The stage is set in Phoenix. The men’s NCAA tournament started at 68 teams and only a few are left standing. One of those teams will walk away with a national championship on Monday.
Purdue punched the first ticket to the title game with another dominant performance against No. 11 seed NC State. The Boilermakers got 20 points and 12 rebounds from star center Zach Edey, but their defensive effort was the difference in a 63-50 win. Purdue is now one win away from avenging its embarrassing season a year ago when it lost to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round of the tournament.
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, scores
(all times Eastern)
No. 1 Purdue 63, No. 11 NC State 50
8:49 p.m. — No. 1 UConn vs. No. 4 Alabama (TBS)
Live51 updates
Is UConn beatable? Here’s how the other remaining Final Four men’s teams stack up
As we wait for gametime, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Eisenberg broke down Alabama and Purdue’s chances of knocking off the defending champs earlier this week:
UConn vs. Everybody (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)
We’re minutes away from the tip-off of Alabama-Connecticut.
Zach Edey finishes with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Purdue shot 40% from the 3-point line after NC State’s tournament opponents were shooting under 30% through the first four tournament games.
DJ Horne had 20 for NC State. DJ Burns only had 8 and was 4 of 10 from the field.
Final: Purdue 63, NC State 50
The Boilermakers advance to the national title game! Zach Edey leads the way with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
It’s final. Purdue is heading to the national title game while NC State’s incredible streak is over. The Wolfpack’s nine-game win streak is over and the Boilermakers will play the winner of UConn and Alabama on Monday night.
Purdue 63, NC State 50
As Purdue leads 61-43 with less than four minutes to go, it’s worth noting that the streak of No. 11 seeds in the Final Four will live on barring a miraculous comeback for NC State.
All five of the previous of the No. 11 seeds that have made it to the Final Four have lost in the semifinals.
This could be the shot that sends Purdue to the national title game. Zach Edey adeptly passed out of a double team to find a wide-open Fletcher Loyer for a 3-pointer and a 15-point lead.
The NC State comeback attempt is not going well. The Wolfpack trail 55-43 with 5:03 to go after DJ Horne just airballed a 3-pointer
NC State is trying to chip away at Purdue’s lead. The Boilermakers lead 49-42 with 7:37 to go. NC State has made pushes multiple times in this game, but Purdue has swatted the Wolfpack away. Will that trend continue?
Zach Edey just hit his first shot of the second half. His fourth hook shot over DJ Burns extends Purdue’s lead to 47-35 with 11:32 remaining. His first bucket since the 4:42 mark of the first half.
Zach Edey’s a non-factor as a scorer right now, but it doesn’t matter. All three of Purdue’s second-half field goals have been 3-pointers. Lance Jones’ fourth 3 of the game just extended Purdue’s lead to 45-33.
NC State’s countered with four points in the first 7:20 of the half. The Wolfpack need a run soon, or Purdue could run away it.
Ben Middlebrooks and DJ Burns each now have three fouls each. Trouble for Zach Edey’s primary defenders, who have done a good job of slowing Edey since midway through the first half.
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, 39-33.
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.
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.
DJ Burns picks up his third foul less than two minutes into the second half. He’s staying in the game.
Lance Jones starts the second-half scoring with his third 3-pointer of the game. Purdue’s lead extended to 38-
Highlight reel of the game’s leading scorers DJ Horne (13 points) and Zach Edey (14 points):
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.
