Texas Tech 2019 March Madness Final Four Betting Preview

Texas Tech was the team that delivered an end to Gonzaga’s title dreams in the Elite Eight, winning the West Regional and getting themselves a ticket to the Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis this coming weekend. The Red Raiders (30-6) have the top defense in the nation and have showed absolutely no fear in taking on the best in the nation. They faced Duke on the road during the nonconference portion of the season and led the Blue Devils at halftime before Zion Williamson & Company wore down the Tech defense. Now, though, Duke has headed home, and Texas Tech will face Michigan State in one of the national semifinals on Saturday. Can the Texas Tech Red Raiders win the whole thing? Here are some reasons why you should consider them in your wagers — and the March Madness betting odds for the national semifinalists.

Texas Tech 2019 March Madness Final Four Betting Preview

Family.#4To1 | #FinalFour | #OurTownOurTeam 🔴#WreckEm⚫️ pic.twitter.com/3apxrKgqOR

— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) 3 de abril de 2019

2019 Final Four Odds

• Virginia / Currently: 3/2 / Opening: 15/1
• Michigan State / Currently: 7/4 / Opening: 15/1
• Texas Tech / Currently: 4/1 / Opening: 40/1
• Auburn / Currently: 7/1 / Opening: 30/1

Texas Tech plays terrific defense

We’ve talked before about the Red Raiders leading the nation in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. They also lead the nation in field goal percentage permitted, as their opponents don’t even shoot 37 percent on the floor. There is length at all five positions for Texas Tech, which allows the sort of pressure that breaks opposing offenses down. This has taken on real-world significance, as Buffalo found their offense, ranked 20th in the nation in terms of efficiency, shut down. Michigan only scored 16 points in the first half of their game against Texas Tech, tying a tournament record for fewest points in the opening frame. Gonzaga clanked almost three-fourths of their three-pointers in the Elite Eight matchup and coughed the ball up 16 times. This defense is the real deal.

Jarrett Culver is the real deal

He didn’t win the Big 12 Player of the Year award for nothing. He went off for 29 points when the Red Raiders beat Northern Kentucky in the first round, and then he hung 22 on Michigan and 19 on Gonzaga. A lot of Texas Tech’s offense comes in transition as a result of the pressure the defense creates, but Culver can also create scoring opportunities on his own. Having that kind of go-to scorer takes the pressure off the rest of the team and means that the Red Raiders don’t have to rely on transition scoring. That’s often the difference between pressure teams like Texas Tech…and West Virginia, where the scoring falls off the table when opponents break that press.

The offensive depth is greater than you think

Davide Moretti nailed two huge shots from downtown in the waning minutes of regulation to get Texas Tech out in front of Gonzaga. Point guard Matt Mooney put up 17 points and five assists in the win. When you have a two like Moretti who can spot up from downtown and put nails in the coffin of the opposition, and you have a seasoned point guard with four years of experience (Mooney was a graduate transfer from South Dakota), that makes a huge difference in clutch time.

How far will Texas Tech go?

Michigan State is favored to win — but Texas Tech has been beating the naysayers all season long. When Kansas came to Lubbock in Big 12 play, the Red Raiders dealt out a 29-point rout, one of the key games that ended the Jayhawks’ lengthy streak of Big 12 regular season titles. Michigan State is the first roadblock that the Red Raiders face — and the Spartans did just beat Duke. The question is whether Cassius Winston can navigate the Texas Tech defense. I don’t think that the Spartans can get through this defense. Then I see Texas Tech facing a defense that is just as stout as their own in Virginia — and I see Texas Tech’s slightly better offense taking them to the first national championship in the history of the program.