It seemed possible, given how effective both Virginia and Texas Tech's defenses have been through the NCAA tournament, that Monday night's national championship game could hinge on how effective both teams were from beyond the three-point arc. Through 20 minutes of the title game, outside shooting has been the lifeblood of both teams' offenses.
Both Virginia -- which is shooting 45.5 percent from three-point territory -- and Texas Tech (41.7 percent) have been more effective from three-point territory than they have on two-point shots (38.8 and 25 percent), respectively. After opening the game 1-for-11 from the floor, the Red Raiders hit seven of their final 13 field goals of the first half, connecting on five first-half threes to erase a 10-point deficit. Virginia's Ty Jerome hit a three-pointer just before halftime to break a 29-29 tie, and the Cavaliers led 32-29 through the first half.
While the three-pointers landed, though, Texas Tech's longstanding student tradition of throwing tortillas at major sporting events had to stop.
After officials stopped the game in the first half and fans were warned not to throw objects on the court, several members of the Red Raiders' student section stood on their chairs, imploring fellow students not to throw more tortillas on the court and reminding them they could risk a technical foul for the Red Raiders if they didn't stop.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, former Vikings coach Bud Grant, former Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes -- a Texas Tech product who again flexed for the cameras in the first half, as he did on Saturday night -- were among the notable figures in attendance.
