Final Four 2019 Bracket: TV Schedule, Live Stream and NCAA Tournament Picks

The 2019 men's Final Four is far from the most hyped event of the men's college basketball season, but there are still a pair of intriguing matchups set to take place Saturday inside U.S. Bank Stadium. 

Virginia enters Minneapolis as the main attraction because it advanced to the Final Four a year after being eliminated by a No. 16 seed. 

Michigan State is the most consistent program of the Final Four participants in terms of playing for a championship. Tom Izzo will be coaching the Spartans in his eighth Final Four and first since 2015.

Texas Tech and Auburn are navigating through uncharted waters in their first Final Four appearances. 

Although Virginia and Michigan State are the favored sides Saturday, we expect Texas Tech and Auburn to put up fights, just like they have throughout the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

2019 NCAA Men's Tournament Bracket

2019 Men's Final Four Schedule

Saturday, April 6

No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 5 Auburn (6:09 p.m. ET, CBS)

No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Texas Tech (8:49 p.m. ET, CBS) 

Games can be live-streamed on March Madness Live. 

Picks

Virginia over Auburn 

With no double-digit seeds turning into Cinderella stories, Virginia's road to redemption has become the story of the NCAA tournament. 

The Cavaliers were widely ridiculed for their first-round exit at the hands of UMBC in 2018, and they didn't help themselves by struggling in the first half against Gardner-Webb in this year's first round. 

But since the second half of the first-round win over Gardner-Webb, the Cavaliers have looked like a championship-caliber team. 

In Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome, the Cavaliers have a pair of scoring threats out of the backcourt, while Kihei Clark brings stingy defensive play to that part of the court. 

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Virginia's top three guards are expected to play a major role in shutting down Auburn in Saturday's opener. 

Without a significant paint presence due to Chuma Okeke's injury, the Tigers will turn to Bryce Brown and Jared Harper to kick-start the offense from three-point range.

Brown, who averages 16 points per game, shoots 41 percent from beyond the arc; Harper is a 37 percent three-point shooter and averages 15.4 points per game. 

In order to frustrate Auburn from the start, Clark, Guy and Jerome must get in the face of the Auburn guards and make them take low-percentage shots. 

If the three-point attempts from Bruce Pearl's team fall short, Virginia has an opportunity to dominate the glass and push the ball down the court. 

Offensively, Guy and Jerome could have the impact Brown and Harper want to have for the Tigers by knocking down a few key three-point shots. 

In the Elite Eight win over Purdue, Guy and Jerome combined to make nine three-pointers, and if they come close to matching that total Saturday, Virginia will be in good shape. 

In the paint, Mamadi Diakite, Jack Salt and Jay Huff should be able to take advantage of Okeke's absence by limiting Auburn's second-chance opportunities. 

Diakite will be the main beneficiary of the strategy, and if he plays well on offense, he could come close to a double-double. 

Michigan State over Texas Tech 

Saturday's second contest will most likely be the closer of the two games. 

Michigan State and Texas Tech both possess an impressive collection of talent on all parts of the court, while Tom Izzo and Chris Beard are two of the best coaches in the nation. 

The Red Raiders will try to frustrate the Spartans with their defense that held Michigan State's top rival Michigan to 44 points in the Sweet 16. 

Texas Tech has allowed one opponent to score more than 60 points in the NCAA tournament, but Michigan State's been solid defensively as well by holding all four opponents beneath 70 points. 

In Texas Tech's Elite Eight game against Gonzaga, it allowed 40 points to the Bulldogs' frontcourt duo of Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke. 

The Spartans don't have a pair of future NBA players down low, but they do have a consistent trio in Xavier Tillman, Kenny Goins and Nick Ward who will try to achieve similar success in that area of the court. 

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

If Michigan State decides to feed Tillman, Goins and Ward, Cassius Winston will play a major role in distributing the ball, as he's coming off a 20-point, 10-assist game against Duke. 

Allowing the frontcourt stars to go to work early will also take the pressure off Winston and Matt McQuaid to make three-point shots right away. 

When more attention is paid to Michigan State's big men, that's when McQuaid and Winston can take over and deliver daggers from three-point range over the final few minutes. 

Texas Tech will put up a fight, with Jarrett Culver expected to be the team's top scorer again, but it might not have enough depth in the paint to deal with what Michigan State can throw at it. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.