Perhaps you selected one or two teams to make it this far. Three correct teams can be considered a blessing and four teams, well, good on you. Or maybe the bracket is completely busted, and you are simply hoping for solid, competitive matchups in these final three games.
All four teams have earned their spot. Top seeds, Low seeds, and the in-between will all be represented, a steady mix of high-octane offenses and stout defenses taking the court. Will a program add to their cache of titles? Or will in 2024 a champ be crowned for the first time, finally breaking through on the hardwood in sunny Arizona?
NC State vs Purdue
Defense is the name of the game for the NC State Wolfpack (26-14). Well, that and the infectious energy of a rising star who has the Wolfpack playing free and steadfast basketball.
The no. 11 seed and South Region winner had nothing left to lose back on day one of the ACC tournament and have carried that attitude since. Four wins in the NCAA tournament by an average of 10 points has the Wolfpack playing in their first Final Four since 1983 (and looking for their third title overall).
NC State is averaging 75.5 points per game in the tourney and only one opponent has scored over 70 (overtime against Oakland in the Round of 32). The Wolfpack are shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 34.7 percent on three-point attempts. They struggled in the first half in their Elite Eight victory over Duke, shooting under 30 percent, but responded nicely after halftime.
Opponents have not fared well, shooting 35.3 percent from the field and 23.9 percent from deep against the Wolfpack. NC State holds a plus 17 advantage on the boards and has 64 assists against 37 turnovers, committing only five against the Blue Devils.
The star and talk of the tournament for NC State has been DJ Burns Jr. Foul trouble has occasionally hampered Burns but he has 73 points (29 against Duke) while shooting 67 percent from the field.
The majority of help on offense has come from guard DJ Horne. Horne has 66 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists in four tourney games and is 10-27 on three-point attempts.
Mohamed Diarra, Ben Middlebrooks, and Michael O'Connell have all been solid contributors, especially on defense. Diarra struggled against Duke (three points, seven rebounds) but has totaled 42 points and 47 rebounds in the tournament. Off the bench, Middlebrooks has scored 37 points (21 against Texas Tech in the first round) and had a hard-nosed effort against Duke with seven points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots.
O'Connell is a balanced player on offense with 26 points, 20 rebounds, and 22 assists. All three of these players will need to help Burns and Horne if NC State is to be successful on Saturday.
Top seed out of the Midwest Region, the Purdue Boilermakers (33-4) have had quite the efficient effort on both sides of the court. After cruising through their first three games, the Boilermakers settled in for a fight with Tennessee, winning 72-66.
Purdue is averaging 84 points a game, holding opponents to 62.8, with none scoring over 70. The Boilermakers are shooting 51.7 percent from the field, with opponents at 40 percent. Three-point attempts are fairly close, 39 percent to 34.5, and Purdue has 92 assists and only 38 turnovers.
Thanks partially to one player, Purdue owns a plus 76 advantage on the boards. That player is Zach Edey, who is having a tournament for the ages.
Edey put up 40 points and pulled down 16 rebounds against the Volunteers. In the 2024 tournament, Edey is averaging 30 points and 16.3 rebounds per game. Part of his and Purdue's success is the big man getting to the foul line, where he is 36-54.
Help does arrive in a variety of ways for Edey. Braden Smith has 39 points and 38 assists and is 7-18 from deep. Fellow backcourt mate Fletcher Loyer has added 47 points through four tournament games.
A handful of other players will need to find ways to contribute. Camden Heide off the bench has 23 points and seven rebounds. True help could arrive in Trey Kaufman-Renn. In the first two games, Kaufman-Renn had 29 points and 15 rebounds. But in the two since, he's scored only eight points with two rebounds.
This is the seventh meeting between the two programs. NC State won the first four, with Purdue winning the last two. The squads last met in 2021, where the Boilermakers picked up a 10-point victory.
(11) NC State vs (1) Purdue. April 6 @ 6:09 p.m. (ET) on TBS. (predicted winner in bold)
Alabama vs UConn
Two high octane offenses will take the court with this matchup. Naturally, a game with both teams scoring in the 80's could take place but a defensive battle could also unfold.
Fourth seed out of the West Region, the Alabama Crimson Tide (25-11) have been a scoring machine this season. That has carried over to the NCAA tournament, where Alabama is averaging 89.8 points per game.
In seeking their first title, Alabama has allowed 81.5 points per game in the tourney, with opponents shooting 40.2 percent from the field. However, the perimeter is on lockdown with this squad, allowing only 28.8 percent from deep.
On the flip side, the Crimson Tide has knocked down 48 three-pointers (41.4 percent) while shooting 47.6 percent from the field. Alabama has a rebound advantage of nine, while dishing out 87 assists and committing 46 turnovers.
Alabama has a star of their own in Mark Sears. Sears has knocked down 17 threes on his way to scoring 97 points, adding 21 rebounds and 15 assists. He can also apply consistent defense, with seven steals in the tournament.
Adjustments have been made for Alabama due to the head injury of starting guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. Wrightsell missed the last two games but is expected back this weekend.
Rylan Griffen has scored 54 points and had eight assists in the Elite Eight victory against Clemson. Aaron Estrada has 50 points, 29 rebounds, and 22 assists while Sweet 16 hero Grant Nelson had eight points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots against the Tigers.
Nick Pringle, who came off the bench prior to the Wrightsell injury, has 29 points and 31 rebounds in the tournament (with a 16-point, 11-rebound effort against Clemson). And another surprise off the bench in the Clemson game was Jarin Stevenson, who knocked down five 3-point shots and scored 19 points (after scoring only nine points the previous three).
Defending champions and the top overall seed, the UConn Huskies (35-3) haven't met much resistance on the quest for their sixth title, winning by an average of nearly 28 points. While their offense has been splendid (81.3 ppg), their defense has represented in style, holding all four opponents under 60 points each game.
Defense has locked down in holding opponents to 32.2 percent from the field and an even more impressive 22.5 percent on three-point attempts.
Impressive, yes, but so was a 30-0 run in the Elite Eight victory over Illinois, beginning in the first half and well into the second half.
The Huskies are shooting 51 percent from the field, though three-point shooting has struggled at 28.1 percent. Not that this has mattered a ton for a team with a plus 47 rebound advantage, 80 assists, and only 36 turnovers.
Donovan Clingan is having an outstanding tournament with 63 points (27-40 on field goal attempts) and 40 rebounds. Clingan had a double-double against Illinois (22 points, 10 rebounds) and added five blocked shots, bringing his tournament total to 14.
Tristen Newton struggled against Illinois, going 0-6 from the field and scoring only five points. Newton is part of balanced attack, logging 55 points and 27 assists so far. Cam Spencer has also totaled 55 points to go along with 26 rebounds.
Stephon Castle has added 39 points and 24 rebounds but struggled in the Elite Eight victory as well, shooting only 1-6 from the field.
Three main players contribute off the bench, though plenty have seen at least one minute of action in all four games. Hassan Diarra has been the most consistent, with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists.
The two programs have met only twice before, with UConn winning both meetings. The last time was in November 2022, where the Huskies won 82-67 on a neutral court.
(4) Alabama vs (1) UConn. April 6 @ 8:49 p.m. (ET) on TBS. (predicted winner in bold)
*I am down to only one of my original picks to reach the Final Four (UConn, who I picked to repeat). I did go 3-1 in my picks prior to last weekend, missing out on only Tennessee.
More from 2024 men's NCAA tournament:
- Exciting Elite Eight action
- Sweet 16: Cinderella, wherefore art thou?
- Round of 32 surprises
- 2024 men's bracket: A UConn repeat?
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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