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While Villanova is looking to return to the Final Four for the second time in three years and third time during the Jay Wright era, Texas Tech is simply looking to get there for the first time in school history. Despite the contrast in program prestige, though, Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup is an intriguing one between a deadly offense and a lock-down defense.
The game is scheduled to start at about 2:20 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on CBS. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch the game live on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Amazon Prime: If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch a live stream of your local CBS channel via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which comes with a 7-day free trial. Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can watch CBS live on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone, tablet or other streaming device via the the Amazon Video app.
Hulu With Live TV: If you want an extensive Netflix-like on-demand streaming library in addition to live TV, Hulu now also offers a bundle of live channels, including CBS (live in select markets). You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of CBS on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
FuboTV: CBS (live in select markets) is included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app
Note: You can also watch any tournament game on your computer via the March Madness Live website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the March Madness Live app. To watch these streams, you’ll have a free preview before needing to sign in to a TV provider to keep watching, but if you don’t have cable, you can do this by logging in with your Hulu credentials.
Preview
It doesn’t get much more “Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object” than this. Villanova is first nationally in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency, while Texas Tech ranks third in the same metric for defense.
Within that offensive vs defensive battle, the key is the three-point line.
The Wildcats, who rank ninth in the country in three-point percentage and second in three-pointers made per game, are one of the most prolific shooting teams we’ve seen. And they’ve only increased that onslaught during the tournament, going 44-of-92 (47.8 percent) from deep in wins over Radford, Alabama and West Virginia. The Mountaineers actually had a six-point lead over ‘Nova with about 11 minutes to go on Friday night, but then the ‘Cats proceeded to hit five of six from deep down the stretch to win it.
Texas Tech, meanwhile, holds teams to just 6.8 three-pointers made per game on 32.8 percent shooting. In wins over Florida and Purdue, two very good shooting teams, the Red Raiders limited their opponents to a combined 13-of-40 shooting (32.5 percent) from long range.
That said, slowing down Villanova is an entire different beast, as the Wildcats pretty much always have five guys on the floor who can knock down the three. When teams divert their attention to Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, someone else almost always steps up. Like freshman center Omari Spellman, who hit four threes against West Virginia, or sixth man Donte DiVincenzo, who hit five against Alabama.
Despite the old adage that defense wins championships, a good offense often beats a good defense, and that’s why the Wildcats are favored by 6.5 points. But if the Red Raiders play anything like they did during their 13-point win over Purdue in the Sweet 16, you can expect this to be closer than expected.
