What to know about the men's Final Four games
- No. 1 seed Purdue dominated No. 11 seed N.C. State 63-50 in Saturday’s Final Four matchup to advance to the national title game.
- The Boilermakers were led by All-American center Zach Edey, who finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Purdue doubled N.C. State with 10 3-pointers and outrebounded the Wolfpack 41-28.
- The Boilermakers pulled away late in the second half, going on a 14-1 run with a little over four minutes remaining for an insurmountable lead.
- N.C. State star DJ Burns, who had 29 points in an upset last week against Duke, finished with only 8 against Purdue.
- Next up, No. 1 seed and reigning champ UConn will face No. 4 seed Alabama in the Crimson Tide's first Final Four game. It starts at 8:49 p.m.
- Purdue will play the winner of that game in Monday's championship.
UConn heavily favored against Alabama
Despite its promise of a battle royale between future pros playing for powerhouse squads, March Madness can still unleash games seen by some basketball observers as mismatches.
That's the case today, when UConn takes on Alabama. The defending champions from Storrs, Connecticut, are heavily favored against the Crimson Tide.
The Huskies (-600) are 10.5 point favorites over the Tide (+425) with the Game Total a robust 160.5 points.
The team's record appears to support such a wide spread. Since the 2022-23 season, the team has won 13 consecutive NCAA tournament games with a margin of 10 points or greater.
In February, UConn became the season's first unanimous No. 1 in the Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.
The team obliterated a rising San Diego State last year (76-59) to take the men's Big Dance championship, and did so again in the Sweet 16 this month (82-52) to eventually advance to the penultimate matchup next weekend.
UConn posted a relatively easy win against Illinois last week, 77-52.
Alabama is a team with momentum, reaching only its second Elite Eight matchup when it squeaked by top-seeded North Carolina 89-87 before besting Clemson 89-82 in Los Angeles to achieve its first Final Four appearance.
The team earned its way with star guard Mark Sears, holder of the team record for scoring in a single season, and his teammates, known to unleash a barrage of 3-pointers — 16 in all against Clemson.
Purdue walking familiar path after a historic defeat one year ago
Just one year after crashing out of the NCAA tournament in notable fashion — by losing to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round — Purdue is on its way to the national championship game.
The Boilermakers were just the second-ever No. 1 seed to ever fall to a 16, but perhaps that should've been a sign of things to come. The previous team to suffer that fate, 2018's Virginia squad that lost to UMBC, turned around and won a national championship the next season. Purdue's triumph over N.C. State makes it two-for-two on upset sufferers getting to the next national title game.
Can the Boilermakers now take the final step the Cavaliers did in 2019?
We'll find out who will stand in Purdue's way starting in just a few moments when UConn tips off against Alabama in Phoenix.
How to watch: UConn vs. Alabama
No. 1 seed University of Connecticut Huskies will face No. 4 seeded Alabama Crimson Tide tonight at 8:49 p.m. ET.
The game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
It airs on TBS, TNT and TruTV. The game will also be streaming on Max and the NCAA’s March Madness Live.
Purdue covers the spread
The first semifinal is in the books with Purdue cruising to victory over N.C. State. It was a low-scoring affair that sees the game total fall way short of the pre-game number of 146.5, but Purdue does cover the 9.5-point spread.
Player Props that cashed included DJ Horne, Fletcher Loyer, Mason Gillis, and Lance Jones all going over their point totals. Jones and Loyer each also cashed the over in rebounds and 3-pointers. DJ Burns Jr. cashed the OVER with 4 assists.
Ironically, Purdue rolls to a big win and two-time Player of the Year Zach Edey goes under both his points and rebounds totals.
Next up
No. 1 UConn will face No. 4 Alabama to claim the final slot in Monday's championship game. The matchup starts at 8:49 p.m. ET.
Edey won second AP Player of the Year award in a row
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — While many college coaches passed on the unpolished Canadian prospect as the basketball world became enamored with perimeter play and 3-point shooting, Purdue coach Matt Painter took a swing on his third center in the recruiting class and found a gem in Zach Edey who led the Boilermakers to their first Final Four since 1980.
