USA TODAY Sports examines every Final Four team's key weakness that could be costly in the NCAA tournament's final weekend in Minneapolis:
Michigan State: The Spartans have been turnover-prone in this tournament, coughing up 22 turnovers in a second-round win over Minnesota and ranked 318th nationally in turnover margin. Those giveaways can be detrimental and Michigan State just so happens to be going up against a turnover-forcing team; Texas Tech forces around 16 a game. MSU has looked sharp as of late, only turning it over seven times against LSU in the Sweet 16 and Duke in the Elite Eight. But point guard Cassius Winston, who averages 7.6 assists per game, also turns it over three times a game and will have to be smart against TTU's stifling ball pressure.
From left, Aaron Henry, Matt McQuaid, Cassius Winston, Xavier Tillmanand Kenny Goins look on during an NCAA tournament game. (Photo: Jamie Squire, Getty Images)
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have been exceptional defensively, suffocating opponents with their length and discipline en route to the Final Four. Offense has been a different story. While Texas Tech is no slouch in this department, its can fall into scoring lulls and often turns to Big 12 player of the year Jarrett Culver to bail the team out. Culver shoots a high volume of shots, averaging 18 attempts in four tournament games. While he's shot 42 percent, that reliance could be an issue if other players aren't stepping up. While TTU shoots a high percentage from beyond the arc, it doesn't make that many — ranking 231st nationally in made three-pointers. And twice this tournament (against Buffalo and Michigan) the team shot 32 percent from three.
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Auburn: Coach Bruce Pearl uses a deep bench to the point where his team isn't drastically affected by foul trouble or even a key injury — such as leading rebounder Chuma Okeke's ACL tear. But where the Tigers' high-tempo offense could fall apart might be in a reliance on forcing turnovers. Pearl acknowledged on Monday's coaches teleconference that Virginia's highly efficient offense (leading the nation in fewest turnovers) could hurt the Tigers.
"We are a team that relies on being able to turn our opponents over to get some offense out of our defense," Pearl said. While this team lives and dies by the three, it can stay within striking distance if goes cold thanks to easy points in transition. If UVA takes care of the ball like usual, and Auburn isn't shooting well, that could sink the Tigers.
Virginia: The Cavaliers improved their offense from last year, ranking second in offensive efficiency (per KenPom) and shooting high percentages from three-point range. But because coach Tony Bennett's ever-patient offense takes its time to get a good shot — ranking last in Division I in possessions per 40 minutes — there's not a high volume of shots going up. That could prove to be costly because even if the tempo is slowed and UVA is getting its usual defensive stops, a bad shooting night for leading scorer Kyle Guy (he went 0-for-11 beyond the arc against Oklahoma in the second round) or other key contributors would allow room for more athletic, high-octane teams like Auburn to pull ahead.
Bennett said it's about finding the right balance: "I think in a good offense, you have to be assertive and have aggressiveness. You also have to take good shots and you have to be sound with a level of patience. You can't become hesitant or ineffective. It's trying to find that sweet spot."
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