In historic run, Texas Tech advances to the Final Four with its victory against Gonzaga
Texas Tech, picked seventh in the Big 12 preseason poll, is headed to its first Final Four.
The Red Raiders defeated Gonzaga 75-69 for the West Region championship in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday.
Tech’s appearance in the Elite Eight last year was the deepest NCAA Tournament run in program history.
The Red Raiders took the next step this season on the strength of their defense — they entered Saturday’s game leading the nation in defensive efficiency — and put the clamps on the Bulldogs during the second half Saturday.
Gonzaga, the top seed looking to reach its second Final Four in three years, got few good looks in the second half when it shot 37 percent.
Third-seeded Texas Tech shared the Big 12 championship with Kansas State but was bounced out of the conference tournament in the quarterfinals by West Virginia. But the Red Raiders have gotten hot at the right time and defeated Michigan in the Sweet 16 to reach the region title game.
Why the low preseason projection for Tech? The Red Raiders lost standout players Keenan Evans, an all-Big 12 selection, and Zhaire Smith, a first-round NBA Draft choice But they returned Jarrett Culver, who went on to become the Big 12 player of the year.
Tech also added key transfers Matt Mooney, a guard from South Dakota, and St. John’s big man Tariq Owens.
Culver finished with 19 points against the Zags, with Mooney adding 17. The game’s biggest shot came from Davide Moretti, whose three-pointer with 3:50 remaining gave the Red Raiders a 63-58 lead.
Gonzaga closed to 71-69 with 10 seconds to play. But the Bulldogs’ Zach Norvell Jr., was called for a technical foul when he made contact with the ball while Tech was attempting to throw it in.
Moretti buried both free throws to clinch the game.
The Red Raiders become the third Big 12 program in four years to reach the Final Four, following Oklahoma in 2016 and Kansas in 2018.
This story was originally published March 30, 2019 at 7:51 PM with the headline "In historic run, Texas Tech advances to the Final Four with its victory against Gonzaga."