The 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship matchup is set, and features two teams that have yet to meet, at least not since 1949 when each school was classified as Division 1. That’s right, there’s no history to go off of when it comes to making your pick which is why this analysis is more important than ever. Going into the game, Virginia is favored by a slim 1.5-point margin, with the Cavaliers moneyline set at -120 against Texas Tech which holds even odds. All signs point to a close game, but as the final days of March Madness have come to an end we have indeed found that anything happen. Let’s see if it does.
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Betting Preview for the Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Virginia Cavaliers NCAA Championship Basketball Game on April 8 2019
Where: US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
When: Monday, April 8, 2019, 9 PM ET
Line: (+1.5) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (-1.5) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (30-6 Overall / 14-4 Conference)
Texas Tech took down some heavyweights en route to their championship appearance. They dismissed Michigan with ease in the Sweet 16, winning 63-44, and went on to shock the world with a 75-69 Elite Eight victory against the supposedly shoe-in Gonzaga Bulldogs. Few expected them to deliver once again against Michigan State, but alas they made it through the Final Four stage of the tournament.
The Red Raiders’ defense poisoned Cassius Winston and the Spartans, but it was their offense that won the headlines – particularly that of Matt Mooney’s. Mooney led the way for Texas Tech, scoring a game-high 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field with four 3-pointers and three rebounds in a 61-51 win over Michigan State in the Final Four. Texas Tech’s best player, Jarrett Culver, meanwhile, shot just 3-for-12 for 12 points, but made some crucial baskets in the clutch which helped kept his team’s head above water. In a matchup with an equally defensive team like Virginia, it’s the offense that will likely decide the winner this Monday, so hopefully for Texas Tech, Mooney remains hot and Culver recovers his top form on the offensive end of the floor. The Red Raiders have the best defense in the nation, per KenPom, and it showed in the Michigan State game, holding Tom Izzo’s squad to just 31.9 percent shooting from the floor. Outside of Elite Eight clash with Gonzaga, all of Texas Tech’s opponents in the tournament have failed to score more than 58 points.
Texas Tech is 4-1 straight up (SU) in its last five games. The Red Raiders are 16-12-1 against the spread (ATS) after a win this season, and went 19-16-1 ATS overall, covering 54.3% of the time.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (30-6 Overall / 14-4 Conference)
The Cavaliers have been involved in some of the most suspenseful games in the Big Dance, which can be hard to believe, given their style of play, but also difficult to refute after some heart-pounding games. The latest was a 63-62 win against the Auburn Tigers in which Virginia snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat. Ty Jerome led the Cavs with 21 points to go with four 3-pointers while Kyle Guy and De’Andre Hunter had 15 and 14 points, respectively. Guy hit three free throws in a row late in the game to give Virginia the ticket to its first-ever national championship game appearance, but it was also the team’s defense, as usual, that carried them. Virginia held the combo of Bryce Brown and Jared Harper to only 23 points and limited Auburn to just 38.2 percent shooting from the field. Virginia’s defense has been heavily tested by opposing guards in its last two games. Carsen Edwards of Purdue torched the Cavs in the Elite Eight round, and Virginia will have its hands full against Jarrett Culver and Matt Mooney, though, it has proven in the Final Four game that it can stand its ground and silence a dynamic opposing backcourt tandem.
Virginia is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games, and are 23-11 ATS overall on the season, making them the fifth best team in NCAA Division 1, covering 69.4% of the time. And after a win, they are 22-10 ATS.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia wins, 65-63.
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