The Final Four's first game will see No. 1 seed Purdue continue its quest for its first trip to the national title game since 1969 when it face off against No. 11 seed NC State in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday. The winner of this game will have a date with the winner of No. 1 UConn-No. 4 Alabama on Monday.
Purdue's road to the Final Four started with a win over No. 16 seed Grambling State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers followed up that performance with a statement win over No. 8 Utah State in the second round before knocking off No. 5 seed Gonzaga and No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively. Purdue is making its first Final Four appearance since 1980 and third all-time.
NC State's road to the final weekend of the college basketball season has been quite different. The Wolfpack have won nine consecutive elimination games dating back to last month's ACC Tournament to advance. NC State fired off wins over No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 14 Oakland, No. 2 Marquette, and No. 2 Duke to advance out of the South Region.
Wolfpack star big man DJ Burns Jr. has become a March Madness icon. Burns is coming off his best performance of the season with 29 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in the win over the Blue Devils. The Wolfpack last reached the Final Four in 1983 -- the same year as their last national championship.
Follow along with LIVE UPDATES as Purdue battles NC State in the 2024 Final Four.
Purdue vs. NC State: Need to know
Purdue seeks redemption: Last spring, Purdue was on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. The Boilermakers lost to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed and are two games away from writing a similar redemption script as Virginia -- the only other team to lose to a No. 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history. The year after Virginia lost to No. 16 seed UMBC, they captured the national title. Purdue star big man Zach Edey elected to return to school for another season, and he is on the verge of capturing his second consecutive National Player of the Year award. Edey is the key to a Purdue victory.
NC State's improbable run: NC State's run to the Final Four started with a win over Louisville in the opening round of the ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack went on to win five games in five days to capture the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament from the ACC. In the ACC semifinals against Virginia, NC State guard Michael O'Connell hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime to keep his team's season alive. If it wasn't for that win, NC State likely get sent to the NIT, and coach Kevin Keatts goes into the offseason on the hot seat. Now, they're two games away from completing the most improbable run in the history of this tournament.
Edey vs. Burns: The must-watch matchup on Saturday is the battle of centers. Edey is on pace to finish with historic stats from the NCAA Tournament. If anyone is going to slow him down, it's Burns. Purdue is one of the top 3-point shooting teams, but they rely on post-touches to Edey to get the offense going. When the defense collapses on Edey, it often leads to wide-open 3-pointers -- hence why Purdue shoots the ball from deep at such a high clip.
How to watch Purdue vs. NC State live
Date: Saturday, April 6 | Time: 6:09 p.m. ET
Location: State Farm Stadium -- Glendale, Arizona
TV: TBS, TNT, truTV | Live stream: March Madness Live
Purdue vs. NC State prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
Purdue and UConn are on a collision course to face each other in the national title game. NC State has been on a historic run, and Burns has already etched his name into March Madness immorality, but all good runs end. Purdue's offense can beat you in so many ways. The Boilermakers have the second-largest rebounding margin (+10.7) and commit the 20th-fewest fouls (14.4). Purdue will feed Edey and advance to its first national championship game since 1969 with a statement performance on the biggest stage in the sport. Prediction: Purdue -9
| 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 |
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