On Friday, Edey collected his second Associated Press Player of the Year award, becoming the first back-to-back winner since Ralph Sampson won three in a row at Virginia from 1981-83. Edey received 57 of 62 votes from journalists who vote in the weekly AP Top 25. Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht received three votes and Houston’s Jamal Shead got two.
Edey is the fifth player to win the award in consecutive seasons though Lew Alcindor also won the award twice in non-consecutive seasons.
“There were so many coaches that looked over me,” Edey said. "It’s kind of been the story of my life. People have doubted me. People looked past me. Can’t do that anymore."
Edey will leave Purdue as perhaps the greatest player in school history.
He broke Rick Mount’s 54-year-old school scoring record and now has surpassed 2,400 points. He broke Joe Barry Carroll’s 44-year-old career rebounding mark. His jersey number, 15, hangs in the rafters alongside other All-Americans such as John Wooden and Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson, even one of Edey’s former teammates, Jaden Ivey.
“You can tell he loves the game, you can tell he respects the game and not every No. 1 person is like that,” fifth-year forward Mason Gillis said of his teammate. “I think a lot of people don’t respect the game, don’t respect people around him. He does. He looks out for everybody, he’s a good guy, he stays in the gym and I don’t think we could ask for a better national player of the year. He does it the right way.”
Purdue is headed to the national championship
No. 1 Purdue is going to the national championship game Monday. They will play the winner of the next game, UConn-Alabama.
The Boilermakers prevailed over the N.C. State Wolfpack 63-50.
Purdue pulling away
Purdue is currently on a 15-1 run with just under 4 minutes to play, up 61-43. Edey has continued to dominate downtown and he's been surrounded by a bevy of 3-point shooters.
Timeout N.C. State.
UConn and N.C. State have dual Final Four appearances this year
If you've been hearing a lot about UConn and N.C. State during this year's NCAA tournament, there's a good reason why.
Both schools' men's and women's teams made it to their respective Final Four contests this year.
Last night, though, both the UConn and N.C. State women's teams were knocked out, paving the way for Iowa to face off against South Carolina in the women's championship.
N.C. State win would set a record for lowest seed to make it to championship game
There hasn’t been a lead change all game, and with less than eight minutes to go, the Purdue Boilermakers are still up 49-42, but the No. 11 seed Wolfpack is closing the gap.
If N.C. State can come from behind to win tonight, it will set a new record for the lowest seed to make it to a championship game.
No. 8 is the lowest seed to advance to the final round, and it's happened only four times — Villanova (1985), Butler (2011), Kentucky (2014) and North Carolina (2022), according to the NCAA.
Only one No. 8 seed has won the championship — Villanova.
Purdue pulling away from long range
N.C. State has been hanging around but Purdue has picked it up from long range. The Boilermakers now lead 45-33 with 12 minutes left after back-to-back 3-pointers from Lance Jones and Mason Gillis.
Purdue is 8-for-17 from 3 while N.C. State is just 4-for-15.
Edey is back
Edey just sunk his first basket of the second half, and the first time since the 4:42 mark in first half. We're nearing the halfway mark of the second half.
Other DJ stepping up for Wolfpack
N.C. State’s DJ Horne is keeping the Wolfpack in this game. The senior guard, who averages 16.8 points per game, has 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting with 15 minutes remaining in the matchup.
He's been effective especially in midrange and has carried his team with DJ Burns struggling offensively.
Turnovers a weakness for Purdue
Led by Edey, the Boilermakers are dominant on the boards, ranking sixth in the country in offensive rebound percentage. They’re also ninth in free throw rate and second in 3-point shooting percentage.
But Purdue is the most turnover-prone team at the Final Four, and the Boilermakers don’t force many themselves. They could be vulnerable to a hot-shooting opponent.
In the first half, Purdue turned the ball over 8 times, while N.C. State had 5 total turnovers.
In this tournament: Purdue had an uncharacteristically poor outside shooting day in the regional final against Tennessee, getting outscored 33-9 beyond the arc. The Boilermakers made up for that by attempting 33 free throws to 11 for the Volunteers, and they had 13 offensive rebounds to Tennessee’s six.
Edey and Horne lead their teams in points heading into the second half
Zach Edey leads the Boilermakers with 14 points in the first half, and DJ Horne leads the Wolfpack with 13 points, making them the highest scorers on their respective teams so far.
