Following another amazing year of March Madness, the most anticipated weekend of the college basketball season is upon us: the 2019 Final Four takes place this Saturday in Minnesota, with two games that promise 40 minutes of basketball fireworks as four teams will battle for two spots in the National Championship Game.
Final Four Schedule
Saturday, April 6 – Final Four
TV Channel: CBS
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch the Final Four with a free trial)
Game 1: #5 Auburn vs. #1 Virginia (-6) 6:09 PM ET
The first semifinal features the only number one seed in the tournament to survive their region: the Virginia Cavaliers, who last year became the first #1 seed in NCAA Tournament history to lose in the first round, recovered in style in 2019 and are now 40 minutes away from a chance to win it all. To reach the national championship game, Virginia will need to beat the biggest surprise of the tournament so far, the Auburn Tigers. The same Auburn Tigers who upset #1 North Carolina, #2 Kentucky, and #4 Kansas in the last three rounds. Auburn’s offense has exploded in the tournament, and Virginia’s star guards Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome will need to be at their shooting and defending best to win this one.
Prediction: Auburn has been on a roll, shooting lights out, but in this game, they come up against arguably the best defense in the NCAA Tournament in No. 1 Virginia. The Cavs, who did not get here on a fluke, winning six in a row including their Conference will need to continue the dominance in the paint, and look for the outside shooters to hit those buckets. My heart says Virginia, but I am not sure they can cover those 6 points. My gut says take Auburn (+6) in this one.
Game 2: #3 Texas Tech vs. #2 Michigan State (-2) 8:49 PM ET
The second Final Four matchup should be a fascinating defensive battle. Texas Tech has been unbelievable on defense – in fact, they have the best defense of any team since 2002 when KenPom.com first started measuring defensive efficiency. They were even more impressive than that on their domination of #1 Gonzaga in the Elite Eight.
Michigan State is finally back in the Final Four after years of tournament disappointment, as head coach Tom Izzo makes his eighth appearance in the national semifinals. The Spartans have the most impactful result in the tournament so far, a thrilling one-point victory over Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils, and superstar guard Cassius Winston will finally have a chance to show his talent in the Final Four.
Prediction: Both of these matchups come down to experience, can you really see Auburn vs. TT in the National Championship? I would love to, but I don’t really see it happening here. Michigan State has all the experience in this one, as this game will come down to the little things and Mr. Tom Izzo is the king of those. Set up plays in from time-outs, even if Texas Tech runs the court and starts hitting shots, the experience will win in this one. It would be great to see Texas Tech in the Finals with their exciting offense, but can’t see it in this one. Take Sparty (-2).
Monday, April 8
National Championship: Semifinal Winners, 9:00 PM ET
TV Channel: CBS
The two semifinals will be truly fantastic, and all four teams have a legitimate shot at winning not just the first game, but the whole thing.
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