5 takeaways from the Final Four semifinals
What a night.
First, Virginia topped Auburn 63-62 in a wild finish. Then, Texas Tech advanced to its first national championship game with a convincing 61-51 win over Michigan State.
Here are five takeaways from semifinal Saturday:
Don't let the whistles overshadow a terrific night
The premature celebrations began in Auburn.
But let's put the controversy aside: The call made on Samir Doughty during Kyle Guy's final-second shot was the right one.
Guy made all three free throws, and now the Cavaliers - a year after becoming the first top seed to lose to a No. 16 seed - are 40 minutes from a national championship.
It's worth celebrating a splendid game rather than gesticulating over the calls down the stretch.
Officials did appear to miss Ty Jerome's double-dribble moments before the final shot. But Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl handled the aftermath the right way.
"So this will be a memorable game, and I'd like it to be remembered for a great game," Pearl said. "Let's not remember this game because of just how it ended. Let's remember two teams that played really hard that only had 13 turnovers combined, didn't shoot it very well because there was great defense.
"It had nothing to do with the sight lines or the rims. We missed a lot of threes. We missed some open shots, but we played against a great defense. It was a great college basketball game."
De'Andre Hunter will be the difference if Virginia wins
It hasn't been a banner NCAA Tournament for De'Andre Hunter, and Saturday's first half was no different.
Hunter, like the rest of the Cavaliers, struggled on offense early, scoring just four points on 2-of-6 shooting. Auburn took a 31-28 lead into the break.
The second half was another story. With renewed aggressiveness, the sophomore made all five of his field-goal attempts. Eight of those points came in the first eight minutes of the half. He helped turn the halftime deficit into a lead for the Cavaliers.
Hunter vs. Jarrett Culver will be a marquee matchup on Monday and a great selling point for the national championship game.
Matt Mooney looks like this year's Donte DiVincenzo
Matt Mooney began his career at Air Force before moving on to South Dakota.
A year ago, his season ended with a first-round loss in the College Basketball Invitational. But on Saturday, Mooney knocked down deep 3-pointers to send the Red Raiders to the national championship game.
Mooney, not Culver, was the star. He finished with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting. That output matched the most points he's scored in a Texas Tech uniform.
Mooney's night was reminiscent of Donte DiVincenzo rising to lead Villanova in last year's Final Four.
DiVincenzo averaged 13.4 points per game for the season, but he put up 23 in two Final Four games en route to Most Outstanding Player honors.
Mooney ranks third on his team in points per game with 11. But he played with confidence on Saturday, becoming Texas Tech's go-to player as Culver scuffled.
Texas Tech and Chris Beard are perfect for each other
This is your weekly reminder that the Big 12 coaches picked Texas Tech to finish seventh in the conference in the preseason.
The Red Raiders are now one game away from winning the school's second NCAA championship in any sport (Sheryl Swoopes led the women's basketball team to a title in 1993).
Chris Beard, the AP's Coach of the Year, delivered another masterpiece Saturday. It pays off when a team is playing its best basketball at the end of the year. Beard once again had Texas Tech locked in, holding Michigan State to 21 first-half points.
The 51 points the Spartans scored were their fewest since Nov. 15, 2016. They shot just 34.8 percent inside the arc (8-of-23) and 29.2 percent (7-of-24) beyond it.
The most telling statistic lied in the assists column. Michigan State entered the game recording assists on an NCAA-leading 67.1 percent of its baskets. Then the Spartans left U.S. Bank Stadium with just six assists (and 11 turnovers).
2019: The year of the defense
Texas Tech and Virginia will play for a national championship on Monday.
The Red Raiders showed why their defense is the most efficient in the nation against Michigan State. The Cavaliers are also known for their defense, and they rank fifth in efficiency.
That's a mild contrast from recent Final Fours. In 2018, Villanova had the nation's most efficient offense and the No. 11 defense. And in 2017, North Carolina put together the No. 9 offense and No. 11 defense.
The Villanova and Duke teams that won national championships in 2016 and 2015, respectively, both possessed potent and efficient offenses.
Monday's game will be more of a first-to-60 affair (or maybe even first to 50). The semifinal games were played at 60 and 59 possessions, with Virginia and Texas Tech clearly dictating the tempos.