These two sure picked a great time for their first-ever meeting with the 2019 National Championship on the line. The Virginia Cavaliers and Texas Tech Red Raiders got to the final by doing what they do best – play defense. So we probably won’t see a track meet on Monday. Instead the title game will have an old-school feel to it as the first team to 50 points will be declared the winner.
NCAA National Championship Betting
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Virginia Cavaliers
Date and Time: Monday, April 8, 2019, 9:20 p.m. ET
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
CBB Betting Odds at Bookmaker.eu: Virginia -1.5, O/U 119
Texas Tech vs. Virginia TV Coverage: CBS
Live Betting Odds Analysis
Texas Tech stifled some of the best offenses in the country during their NCAA Tournament run and they continued that impressive play on Saturday. The most efficient defense in the country held Michigan State to 15 field goals and 31.9 percent shooting while allowing just 51 points. National player of the year candidate Cassius Winston scored 16 points, but he had to work for his change, something no team does better than Tech. Winston hit 4 of 16 shots and the Spartans were 7 of 24 from deep.
Is Virginia a team of destiny? Some might say that’s the case after watching the Cavs pull off escapes better than Houdini in their last two games. That miraculous finish to beat Purdue in the Elite Eight was outdone on Saturday when a late foul call gave Kyle Guy a chance to win the game. We wouldn’t be writing about the Cavs if he didn’t come through. Guy buried all three free throws with 0.6 seconds on the clock to lift UVA to its first championship game.
Key Stat
With all the three-point baskets and all the points scored during the college basketball season, the last two standing are the best at playing defense. And as a result the total opened at 119 and dropped soon after hitting the board. Virginia boasts the best scoring defense in the land at 55.5 points per game allowed while the Red Raiders are third at 58.8.
And they’ve been good during the Tournament, though the numbers are reversed. Tech held four of its five opponents to less than 60 points, and the one team to surpass that mark was Gonzaga, which led the nation in scoring. The Red Raiders are giving up 55.8 points per game during the Tournament. Virginia has been equally good, holding its five opponents to an average of 58.6 points per outing.
According to advanced analytics produced by kenpom.com, Texas Tech has the best adjusted defensive efficiency rating while Virginia is fifth. Points will be tough to come by with teams focused more on preventing them than scoring them. The total was wagered down a point and a half to 117.5 shortly after hitting the board.
Injury Report
The Red Raiders clamp down on defense and they do just enough offensively to win games. It’s a strategy that has them at 31-6 with a chance to win the first championship in program history. But, their efficient defense might by impacted by an injury to rim protector Tariq Owens, who crumbled in a heap under the basket after rolling his ankle.
Owens was escorted to the locker room to have his injury looked at. He returned a little later sprinting to the Tech bench to the roar of the Red Raiders’ fans. Moments after that, Owens was inserted back into the game. Before exiting he tallied seven points with three blocks and four rebounds. Owens was part of a dominant defense that stymied Sparty and Tech turned a close game into a 10-point victory by scoring the final nine points. Owens didn’t appear to favor the leg once he returned, but that is something to keep an eye on prior to Monday’s encounter.
College Basketball Live Betting Picks
Virginia is ranked higher in offensive efficiency than in defensive efficiency and the Cavs play a disciplined game that is tough to defend. You can bet Tech is going to give it their best shot, though. We saw Guy come through for the Hoos on Saturday and it’ll be up to him, DeAndre Hunder and Ty Jerome to protect the basketball and hit big shots. Tech had a big game with little help from Jarrett Culver, and if he does anything this game is going over the total that is dropping fast. Tech is a great story, but the Cavs are the better team, and if they take care of the basketball they’ll be cutting down the nets on Monday night.
NCAA Championship Score Prediction: Virginia 65, Texas Tech 62
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