ANAHEIM, Calif. (WOOD) — Michigan’s next NCAA Tournament opponent was the second team to practice at the Honda Center in Anaheim Wednesday.
The No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders are in the Sweet 16 after what some consider to be overachieving this season. They were picked as a middle-of-the-pack team in the Big 12 preseason, then went on to win a share of the conference championship.
Sophomore guard Jarrett Culver is the big reason why. Standing 6-foot-6, he averaged over 18 points per game with over six rebounds per contest.
The Red Raiders also got a big help from a pair of transfers. One was 6-foot-3 senior guard Matt Mooney, who came from South Dakota. He can flat-out shoot. Tariq Owens transferred in from St. John’s. He’s an athletic big man, standing 6-foot-10.
But the biggest surprise is Davide Moretti, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard who came to Lubbock, Texas, from Italy.
In his third year as head coach, Chris Beard has taken a program the new heights. The Red Raiders have appeared in back-to-back Sweet 16s. If they beat No. 2 Michigan, it will be back-to-back Elite Eight’s for the first time in school history.
Stay with 24 Hour News 8 on air and online for more from the Wolverines and Red Raiders as we countdown to tipoff, scheduled for about 9:40 p.m. Thursday. The game will air on CBS.