Final Four teams proving yet again that veterans outlast freshmen in March

As Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard departed the on-court celebration and headed toward his postgame news conference on Saturday, he had a decision to make.

Which players would he bring to the dais to discuss the school's first Final Four berth?

"This is easy," Beard said. "How about our four seniors? The backbone of our team."

Those four include Norense Odiase, a hulking, fifth-year post player whose tenure in Lubbock, Texas, dates back to the Tubby Smith era. Along with him came two more starters, graduate transfers Matt Mooney (South Dakota) and Tariq Owens (St. John's).

And, rather than trotting out sophomore and soon-to-be-lottery pick Jarrett Culver, Beard grabbed sixth man Brandone Francis, yet another senior, who transferred from Florida three years ago.

"I've always loved our seniors, but never been more proud than (of) the four guys to my left right now," Beard said once he and his players reached the podium following their 75-69 win over Gonzaga. "They're really the story of Tech basketball this year. I'm glad I get to coach 'em again."

That story of Tech basketball is also the story of this year's NCAA Tournament - and it continues a recent trend that has stretched across four seasons.

Yet again, the exhilarating, heartbreaking process of winnowing the tournament field from 68 to four is also the time when age matters most.

The 2019 Final Four teams - Texas Tech, Michigan State, Virginia, and Auburn - play different styles of basketball and come from various levels of tradition. The Spartans reached their 10th semifinal on Sunday, while the Red Raiders and Tigers celebrated their first appearance.

But what they all have in common is multiple upperclassmen in their starting lineups.

Another thing they have in common? That would be a lack of reliance on freshman players. In the Year of Zion, it's the most telling characteristic of the teams heading to Minneapolis this weekend.

In Auburn's case, freshmen have played just two of the 825 individual minutes so far in the tournament, and those came in cameos at the end of blowouts. Meanwhile, seniors and juniors have accounted for 88.9 percent of the team's minutes. After the Tigers lost sophomore Chuma Okeke to a torn ACL in the Sweet 16, only upperclassmen suited up in their overtime win over Kentucky.

Meanwhile, Virginia starts three juniors, a sophomore, and freshman Kihei Clark (the No. 393-ranked player in the 2018 class, according to 247Sports).

Michigan State starts two seniors, a junior, a sophomore, and freshman Aaron Henry (rated No. 141 in the class by 247).

Texas Tech starts three seniors along with two sophomores. Francis, another senior, is Beard's first player off the bench.

Tournament minutes played (percentages)

The trend of upperclassmen leading Final Four teams follows the championship blueprint diagrammed by Villanova and North Carolina in recent years.

Villanova's title-winning team last season featured four juniors and a redshirt freshman in the starting five. The Michigan squad that lost in the final started a senior, two juniors, a sophomore, and a freshman.

It's a lesson to remember when you pick your bracket next March. Overall, the 16 teams that reached the Final Four over the last four seasons started 30 seniors, 27 juniors, 14 sophomores, and nine freshmen.

In fact, no team has even reached the Final Four with at least two freshmen in its starting lineup since Duke won the 2015 title with Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, and Tyus Jones (plus Grayson Allen off the bench).

This year's Duke team, with Zion Williamson and the No. 1 freshman class, appeared poised to break the trend. In the Blue Devils' four NCAA Tournament games, first-year players accounted for a whopping 68.1 percent of the minutes.

On Sunday, though, Michigan State beat Duke, with 64 of its 68 points coming from non-freshmen.

With that, the Spartans delivered yet another reminder that age matters most in March.