Matt Mooney's college odyssey ends with Tech in title game

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Much like his vagabond coach, Texas Tech's Matt Mooney has undergone a college basketball journey unlike almost any other, from mid-major to out-of-the-way outpost to the rough-and-tumble Big 12.

Now, under the searing spotlight of the Final Four, Mooney has been simply money.

The self-described "short, skinny" kid nobody but the Air Force Academy wanted, who starred for two years at South Dakota before transferring to the wind-swept West Texas plains, etched his name in Red Raiders lore Saturday night with a virtuoso performance in the national semifinals.

Mooney poured in 22 points, including a spurt of three 3-pointers in a 2 1/2-minute second-half barrage, sending Texas Tech to a 61-51 victory over Michigan State and into a title tilt with Virginia.

"I'm happy for Matt, man. This is what we came here for," said Tariq Owens, himself a transplant from St. John's. "He had the biggest game of his career on the biggest stage."

Yet the road was long and winding, filled with crisis and controversy, doubt and despair.

Mooney grew up in the small Chicago suburb of Wauconda, Illinois, and fell in love with the game at an early age. By the time he reached high school, he'd make a 90-minute trek to Notre Dame College Prep to play under longtime NBA player Jim Les rather than attending the local high school.

Mooney figured it would best prepare him for college, yet few coaches seemed to notice — they were probably too busy watching nearby Simeon Career Academy and the jewel of the 2013 class, Jabari Parker, who would star at Duke before becoming the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.

The only Division I scholarship offer Mooney received came from Air Force, and he swallowed the idea of a five-year commitment to the military for the chance to play...