Written by Lisa Chung
Boston MA, - Heading into this matchup in the Elite 8, experience or lack of it, was a key factor for both teams. This was the first time in school history that the Texas Tech Red Riders made the Elite 8. Conversely, the Villanova Wildcats have been in the Elite 8 two out of the last three years. This experience showed as Villanova defeated Texas Tech, 71-59 to earn a berth in the Final Four.
Coming in, the only way Texas Tech had a chance of winning the game is if they were able to stop Villanova’s red hot offense from scoring points. The first few minutes of the game looked promising for the Red Raiders, as they led by eight at one point. The Wildcats didn’t even score until three minutes into the game. The scoring drought did not last for long as Villanova was able to come into halftime with a 36-23 lead over Texas Tech.
The second half was crucial for the Red Raiders in order for them to have a chance to win the game. For most of the second half, they were forced to play catchup due to the lead Villanova had created. The Red Raiders were aided by Villanova’s rough start to the second half. The Wildcats missed most of their shots and this gave the Red Raiders an opportunity to come back. Texas Tech went from being down 13 points, to only being down by six points.
As the second half went on, Texas Tech was still trailing Villanova and as the minutes winded down, it was clear that the Wildcats weren’t concerned with their missed shots in the beginning of the second half. They started to pull away from the Red Raiders and eventually won by 12 points. This was the second time this season Texas Tech has lost to an opponent by double figures. The first time was a loss against Iowa State by 18 points.
Villanova guard Jalen Brunson led the team in scoring with 15 points. However, in the first half, he struggled to find his shot, missing multiple attempts. He addressed that briefly after the game and how his teammates helped him come out of his shooting slump.
“Everyone has confidence in each other,” said Brunson. “And I specifically remember that I was missing a lot of shots, and my teammates looking me in the eye in the huddle saying ‘Jalen, keep shooting the ball. Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it.’ That’s just the confidence they have in me and we have in each other.”
Brunson became the Wildcats 17th player in Villanova history to have made the career scoring list. Throughout his career, he has scored 1,640 points for the Wildcats.
This is the second time in three years that Villanova is making a trip to the Final Four. The Wildcats will be heading to San Antonio for the Final Four and a matchup against Kansas on Saturday, March 31st.
Coming in, the only way Texas Tech had a chance of winning the game is if they were able to stop Villanova’s red hot offense from scoring points. The first few minutes of the game looked promising for the Red Raiders, as they led by eight at one point. The Wildcats didn’t even score until three minutes into the game. The scoring drought did not last for long as Villanova was able to come into halftime with a 36-23 lead over Texas Tech.
The second half was crucial for the Red Raiders in order for them to have a chance to win the game. For most of the second half, they were forced to play catchup due to the lead Villanova had created. The Red Raiders were aided by Villanova’s rough start to the second half. The Wildcats missed most of their shots and this gave the Red Raiders an opportunity to come back. Texas Tech went from being down 13 points, to only being down by six points.
As the second half went on, Texas Tech was still trailing Villanova and as the minutes winded down, it was clear that the Wildcats weren’t concerned with their missed shots in the beginning of the second half. They started to pull away from the Red Raiders and eventually won by 12 points. This was the second time this season Texas Tech has lost to an opponent by double figures. The first time was a loss against Iowa State by 18 points.
Villanova guard Jalen Brunson led the team in scoring with 15 points. However, in the first half, he struggled to find his shot, missing multiple attempts. He addressed that briefly after the game and how his teammates helped him come out of his shooting slump.
“Everyone has confidence in each other,” said Brunson. “And I specifically remember that I was missing a lot of shots, and my teammates looking me in the eye in the huddle saying ‘Jalen, keep shooting the ball. Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it.’ That’s just the confidence they have in me and we have in each other.”
Brunson became the Wildcats 17th player in Villanova history to have made the career scoring list. Throughout his career, he has scored 1,640 points for the Wildcats.
This is the second time in three years that Villanova is making a trip to the Final Four. The Wildcats will be heading to San Antonio for the Final Four and a matchup against Kansas on Saturday, March 31st.