Redshirt senior and graduate transfer Matt Mooney has made a name for himself after he put up 22 points against Michigan State in the Final Four to send the Red Raiders to a National Championship appearance. In a night where the usual star, Jarrett Culver, struggled, Mooney stepped up to the plate and almost seemingly never missed a shot. Mooney has had a long journey leading up to the biggest stage of his life.
Mooney comes from Wauconda, Illinois and went to Notre Dame College Prep over in Niles, Illinois. Mooney finished high school and graduated Summa Cum Laude while also averaging 18 points per game and six rebounds per game in his senior season there. He was an All-State and All-Conference player before playing at the collegiate level.
His first stint at the collegiate level was with Air Force where he averaged just 6.9 points per game while having a 44.8 field goal percentage, a 38.7 three-point percentage and a 78.6 free throw percentage. That year, Air Force finished 14-17 on the season with a conference record of 6-12, finishing in ninth in the Mountain West Conference.
Mooney then transferred to South Dakota and sat out a year because of transfer rules. However, in the 2016-17 season, when he got to play, he made it count, as he finished the season with an average of 18.6 points per game, a 46 field goal percentage and a 36.7 three-point percentage. His rebound game also improved drastically as he averaged 4.5 rebounds per game and 2.2 steals per game. That year, South Dakota finished the season 22-12 and finished first in the Summit Conference. Mooney also got his first tournament experience in the NIT but South Dakota lost in the first round to Iowa, 87-75.
Mooney remained consistent in the 2017-18 season, scoring 18.7 points per game, having two steals per game and averaging 4.1 rebounds per game. He improved his free throw percentage from 71.7 to 82.9 that year as well and remained consistent shooting-wise going 44.5 from the field and 35.2 from behind the arc. South Dakota, as a whole, improved from last season to 26-9 and finished second in the Summit Conference. The Coyotes defeated both Omaha and Denver in the conference tournament but lost to South Dakota State. Mooney gained more tournament experience as the Coyotes went to the CBI but they lost to North Texas in the opening round. Mooney then graduated from South Dakota with a degree in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Finally, Mooney transferred to Texas Tech, choosing to play for the Red Raiders instead of Creighton or Northwestern. As a part of a Big 12 regular-season championship team, Mooney has had to share time with other talented players such as Culver, Davide Moretti, Tariq Owens, Norense Odiase, Brandone Francis, etc. However, Mooney has started in every single game for the Red Raiders this season.
Currently, Mooney averages 11.3 points per game and has become a defensive threat in the tournament, averaging 2.6 steals per game in the NCAA Tournament. While on the championship run, Mooney scored nine points against Northern Kentucky, 11 points against Buffalo, 10 points against Michigan and 17 points against Gonzaga but it was his performance against Michigan State which swung him into the national spotlight quick as his stats were being compared to Culver’s that game as the Spartans were being successful in shutting out Culver, they did not have an answer for Mooney.
In the past two tournament games, Mooney has shot exactly 50 percent from the field. He shot 6-12 against Gonzaga and 8-16 against Michigan State. Against the Spartans, Mooney also shot 50 percent from behind the arc, 4-8, which included some impressive shots.
Now, Mooney and the Red Raiders will play in the National Championship against Virginia, for the first time ever. Mooney’s past tournament experiences will never match up to this year’s. Given it is his one chance to be in this position, it is safe to say Mooney will play for it all again tonight on the big stage. The Cavaliers will not only have to account for Culver but also Mooney, who has proven he can step up under pressure. Regardless, given Mooney’s performance and his history of playing great basketball, it is not out of the question he could play professionally if he so chooses to. Whether it is the NBA G-League or internationally, Mooney could do it, but first, he, and the Red Raiders, are set on winning the national title for Lubbock. For the first time.
