NCAA Tournament 2019: TV Schedule for Virginia vs. Texas Tech Championship

The NCAA tournament field has continued to dwindle, and now it's down to the final two teams.

On Monday night, Virginia and Texas Tech will take the court at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to compete for this year's national championship. Neither program has won a national title, meaning this will be an historic year for one of the schools.

This will also be the first appearance for both Virginia and Texas Tech in the national championship game. The Cavaliers hadn't been in the Final Four since 1984, while the Red Raiders had never previously made it.

For the first time since 2006, there will be a first-time champion crowned to end the men's college basketball season.

Bracket

Championship Game Information

No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 3 Texas Tech: Monday at 9:20 p.m. ET on CBS

Preview

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

As the adage goes, defense wins championships. And that's how Virginia and Texas Tech have each moved one win away from a national title.

The Cavaliers are known for their slow tempo and exceptional half-court defense. That's how they've lost only three games this season and notched five NCAA tournament victories, allowing 62 or fewer points in four of them. The only team that scored more was Purdue, which netted 75 in an overtime game.

If Virginia wins the national championship, it will have gone from having the worst NCAA tournament experience to the best in only one year. Last season, the Cavaliers were the first No. 1 seed to ever lose to a No. 16 seed when they fell to UMBC in the first round.

Not this year. Virginia took down No. 16 seed Gardner-Webb, before going on to beat No. 9 seed Oklahoma, No. 12 seed Oregon, No. 3 seed Purdue and No. 5 seed Auburn.

"It's a great story," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said, according to the Associated Press. "It is."

On Saturday, Virginia won a close 63-62 game over Auburn, as Kyle Guy made a trio of free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining to lift the Cavaliers.

Texas Tech had one of its best defensive showings of the tournament on Saturday, holding No. 2 seed Michigan State to 51 points. The only team that has scored fewer points against the Red Raiders during March Madness is No. 2 seed Michigan, which netted only 44 points in its Sweet 16 matchup.

In its win over Michigan State, Texas Tech also had a standout performance from senior guard Matt Mooney, who scored 22 of the Red Raiders' 61 points.

"He's obviously very, very talented, but the thing that impressed me [Saturday] was just his courage, wanting to make those big plays in big moments," Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said, according to the Associated Press.

Prior to this season, the Red Raiders had only made it to the Elite Eight once, which was last year. Before that, they had never made it past the Sweet 16, and they hadn't made it there since 2005.

For both programs, this is already the best season in school history. But only one will cap it off with a national championship.