It is that time of the year once again. The NCAA Men’s Final Four is among us in Glendale, Arizona. This year’s four teams consist of two #one seeds, one #four seed, and one #eleven seed. The four teams competing are the Purdue Boilermakers, the North Carolina State Wolfpack, the University of Connecticut Huskies, and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide.
After being upset by a 16 seed in the first round of last year’s tournament, the Purdue Boilermakers have marched their way all the way to the Final Four. The Boilers posted a phenomenal 33- 4 record this season. Purdue is led by reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey. Purdue is coming off of a very close Elite Eight game against Tennessee where Purdue won by six points. This is Purdue’s first Final Four in the last 44 years with the last one being in 1980.
The other one seed is the reigning national champions, the Connecticut Huskies. The Huskies have a 35-3 record. The Huskies have been dominating the tournament winning all games by an average of 27.7 points according to Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports. The Huskies are led by guard Tristen Newton and big man, Donovan Clingan. The Huskies are looking to repeat as National Champions as the last time it happened was in the ‘06 and ‘07 seasons.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are competing in their first Final Four in school history according to Chip Patterson of CBS Sports. The Tide are led by Mark Sears who is averaging 21 points per game this season. The Tide are coming off of two tough games beating the number one ranked North Carolina Tar Heels and the sixth ranked Clemson Tigers. The team is seeking their first National Championship in school history.
The most surprising team of the tournament is the eleven-seed North Carolina State Wolfpack. The Wolfpack had to grind to make the NCAA tournament playing five games in six days to win the ACC Tournament Championship and clinch a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Wolfpack are led by big man DJ Burns and guard DJ Horne. The Wolfpack are making a memorable run beating the number two Marquette Golden Eagles and the number four Duke Blue Devils to advance to the final four. The Wolfpack are seeking their first National Championship since 1983.
The Final Four will be played Saturday, April 6 with the first game being between the North State Wolfpack and the Purdue Boilermakers which will be played at 6:00 pm Eastern time. The second game will be between the Connecticut Huskies and the Alabama Crimson Tide and will be played at 9:00 Eastern time. As Uconn is the heavy favorite against the Tide but the Tide are looking to end the Huskies’ run. DJ Burns will try to lead his team to an upset over Zach Edey and the Boilermakers. The National Championship will then be played on April 8 where a National Champion will be decided.
