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Texas Tech basketball: Looking back at top 5 games of 2018-19

By Matthew Conner

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Texas Tech 61, Michigan St. 51

It’s one thing to get to the Final Four.  But to truly be remembered, you can’t be a one-and-done participant.  That’s why Tech’s 61-51 win over Michigan State in the national semifinals was so critical.

Chris Beard had repeatedly said that his dream is to coach on the final Monday night of the season and by coming out on top in a game that felt like a cage match, he got his wish.  And he had Matt Mooney to thank.

In a performance that was remarkably similar to his game in Austin, Mooney had 22 points to help offset an awful game by Culver (10 points on 3-12 shooting).  On the game’s biggest stage, Mooney nailed 4-8 from deep with several coming late in the second half.

After his third 3 in a three-minute second-half span, Mooney had staked his team to a 13-point lead.  But the suspense was only just beginning.

By repeatedly getting to the line and putting the clamps on Mooney and Culver, Michigan State cut Tech’s lead to just 52-51 with 2:55 to play.  Culver then hit a jumper to regain a 3-point lead before helping to ice the game with key free throws down the stretch.

This game was far from ascetically pleasing.  Both teams shot below 42% from the floor and Tech nearly cost itself at the line going just 8-13 (61.5%).

Still, it was monumental for the Red Raiders to advance to the title game and to do so by beating legendary MSU head coach Tom Izzo, they added another layer of legitimacy to their Final Four run.  The Red Raiders finally found their way to college basketball’s biggest showcase and in a stressful, exhilarating and brutal game, they showed the nation exactly what Texas Tech basketball is all about under Chris Beard.

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