The first ticket to the Final Four will be punched in the West Region, where Texas Tech’s stifling defense will look to contain one of the nation’s most efficient offenses in Gonzaga.
The action from the West Region on Thursday night wasn’t too compelling, especially in the latter game of the day. What it led to, however, is a truly intriguing clash of styles between the gritty defensive approach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the high-powered offense of the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Gonzaga is back in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2017, when they went all the way to the national title game before losing to North Carolina, after getting past Florida State 72-58. Forwards Rui Hachimura (17 points on 6-13 shooting) and Brandon Clarke (15 points, 12 rebounds) led the way for the Bulldogs, who avenged a loss to the Seminoles in this exact round from a year ago.
It won’t be easy for the Gonzaga offense tonight when they take on Texas Tech, which has been an absolutely dominant defensive team all season long. The Red Raiders have throttled opponents throughout the tournament, including a low-wattage Michigan team in a 63-44 wipeout on Thursday, holding the Wolverines to just 32.7 percent shooting and a pathetic 1-19 from beyond the arc.
Texas Tech, which also features a potential lottery pick of their own in Jarrett Culver, has given up just 53 points per game over their first three matchups in the tournament. Gonzaga has scored an average of 80.7 points a night in their three tournament wins, so how these two elite units match up will determine who represents the West in Minneapolis one week from today.
How to watch Texas Tech vs. Gonzaga
- Date: Saturday, March 30
- Time: 6:09 p.m. ET
- Location: Anaheim, CA
- Venue: Honda Center
- TV: TBS
- Live Stream: WatchTBS