Texas Tech vs. Michigan State: 2019 NCAA Tournament game preview, TV schedule

A somewhat surprising battle will transpire in the 2019 Final Four, as the Saturday nightcap pits newbie Texas Tech against veteran Michigan State.

TV schedule: Saturday, April 6, 8:49 pm ET. CBS.
Arena: U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.

An interesting factoid about the 2019 Final Four is that Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is about to commence on his eighth journey to the national semi-finals, while the other three bosses, including Izzo’s initial opponent, Chris Beard of Texas Tech, had a combined zero trips to the illustrious event prior to this Saturday coming to fruition. Whether Izzo’s formidable experience will help his Spartans (32-6) in their tilt with the Red Raiders (30-6) is unclear, and I guarantee that Texas Tech will not feel intimidated.

Let’s not forget that the third-seeded Red Raiders reached the Elite Eight a stanza ago, and, in the 2019 Big Dance, they pummeled No. 6 seed Buffalo and No. 2 seed Michigan, before squeaking past top-seeded Gonzaga to secure the West Region crown. MSU, a No. 2 seed, looked awfully impressive in smoking No. 3 seed LSU in the Sweet 16, and then the Spartans inched by No. 1 overall seed Duke in the Elite Eight to win the East Region.

Las Vegas odds-makers are projecting a closely fought affair, with Michigan State noted as a 2.5-point favorite, and ESPN’s Basketball Power Index giving the Spartans a 61.3 percent chance to prevail. MSU is a higher-scoring offense, and Texas Tech, a grinding, gritty group, allows roughly four fewer points on defense. Both squads shoot at a relatively strong clip from the field, although the Spartans hold sizable advantages on the boards and in assists.

I fully acknowledge that I’m a fan of Beard and Izzo. The Red Raiders are cruising so far in March Madness. Michigan State, despite all the unfortunate injuries on its roster throughout the 2018-19 campaign, claimed the Big Ten regular-season and post-season championships, and now it has an opportunity to get Izzo his second NCAA title.

The supporting casts for these crews are fantastic, but the Spartans and Texas Tech each contain a superstar as well. Michigan State junior Cassius Winston, on the AP All-America first team, and Red Raiders sophomore Jarrett Culver, on the second unit, are competing at a stellar level. In the end, I believe that Winston and the Spartans will do just enough to defeat Texas Tech and land a spot in Monday evening’s concluding duel.

Prediction: Michigan State 71 – Texas Tech 67