The stage is set in Phoenix. The men’s NCAA tournament started at 68 teams and only four are left standing. One of those teams will walk away with a national championship on Monday.
But first, the two semifinal games tip off Saturday with No. 1 seed Purdue vs. No. 11 NC State. The Boilermakers are led by presumptive National Player of the Year and dominant big man Zach Edey. It’s a team on a mission for redemption after it suffered a shocking upset to 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson last year. On the other side is the Wolfpack, the biggest surprise of this tournament by a lot. NC State is anchored by big man DJ Burns, who has become a crowd favorite during the team’s Cinderella run.
In the late game, it’s No. 1 overall seed and defending champion UConn vs. Alabama. UConn is the heavy favorite to win it all again behind a balanced and versatile roster that’s all held together by point guard Tristen Newton. The Huskies will have to contend with the high-flying offense of Alabama, which is making its first Final Four appearance in program history.
Who will be left standing at the end of the night? Follow along here as it all unfolds.
Final Four schedule
(all times Eastern)
6:09 p.m. — No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 11 NC State (TBS)
8:49 p.m. — No. 1 UConn vs. No. 4 Alabama (TBS)
Live38 updates
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Zach Edey’s scoreless in the second half at the first TV timeout. NC State made some halftime adjustments to deny him the ball in position. Purdue leads, 39-
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DJ Horne just shot NC State’s first two free-throw attempts of the night. He hit both to cut Purdue’s lead to 39-33 with 16:14 left in the second half.
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DJ Burns just gave Zach Edey a dose of his bully ball, backed him up in the low post for a baseline layup for NC State’s first bucket of the half.
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DJ Burns picks up his third foul less than two minutes into the second half. He’s staying in the game.
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Lance Jones starts the second-half scoring with his third 3-pointer of the game. Purdue’s lead extended to 38-
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Highlight reel of the game’s leading scorers DJ Horne (13 points) and Zach Edey (14 points):
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Braden Smith is struggling. The Purdue point guard is 0 for 6 from the field. He has five turnovers including a pair of backcourt violations — and zero points.
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Backup Ben Middlebrooks has shown more success than Burns defending Edey and forced one of Purdue’s eight turnovers in the half on a swipe of Edey in the post.
Purdue — which is second in the nation in 3-point success (40.6%) — is 5 of 12 (41.7%) from 3 at halftime.
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DJ Horne — not Burns — is the story of NC State’s offense so far. The senior guard has 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.
Zach Edey unsurprisingly leads the way for Purdue with 14 points and eight rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting. Burns has struggled to combat Edey’s height and missed the last several minutes of the half after picking up his second foul on an Edey hook shot.
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NC State’s not going away. A team that’s won nine-straight elimination games and rallied for a dominant second half to top rival Duke in the Elite Eight has cut a double-digit deficit to six points at the half. Purdue lead, 35-29 at the break.
Backup Ben Middlebrooks has shown some success defending Zach Edey with DJ Burns on the bench with two fouls. Purdue’s lead was just three points before a Fletcher Loyer 3 doubled the margin on Purdue’s last possession of the half.
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A much-needed surge here for the Wolfpack. They’ve hit four out of five shots including a Jayden Taylor 3-pointer to cut Purdue’s lead to 30-25.
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A lot’s going right for Purdue in the first half, including success from long distance. The nation’s best 3-point shooting team is 4 for 10 from beyond the arc late in the half. 28-18 lead for the Boilermakers.
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Here’s a good size comparison between the 7-4, 300-pound Edey and the 6-9, 275-pound DJ Burns.
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Zach Edey’s fourth hook shot over DJ Burns didn’t connect. But it did draw Burns’ second foul. Purdue leads, 26-16 with 6:29 remaining in the half. Free throws from Edey up next after a timeout.
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NC State’s struggling to penetrate Purdue’s zone defense. The Wolfpack are gonna need to hit some 3s to keep pace.
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Another hook shot for Edey over Burns. That’s three now en route to 10 points for the Purdue center.
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Like every other team this tournament, NC State’s got nothing for Zach Edey’s size. He has eight points on 4-of-6 shooting as Purdue leads 18-11.
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Michael O’Connell’s gone to the locker room, according to the game broadcast.
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NC State guard Michael O’Connell just fell to the floor and grabbed his thigh, then walked off the court. Looks like something with his hamstring.
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Burns is back in and playing Edey 1-on-1 again. He’s holding his ground in the paint, but has no answer for Edey’s height. Edey’s second hook shot over Burns gives Purdue a 14-7 lead.