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Not the game for free throws
N.C. State doesn't have a single free throw in the first half. The Wolfpack hasn't made it to the line once in the first 20 minutes of play.
And Purdue only has four, proving that free throws are not going to be score-makers in this matchup.
Purdue covers first half spread
The Boilermakers lead the Wolfpack by 6 at the half and thus cover the first half spread, which was 5.
Why men play halves and women quarters
Unlike their male counterparts, the NCAA women’s basketball teams play games of four 10-minute quarters. The men play two 20-minute halves.
The women’s rules were changed in 2015 to “enhance the flow of the game,” according to a 2015 NCAA release announcing the change.
Prior to the 2015 announcement, women’s college basketball also played in two 20-minute halves.
Both the NBA and WNBA play in quarters, as well: The NBA uses four 12-minute quarters, and the WNBA uses four 10-minute quarters.
Purdue maintains its lead at the half
Headed into the locker room, Purdue is up 35-29 against N.C. State.
Despite a big run in the final minutes of the half, N.C. State was unable to close the gap on the scoreboard.
Horne leading N.C. State rally
Under four minutes to go in the first half and the Wolfpack’s DJ Horne is leading an N.C. State rally. Purdue is still favored but the spread at BetMGM is down to 8.5 with the game total rising to 143.5 points.
N.C. state is on a run
The Wolfpack is on a 9-2 run against Purdue in the last couple of minutes, quickly shrinking the lead the Boilermakers have held on them all game.
Purdue limiting Burns early
N.C. State big man DJ Burns, who dropped 29 points in last weekend's upset against Duke, has been quiet so far against Purdue. With 6:29 remaining in the first half, he has 4 points and 2 fouls.
Purdue coach Matt Painter was asked about it during a timeout.
“He’s made a couple real nice plays," Painter said. "He hasn’t gotten it as much as he normally does. But we just want to push the ball when we have opportunities, and then if not, just establish Zach (Edey) on the block.”
Edey, an All-American center, has been major. He has 12 points and 5 rebounds thus far.
Burns picks up two fouls so far
Two fouls on N.C. State’s DJ Burns Jr. is problematic.
He is the one player for the Wolfpack who has the size and weight to keep Purdue’s Zach Edey from getting to the rim.
Boilermakers leading after 10 minutes of game play
Halfway through the first half, the Boilermakers have maintained their lead against the N.C. State Wolfpack.
Purdue now favored by 12.5 points
Nearly halfway through the first half, Purdue is now favored by 12.5 points and the game total has dipped to 142.5 at BetMGM.
DJ Horne’s return to N.C. State has played a critical role in the team's Final Four run
GLENDALE, Ariz. — DJ Horne has taken a long road to the Final Four.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound guard has been the undersized, unoffered recruit out of North Carolina State’s base of Raleigh. He’s been the strong mid-major performer for two years at Illinois State, followed by the reliable scorer at power-conference program Arizona State.
And now, he’s the twice-over homecoming star: playing a lone season with the Wolfpack to net the most improbable of Final Four runs that has brought him back to the state of Arizona, less than an hour from his previous college stop with the Sun Devils.
“Everybody has their own path,” Horne said yesterday.
Horne has been a perfect fit for the Wolfpack entering tonight's game against Purdue. He’s been the explosive perimeter scorer as part of a 1-2 punch with burly March Madness star DJ Burns Jr. in the paint.
The player that’s getting this shot now is very different from the one who left North Carolina as a three-star recruit to play for the Redbirds of the Missouri Valley Conference. He took a second-year jump in production there to average 15.1 points in 2020-21 while shooting 44.6% from the field and 42.4% from 3-point range, making him an attractive player just in time for NCAA legislation clearing the way for players to transfer without having to sit out at a new school.
That ultimately led Horne to Arizona State.
Horne averaged 12.5 points while starting 62 games over two seasons for the Sun Devils, including their return to March Madness after missing two straight NCAA fields. Horne also came up big in Arizona State’s lone tournament game, crossing over defender Rondel Walker to create some space and then burying a straightaway 3-pointer to tie the game with 15.6 seconds left and finishing with a team-high 17 points in a narrow loss to TCU.
