Final Four Preview
By ZACH VOGT
ISL Contributor
“Loyer will dribble it out! And the next stop on the Purdue redemption tour … is the Final Four!”
Those were the words of Andrew Catalon as he delivered arguably the most iconic call in Purdue history.
That was the moment that will go down in history. Forty-four years of pain, heartbreak, and countless times of being oh so close, led the Purdue Men’s Basketball program to that moment: It finally happened.
Purdue defeated Tennessee 72-66 in a back and forth, gut-wrenching classic to clinch their first Final Four appearance since 1980.
Purdue was down by as many as 11 in the first half, and the game was a narrow 59-58 margin with just 3:56 remaining. The motto of the NCAA Tournament has always been one thing – Survive and Advance, and that’s exactly what Purdue did. They survived, and are now rewarded with a trip to Phoenix.
The best part of this entire story is that Purdue has more basketball to play. They are not satisfied with just reaching the Final Four. The goal is that when they come home, they will be the final team standing.
So, what’s the next step in reaching the ultimate goal?
Purdue will tip-off Saturday night from State Farm Stadium at 6:09 PM EST against the tournament’s Cinderella story – North Carolina State.
Let’s take a look at what the Wolfpack will present for the Boilers:
The North Carolina State Wolfpack of the ACC:
•26-14 Overall (9-11 Conference)
•Head Coach: Kevin Keatts
•This is the 28th NCAA Tournament appearance for the Wolfpack. This will be their 4th Final Four.
•Net Ranking: 63rd
•KenPom Rankings: 43rd Overall – 40th Off – 44th Def
•The Wolfpack are led by guard DJ Horne and forward DJ Burns Jr. Horne is averaging 16.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 2.1 APG while shooting 40.9% from three. Their star of the tournament on the other hand, has been Burns Jr. In the NCAA Tournament, he is averaging 18.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 3.5 APG while shooting 67.4% from the field.
It is a miracle that the Wolfpack are in this position. In the semifinal of the ACC Tournament, they trailed 58-55 with their season on the line, here is what happened:
They would go on to win the game, and then go on to win the tournament – which was necessary in order for them to even make the NCAA Tournament. They have now rallied off four consecutive wins in the tournament over Texas Tech, Oakland, Marquette, and Duke.
It will be a matchup for the ages with a chance to go to the National Championship: Zach Edey vs. DJ Burns Jr.
Tipping off at approximately 8:49 PM EST Saturday night will be the opposing Final Four matchup between UConn & Alabama. UConn was the champion of the East region, while Alabama was the champion of the West region. This has all the makings of a high scoring affair, with two of the top three offenses in the country going head to head.
Let’s take a look at those two teams:
The Connecticut Huskies of the Big East:
•35-3 Overall (18-2 Conference)
•Head Coach: Dan Hurley
•This is the 36th NCAA Tournament appearance for the program. This will be their 7th Final Four.
•Net Ranking: 2nd
•KenPom Rankings: 1st Overall – 1st Off – 4th Def
The Huskies are led by guard Tristan Newton and big man Donovan Clingan. Newton is averaging 15.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 6.1 APG while he initiates the offense. Clingan is a force inside, averaging 12.9 PPG, and 7.5 RPG while shooting 64.3% from the field. For the greater part of the season, people around the country have loved the thought of seeing Edey vs. Clingan in what would be an incredible battle.
UConn reached the Final Four in rather convincing fashion as they steamrolled their way through the East region with an average margin of victory of 27 points. This run was capped off by their 77-52 win over Illinois in the Elite 8, which featured an incredible 30-0 run that ran from late first half into the second half.
UConn is looking to be the first back to back National Champion since Florida in 2006 & 2007.
The Alabama Crimson Tide of the SEC:
•25-11 Overall (13-5 Conference)
•Head Coach: Nate Oats
•This is the program’s 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. This will be the program’s first ever Final Four appearance,
•Net Ranking: 9th
•KenPom Rankings: 12th Overall – 3rd Off – 105th Def
•The Tide are led by guard Mark Sears. He is averaging 21.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 4.1 APG while shooting 43.4% from three. His backcourt counterpart is Aaron Estrada who is averaging 13.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 4.7 APG. It is an elite backcourt that Alabama is bringing to Phoenix.
Alabama shot their way into the Final Four with an incredible display of offensive firepower as they averaged 89 PPG through their first 4 games in the tournament, which included an 89-87 upset victory over the West region’s top seed, North Carolina.
Purdue beat Alabama 92-86 on December 9 in Toronto. A game in which both Zach Edey and Mark Sears scored 35 points.
Alright, there is not much more to say. It’s here. It’s time.
The Purdue Boilermakers are going to play on the biggest stage in all of basketball on Saturday night.
They have finally gotten over the hump to the Final Four, but the goal all along was not to just get to this point, the goal was to be the last team standing when they left.
With two more wins, they will be National Champions. Let that sink in.
With two more wins, Purdue will be National Champions.
Why not us? See you on the other side. And as always, Boiler Up.
