Gonzaga vs. Texas Tech: 2019 NCAA Tournament game preview, TV schedule
An elite offense in Gonzaga takes on Texas Tech’s elite defense for a spot in the Final Four. Who will win in the finals of the West Region?
TV schedule: Saturday, March 30, 6:09 pm ET. TBS
Arena: Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
When the brackets were released on Selection Sunday it was the West Region viewed as the most wide open, with each of the top four seeds (Gonzaga, Michigan, Texas Tech and Florida State) reasonably viewed as a legitimate contender to get out of the region.
All four teams made it to the Sweet Sixteen, going against one another on Thursday for a spot in the Elite Eight. Gonzaga was first, taking care of a Florida State team battling injuries to win 72-58. It was a balanced effort for the Bulldogs (33-3), with four starters scoring 14+ points. Rui Hachimura led the way with 17 points but it was Brandon Clarke with the best statline. The junior forward finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. Although Mark Few’s team scored nearly 20 points less than their average, the underrated Bulldogs defense held the Seminoles to 39% from the field and just 3/20 from three-point range.
Gonzaga’s defense is good but not as good as the top-rated defense in the country in Texas Tech (29-6). After two dominant performances on the defensive end, the Red Raiders took it up a notch in the Sweet Sixteen again Michigan. In a first half featuring little offense, Chris Beard’s team started to pull away in the final minutes, before blitzing the Wolverines in the second half for the 63-44 blowout clinic.
Jarrett Culver led all scorers with 22 points while Davide Moretti shot the ball well to score his 15 points. Tariq Owens had 10 rebounds and controlled the paint all night. He’ll have his hands full against one of the best frontcourts in the country with Hachimura and Clarke. On the other hand, Gonzaga will have to find a way to deal with Culver, who has risen up the NBA Draft boards to a top-10 projected pick. If he goes off, the Bulldogs will have a long night.
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Texas Tech is looking for the program’s first-ever Final Four, while Gonzaga wants to go back for a second time since 2017. Traditionally, great offense versus great defense normally means that the one who plays that way on the defensive end will have the edge. But the Bulldogs are pretty good themselves on that end while being much better offensively. There’s a reason why Gonzaga was a one seed and they’ll prove it by winning this game and get to the Final Four.