Follow live: Final Four fires up with NC State-Purdue in a battle of bigs
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)
Live14 updates
-
-
-
-
-
-
The most popular bet in the Final Four is NC State
Click photo for story. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) -
March Madness: Ranking the men’s Final Four starters from 1 to 20
Click photo for story. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) -
How Final Four stars Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan project as NBA big men
Click photo for story (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) -
Tristen Newton’s remarkable journey from underrated high school recruit to UConn’s star point guard
Click photo to read story. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) -
How a midseason intervention fueled DJ Burns’ improbable star turn and NC State’s miraculous Final Four run
Click photo to read story. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) -
March Madness conundrum: How do you officiate Purdue big man Zach Edey?
Click photo to read story. (Nicholas Muller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) -
-