Why Texas Tech coach Chris Beard studies everything he can about Alabama's Nick Saban

MINNEAPOLIS - Texas Tech coach Chris Beard didn't hear back on his offer to Nick Saban for Final Four tickets behind the Red Raiders bench.

Beard really didn't expect the Alabama football coach to take him up on a tongue-in-cheek offer made on a video "fireside chat."

Just make no mistake that the reverence and respect for Saban is quite genuine, even though Beard has never met him. Among major college basketball coaches, Beard may be the biggest college football fan.

"I study everything I can about coach Saban," Beard said. "Besides Texas Tech football, I follow Alabama about as close as anybody other than Tech. And just the process, basically, where you know you're not results-oriented deal,…