Texas Tech has earned its trip to the National Championship to take on Virginia. The Red Raiders again keep their chip as they are the underdogs against the Cavaliers. Virginia has defeated Gardner-Webb, Oklahoma, Oregon, Purdue and Auburn to get to this point. Here is a look at the team behind Virginia’s National Championship run.
Top Scorer
Junior guard Kyle Guy is the top scorer for Virginia with 15.2 points per game. Guy’s has a 44.6 field goal percentage and a 42.5 three-point percentage. He is also accurate from the foul line with an 82.5 free throw percentage. Guy was in the middle of the controversial call at the end of the Auburn game and sank the three free throws that gave the Cavaliers the win. In the first two rounds of the tournament, Guy was quiet with just eight points against Gardner-Webb and four points against Oklahoma. However, the game against Oregon in the Sweet 16 was when he started to wake up with 10 points. He made his presence felt in the NCAA Tournament when he dropped 25 points against Purdue in the Elite Eight, and he scored 15 points on Auburn in the Final Four. The game against Oklahoma was his lowest-scoring game of the season as he is usually in double digits or close to it. For comparison, Jarrett Culver averages 18.6 points per game, has a 47.1 field goal percentage and 70.3 free throw percentage.
Top Rebounder
Junior guard Braxton Key holds the lead on the Cavaliers in rebounds with 5.1 rebounds per game with 3.8 being on defense and 1.3 on offense. However, in the tournament, he has been quiet on the rebounds as he had zero total rebounds against both Oregon and Purdue and only two against Auburn. The most rebounds he has had in the tournament was against Oklahoma in the second round. Redshirt sophomore De’Andre Hunter and Guy have been consistent in rebounds but it is redshirt junior forward Mamadi Diakite who has been a force off the glass. Against both Gardner-Webb and Oklahoma, he had nine rebounds. Against Oregon, he had 11; against Purdue, he had seven; and against Auburn, he had six. Diakite is a force to reckon with for the Red Raiders’ rebounders in Culver, Norense Odiase and possibly Tariq Owens.
Excellent Free Throw Shooting
One of the obvious strengths of Virginia is the Cavaliers’ ability to shoot from the foul line. Collectively, the team has a 73.9 free throw percentage. Guy and freshman guard Kihei Clark tie for the lead with 82.5 free throw percentages. Hunter sits at a 78.4 free throw percentage and junior guard Ty Jerome has a 73 free throw percentage. The last one in the 70’s is Key with a 72.3 free throw percentage. Diakite and redshirt sophomore forward Jay Huff are in the 60’s, and Virginia’s worst free throw shooter with significant playing time is redshirt senior center Jack Salt with a 51.1 percentage.
Turnovers/Steals
Virginia as a whole averages 8.9 turnovers compared to Texas Tech’s 12.1. Given how defensive this game will be, causing turnovers will be a key and whoever can cause more will have a better chance of winning. For the Cavaliers, they have a disadvantage with just 5.6 steals per game compared to the Red Raiders’ 7.4 per game. In terms of blocking shots, both teams are close with Virginia averaging 3.9 blocks per game and Tech averaging 4.9. Points on turnovers also go in favor of the Red Raiders as they average 17.4 points off of turnovers and Virginia sits at 12.4.
De’Andre Hunter
Hunter has already been discussed as a part of the top rebounding club but he is an offensive force as well as he is the second-highest scorer on the Cavaliers, averaging 14.9 points per game. Hunter has scored in double digits for every game in the tournament which is highlighted by a 23-point performance against Gardner-Webb. Hunter has a 52.1 field goal percentage on the season and a 42 three-point percentage. Hunter is one of the three main offensive threats from Virginia the Red Raiders will have to try and contain the other, besides Hunter and Guy, is Jerome.
Ty Jerome
Averaging 13.5 points per game, Jerome is the third-highest scorer for Virginia this season. He has also been a force in the tournament as in the last two games, against Purdue and Auburn, he has scored in the 20’s (24 against Purdue, 21 against Auburn). Jerome has a field goal percentage of 43.8 and a 40.1 three-point percentage. He is also the main Cavalier to get steals as he totals 56 steals on the season. However, he also leads the team in turnovers with 60 and leads the team in assists with 194. Jerome is someone that can make the Red Raiders pay by passing the ball or making mistakes that Tech could capitalize on.
Three-Point Shooting
Another strength for Virginia is the three-point shot. The team has a collective 39.3 three-point percentage. Guy leads the charge with his 42.5 three-point percentage but the Cavaliers have their main three guys who can shoot the three in Guy, Hunter and Jerome, who also happen to be the top scorers for the team. After them, the next Cavalier, Clark, has a 33.3 three-point percentage, a big gap from Jerome who has a 40.1 percentage. This season, Tech has held its opponents to a 29.3 three-point percentage and 6.3 three-pointers per game. The Red Raiders’ work will be cut for them as these three players from Virginia can cause problems from the perimeter but it could also be an advantage for the Tech defense as they guard the perimeter exceptionally well.
