By: T-Nap
#11 NC State Wolfpack (26-14) VS #1 Purdue Boilermakers (33-4) (Sat 4/6 6:09pm)
NC State is on of the biggest Cinderella-stories of 2024 March Madness and they have proved they are one of the toughest, most resilient teams in the tournament taking down #6 Texas Tech (80-67), #14 Oakland (79-73 f/ot), #2 Marquette (67-58) and #4 Duke (76-64). Seniors, DJ Burns Jr and DJ Horne have led the way for the Wolfpack. Burns averaged 13 PPG and 4.1 RPG during the season but during the tournament he’s been on another level averaging 18.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG. Burns had a career performance in the NC State elite-8 matchup versus Duke putting up 29 points and leading NC State to the 76-64 victory. DJ Horne has continued a consistent level of points during the tournament putting up 16.5 PPG on average and has excelled on rebounds during the tournament with 5.3 RPG. The DJ tandem has been huge for the Wolfpack.
For Purdue, the story has been Senior, Zach Edey who after averaging 25 PPG during the season has scored 30 PPG during the tournament. Edey has also upped his rebound game from 12.2 RPG during the season to 16.3 RPG during the tournament. Edey has been a March Madness super-star and will be a tough weapon for NC State to stop. Purdue has had their fair share of tough battles during the tournament but have been able to take down #16 Grambling (78-50), #8 Utah State (106-67), #5 Gonzaga (80-68) and #2 Tennessee (72-66).
Who will succeed, the NC State DJ’s or will Zach Edey and Purdue continue the quest for the trophy? It will be an absolute showdown Saturday night!
#4 Alabama Crimson Tide (25-11) VS #1 UConn Huskies (35-3) (Sat 4/6 8:49pm)
For Alabama Senior, Mark Sears seems to be on a mission to add to the Roll-Tide trophy case. Sears has averaged a whopping 24.3 PPG during the tournament and has helped the Crimson Tide along with big performances from multiple others including Aaron Estrada and Grant Nelson roll past #13 Charleston (109-69), #12 Grand Canyon (72-61), #1 UNC (89-87) and #6 Clemson (89-82). Alabama has proved they are battle tested and can compete with anybody in the bracket!
UConn is looking to repeat for a National Championship. Last season the Huskies defeated San Diego State (76-59) to capture their 5th title in program history. UConn may be the most well-rounded team in the tournament and features 5 players who average double digit scoring; Tristian Newton (15.0 PPG), Cam Spencer (14.4 PPG), Alex Karaban (13.5 PPG), Donovan Clingan (12.9 PPG) and Stephon Castle (10.7 PPG). UConn is a team that never took their foot off the gas and kept the pressure on their opponents and defeated all 5 tournament opponents by double-digits! The Huskies dominant tournament run includes wins versus; #10 Marquette (73-57), #16 Stetson (91-52), #9 Northwestern (75-58), #5 SD State (82-52) and #3 Illinois (77-52).
All Final-4 games take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship will take place on Monday, April 8th at 9:20pm!
