The Final Four has arrived as the NCAA Tournament approaches its conclusion on Monday night where a new national champion will be crowned. Well, at least that might be the case. No. 1 seed UConn is in the home stretch in its quest to become the first back-to-back champions since Florida in 2006-07. In its way is not only No. 4-seed Alabama in Saturday's second Final Four game but No. 1-seed Purdue and No. 11-seed NC State, which meet earlier Saturday to determine one side of the national title game.
The Huskies have been dominant throughout March Madness with double-digit wins in all of their games, even if they have gone back and forth with a few opponents in the first halves of games. The Crimson Tide enter having been battled tested against No. 1-seed North Carolina and No. 6-seed Clemson in a couple hard-fought battles.
The Boilermakers have been the second-most team in this NCAA Tournament with victories of 28 points, 39, 12 and six on their way to the Final Four. The Wolfpack, of course, are the Cinderella of the field. Led by DJ Burns Jr., NC State has taken down a No. 6-seed in Texas Tech by 13 points, upset No. 2-seed Marquette by nine and run through No. 4-seed Duke by 12.
Despite their different roads to the Final Four, as has been made clear by this edition of March Madness, anything is possible over the duration of this tournament. That's why our CBS Sports experts have convened to provide you further insight into the Final Four with picks straight up and against the spread. Our expert brackets may offer some help, too.
The NCAA Tournament is all about surviving and advancing, but for those plunking down on their coach or pulling up to their desk to consume as much March Madness content as possible, which teams cover their spreads will be quite important as well. The CBS Sports team has been covering the sport extensively all season, and they are not shy with their picks for these games.
Be sure to stick with CBS Sports through Monday as NCAA Tournament coverage continues through the end of the Final Four. Let's take a look at our expert picks for the Final Four.
Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern
2024 NCAA Tournament: Final Four picks
(1) Purdue vs. (11) NC State
Saturday, 6:09 p.m. | TBS, March Madness Live
Purdue -9.5: Getting shots up over Zach Edey will be a new type of challenge for NC State star DJ Burns Jr. At 7-foot-4, Edey's height advantage in the matchup with the 6-foot-9 Burns is significant. While Burns is physically equipped to withstand Edey's bullying better than most, defending Edey will take a toll on Burns over the course of the game. The Wolfpack can also throw Mohamed Diarra and Ben Middlebrooks at Edey to give Burns a breather, but those will be favorable matchups for Purdue. Look for the Boilermakers to pull away in the second half behind another big performance their star center. -- David Cobb
NC State +9.5: The secret sauce to NC State's magical run has been its defense, which is on a streak of holding opponents to 40% shooting or worse in this postseason. Some of it comes from their full court pressure, which will be a key in disrupting the flow of Purdue's offense. The Boilermakers are one of the best half court offensive teams in the country, but NC State's ball pressure could speed them up and force turnovers. Burns vs. Edey will feel epic, but more important is how NC State has some depth in the frontcourt with Diarra and Middlebrooks that will allow the Pack to throw different looks at Edey, again keeping them off balance. Purdue wins, but NC State hangs close thanks to its defense. -- Chip Patterson
| Parrish | Norlander | Palm | Patterson | Boone | Cobb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spread | PUR -9.5 | NCST +9.5 | PUR -9.5 | NCST +9.5 | NCST +9.5 | PUR -9.5 |
Straight up | PUR | PUR | PUR | PUR | PUR | PUR |
(1) UConn vs. (4) Alabama
Saturday, ~8:49 p.m. | TBS, March Madness Live
UConn -11.5: Alabama gets nearly all of its points at the rim and from behind the 3-point line. UConn is skilled at taking away both those sources of offense. The Huskies topped the Big East in 3-point defense, holding opponents to just 29.3% from deep. UConn defenders can be overly aggressive running Alabama players off the 3-point line because of how difficult it is to score at the rim on Donovan Clingan. The Huskies' 7-foot-2 sophomore center is a shot-blocking machine, and he's been playing at an elite level in the postseason. Offensively, the Huskies' multi-faceted attack will be a major challenge for Alabama's shaky defense. -- David Cobb
Alabama +11.5: The Crimson Tide clearly have the ability to score enough to beat most teams; the question is whether Nate Oats' group can be patient and locked in defensively at the right times. Alabama will not be in the business of stopping UConn on every possession, but what we saw at points in the wins against both North Carolina and Clemson was enough defense to get the job done. When you factor in the way both Grant Nelson and Jarin Stevenson performed in the regional wins, Alabama has bigs that will not be intimidated by Clingan's presence at the rim. I like Alabama to be the first team to keep within single digits for the reigning champs. -- Chip Patterson
| Parrish | Norlander | Palm | Patterson | Boone | Cobb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spread | UCONN -11.5 | UCONN -11.5 | UCONN -11.5 | BAMA +11.5 | UCONN -11.5 | UCONN -11.5 |
Straight up | UCONN | UCONN | UCONN | UCONN | UCONN | UCONN |
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