Texas Tech’s surge to the Final Four was quite impressive. The Red Raiders played the highest-seeded team possible in every round, won going away in their first three NCAA Tournament games and won a regional final over Gonzaga that, while tight, was the most one-sided of the four NCAA quarterfinals.
Third-seeded Tech beat top-seeded Gonzaga 75-69 Saturday night to win the West Regional and give Big 12 basketball a much-needed boost.
Tech’s appearance in Minneapolis on Saturday gives the Big 12 its third Final Four team, all from different schools, in the last four years. A conference that seems top heavy in basketball – Kansas and the nine dwarfs – suddenly can spout that its Final Four representation matches any other conference.