In practice facilities, coaching staffs have access to more data and video than ever before, and on the sidelines, the best coaches find a way to marry all of that information with the traditional scouting and player development on which their careers have been built to get the best possible results on the court. Yes, there remains a variety of ways to skin the cat, but not many, and especially not when it comes to rising to the absolute top. Texas Tech may not be the objectively best team left, and whether they’re the most talented team left is debatable, but when I watch the Red Raiders play, I see college basketball in 2019 crystallized into one team.

USA Today’s Mark Emmert – Making the case for Texas Tech to win the national title in the Final Four:

Michigan State, Saturday’s semifinal opponent, has the fifth-best offense in the nation, led by all-America point guard Cassius Winston. The other two semifinalists rank second (Virginia) and sixth (Auburn).

Matt Mooney will draw the assignment on Winston. Challenges like this are why he transferred in from South Dakota for his final season. He averaged 11 points on 38.1 percent three-point shooting. He also leads Texas Tech with 67 steals.

This will not come easy. The Red Raiders wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s the 50-50 balls and the little things,” said center Tariq Owens, who has blocked 88 shots in his senior season. “Games are won on the little things. There isn’t going to be one play that wins the game.”

ESPN – Final Four predictions: Will Virginia, Michigan State defeat underdogs?:

Which one individual matchup are you most looking forward to on Saturday night?

Schultz: I can’t help but fixate on Winston, the Big Ten Player of the Year. How will Beard and Texas Tech’s No. 1-ranked defense counter the Wooden Award finalist, who Tom Izzo made clear on my podcast — Pull Up with CJ McCollum — was his team’s most important player? Matt Mooney is a tough on-ball defender, but I think Culver has to assume some of the responsibilities as well. He is arguably the most complete perimeter defender in the country, deft at deploying his length and quickness on smaller players.

I spoke with a former NBA head coach recently about Winston, and while he was complimentary, he worried about Winston’s quickness getting to his spots. As both collegiate coaches and players have told me, Tech does not break down defensively: The Raiders are too solid and too well-coached. Look for them to trap Winston in the half court to try to force sudden and potentially errant decisions, while turning the ancillary players into focal points. Then again, Winston averages a stellar 7.6 APG to go along with 2.9 turnovers, a low number considering his high usage and playmaking responsibilities. In other words, something has to give.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf – Zion Williamson offers scouting report on the 2019 Final Four teams:

Of Texas Tech, which Williamson (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Duke defeated 69-58 on Dec. 20 at Madison Square Garden, Williamson said: “Texas Tech: their defense … they took like, nine, 10 charges against us. Their defense is probably the best we played against.”

NY Times Marc Tracy – N.C.A.A. Men’s Final Four Preview:

Between two excellent teams, a balanced one should defeat the less-balanced one, right? The former describes the Spartans, who have a top-10 offense and a top-10 defense, whereas the latter is the Red Raiders, who, according to the KenPom rankings, have the country’s best defense but an offense that is merely excellent rather than superb.

But those are season-long figures. In the N.C.A.A. tournament, including against highly regarded Buffalo, a Michigan team with a typically stout defense and a Gonzaga juggernaut, Texas Tech has turned on the offensive jets, shooting 53.4 percent from the field compared with its season mark of 47.2 percent. The Red Raiders have done this while making 3-pointers at a slightly lower rate, which means a good game from deep likely makes Texas Tech almost unbeatable.

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