The NCAA Men’s Tournament Final Four is set. And after an opening weekend that went to plan based on the seeds, things look different heading into Minneapolis.
Virginia is the only No. 1 seed to make it through to the final weekend of the season, with No. 1 overall seed Duke in the East and Gonzaga in the West losing in the regional finals. Midwest Region top seed North Carolina lost in the Sweet 16.
That leaves a No. 2 seed in Michigan State, a No. 3 seed in Texas Tech and a No. 5 seed in Auburn. The Cavaliers and surging Tigers meet in Saturday’s first national semifinal, followed by the Spartans and the defensive-minded Red Raiders.
That’s one team each from the Atlantic Coast, the Big Ten, the Big 12 and the Southeastern conferences.
As for the coaches, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is in the Final Four for the eighth time and first since 2015. He’s joined by a trio of first-timers in Virginia’s Tony Bennett, Texas Tech’s Chris Beard and Auburn’s Bruce Pearl.
2019 NCAA Men’s Tournament
Elite Eight Scores
Texas Tech 75, Gonzaga 69
Virginia 80, Purdue 75
Auburn 77, Kentucky 71
Michigan State 68, Duke 67