“DJ’s a fighter, he believes in himself,” Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley said. “Like a lot of small guards, he plays with a chip on a shoulder. When he gets going and starts making a couple shots, man, you better look out because he’s a dangerous guy. I think his confidence grows, his belief grows.”
Across the country around that time, Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts was looking for backcourt help as he retooled the roster after the loss of high-scoring duo Jarkel Joiner and Terquavion Smith. Horne’s development was perfectly timed. He became the top addition for the Wolfpack, who had reached the NCAAs last season.
“Coming in, (Keatts) basically gave me the keys, man,” Horne said.
Joel Justus, a Wolfpack assistant coach who works with the guards, said Horne arrived with confident polish, strengthened through building successful seasons at the mid-major and then the power-conference levels to appear in 159 college games.
Horne has risen to the challenge, averaging a team-high 16.8 points with multiple big showings during N.C. State’s nine-game surge that led to an ACC Tournament title (the first since 1987) and this improbable Final Four trip. The highlight was his 29 points in the ACC title game to take down eventual No. 1 NCAA regional seed North Carolina, then coming through with 39 points and six 3-pointers in the wins against Marquette and Duke — the second of this March surge against the Blue Devils — that advanced the 11th-seeded Wolfpack out of the South bracket.
It’s a run that has harkened back to the Wolfpack’s miracle run 41 years earlier, earning 2024 a place in Wolfpack lore alongside 1983 and the 1974 squad that won the national championship — a run that included beating UCLA in the Final Four to end John Wooden’s run of seven straight championships.
Horne admitted he had allowed himself to dream a bit as he left Arizona State last year about the possibility of returning to the state to play in the Final Four. That’s exactly what he was doing yesterday as the Wolfpack took the court for its open practice, breaking into big smiles and bobbing his head along with music from the Wolfpack band during the festive event.
Like with everything else, Horne gets to savor that wrinkle, too.
“I was already planning on coming back out here to visit my guys and everything,” Horne said. “But expenses-paid trip and the Final Four, it doesn’t get any better than that. Just to see that it came full circle and it’s right here in front of my face now, I’m ready to take advantage of it.”
Purdue is first on the board
The first points of the night go to Purdue, who snagged a shot on their first possession.
Fans cheer on
Representatives from all Final Four teams join together for the national anthem
All Final Four teams were represented among a group who performed the national anthem on the court ahead of the first game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Dinsick: Betting on a low total in the first semifinal
I like Game 1 to go UNDER the total of 146.5.
Fair for me is closer to 141 and I think possessions will be at a premium, especially if it is a competitive game. N.C. State rebounds the ball well and Purdue has a tough time creating turnovers.
As a result, it’s unlikely we see much transition scoring or second chance points.
I'm holding a ticket on N.C. State’s team total OVER 31.5pts. in the first half (-122).
Wolfpack are on a nine-game winning streak
The North Carolina State Wolfpack head into tonight with a nine-game winning streak.
After losing their last four regular-season games, and seven of nine, they had to win five games in five days in the ACC Tournament, including a win over Duke in the quarterfinal round, just to get into the 68-team NCAA Tournament field.
Tickets for today's games are expensive — but not as expensive as the women's semifinals were
NCAA men's basketball fans will have to pay top dollar to watch tonight's semifinals games — though it won't be as much as what some women's hoops fans paid yesterday.
Ticket site TickPick.com said Friday that the "get-in" price to see today's men's games was $416.
For the women’s, it was $451.
On Saturday, TickPick said the get-in price for tomorrow's women's national championship was $555 — a record.
We'll have to wait to see what the men's championship matchup looks like to see what the final get-in price will be — but it is unlikely to top the interest being generated by Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark.
Fourth Final Four appearance for N.C. State
Purdue has been to the Final Four three times, including this year. The first time the Boilermakers went to the Final Four, in 1969, they went on to the championship game but lost to UCLA.
North Carolina State is more experienced on this stage, historically, even if they were seeded No. 11 this year to Purdue’s No. 1.
N.C. State has been to the Final Four four times, including this year, and went on to win the championship in two of those years, in 1974 and 1983.
Purdue in its first Final Four since 1980 — when gas was $1 a gallon
It's been 44 years since the Boilermakers were within two wins of a national championship.
Despite 35 appearances at the Big Dance and hailing from the huge hoops state of Indiana, where Indiana University has two national titles and Butler has been to the Final Four twice, the brass ring has been just a hair too high for Purdue.
Possibly until now. The team has been fueled by the NCAA men's season-leading scorer, 7-foot, 4-inch Zach Edey, a monument under the basket.
This year, the Boilermakers have odds second only to UConn in the fight for men's college basketball supremacy and are roughly 9-point favorites against North Carolina State on Saturday in Arizona. A win would be big, even in Indiana.
Sports journalist Mike Lopresti notes in a piece published by the NCAA that Purdue's last Final Four appearance was eight presidents ago, a time when ESPN was new, a gallon of gas was $1, and a Big Mac was 28 cents.
Hyped for hoops: Steve Kornacki breaks down the Final Four
N.C. State's two DJs — Burns and Horne
Purdue has size, but North Carolina State has two DJs: Forward DJ Burns Jr., and guard DJ Horne. On Sunday, Burns scored a season-high 29 points and Horne had 20 to beat private university rival Duke 76-64.
In the postseason, N.C. State has proven almost anything is possible. It ended its regular season with four losses before brawling through the Atlantic Coast Conference, where it also beat Duke, before earning its ticket to the Big Dance.
Purdue is favored by 9.5 points and 7 feet, 4 inches
If North Carolina State asks what Purdue has that it doesn't, there's an easy answer: 7-foot, 4-inch Zach Edey, the season's leading NCAA scorer.
While his planted, back-to-the-basket style is somewhat outdated in the NBA, where he's undoubtedly headed after this weekend, Edey's hulking, 300-pound presence has unraveled foes' defenses and led Purdue to its first Final Four appearance since 1980.
The Indiana team rode on Edey's career-high 40 points to beat Tennessee on Sunday.
As we sit just under two hours from tip-off, Purdue (-450) remains a 9.5 point favorite over N.C. State (+350) at BetMGM with the Game Total set at 146.5 points.
How Purdue and N.C. State got to the Final Four
Before the Final Four tonight, both Purdue and N.C. state had to battle through four rounds of play to earn their spots in the semifinals.
No. 1 Purdue had to beat Grambling State in the first round, Utah State in the second round, Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen and Tennessee in the Elite Eight.
No. 11 N.C. state — in a surprising run to the second-to-last round of the tournament — beat Texas Tech in the first round, Oakland in the second round, Marquette in the Sweet Sixteen and Duke in the Elite Eight.
All but one of N.C. State's wins were upsets. The Wolfpack powered through to knock out a six-seed, a two-seed and a four-seed.
N.C. State in Final Four as 11th seed, tying past record
N.C. State made history by advancing out of the Elite Eight on Sunday to play Purdue, tying a record for the lowest seed to make it to the Final Four.
The upset against the Duke Blue Devils put N.C. State on a list of six teams that have advanced to the Final Four as the 11th seed, according to the NCAA.
The other teams to have done so are LSU (1986), George Mason (2006), VCU (2011), Loyola Chicago (2018) and UCLA (2021).
Though it's been a while, the Wolfpack are no strangers to the Final Four — they last played in the semifinal in 1983.
How to watch: Purdue vs. N.C. State
The No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers will take on 11th-seeded N.C. State Wolfpack tonight at 6:09 p.m. ET.
The game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
It airs on TBS, TNT and TruTV. The game will also be streaming on Max and the NCAA’s March Madness Live.
ICYMI: Women's Final Four
Last night, the women's Final Four kicked off this championship weekend with two back-to-back games in Cleveland at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
First up was South Carolina-N.C. State. At the end of the first quarter, the teams were tied up, and by the end of the half, South Carolina only led by 1 point. In the third quarter, though, the Gamecocks pulled ahead and outscored the Wolfpack 29-6, giving them a healthy lead for the rest of the game and assuring them a spot in Sunday's championship.
Shortly after, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes faced off against Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies. After a slow start for Clark, UConn held a lead at the end of the first and second quarters. The Hawkeyes tied it up at the end of the third, making the last 10 minutes of play a nail-biter. Ultimately, the Hawkeyes pulled through, giving Clark one final game of her college career before she heads to the WNBA.