Men’s NCAA Final Four takeaways: UConn remains relentless while Purdue outlasts NC State

The 2024 men’s NCAA national championship participants are set after an entertaining and competitive Final Four. 

Two No. 1 seeds will battle on Monday night for the title, pitting Purdue against defending champion UConn. 

Here are some takeaways from Saturday’s action. 

The relentless machine that is UConn keeps rolling

For the first time during the tournament, UConn had a fight on its hands against No. 4 Alabama. But the Huskies were inevitable in the end, and they proved it with a dominant second half. 

Leading by only four, 44-40, at halftime, UConn turned it on, offensively and defensively. The Huskies outscored the Crimson Tide, 42-32, in the second half en route to a 14-point victory. Meanwhile, after allowing Alabama to shoot 72.7 percent from beyond the arc in the first half, they were only 3-of-12 in the second half. 

Tied 56-56 with 12:44 left, the Huskies outscored 30-16 to punch their ticket to the title game. 

UConn has dominated during its tournament run, winning its games by an average of 26 points, and it has them, predictably, back competing for the championship. The Huskies will take on Purdue on Monday, looking to be the first back-to-back men’s champion since Florida in 2006-2007. 

Alabama ran into a buzzsaw

If Alabama had played any other team besides UConn, they might be heading to the national championship. The scoreboard showed that the Huskies beat the Crimson Tide by 14 points, but the game was much closer than that throughout. 

For a time, Alabama’s versatile shooting attack was working. But UConn proved once again that they have a gear no team in the nation seems capable of slowing down. 

Alabama played possibly the best game it could. It just wasn’t enough against a juggernaut like UConn. However, a 25-11 season and the program’s first trip to the national semifinal on top of Saturday’s effort is nothing to be ashamed of. 

Purdue proved they can win ugly

The Boilermakers didn’t play their best game against No. 11 NC State, but they won by double-digits anyway. Turnovers and offensive struggles kept the game close in the first half, but Purdue pulled away in the second half, crushing the narrative that they come up small on the big stage. 

A season after losing to No. 16 Farleigh Dickinson as a No. 1 seed, Purdue is one win away from claiming the program’s first national championship. Meanwhile, they’ve done so in style, winning their five tournament games by an average of 19.6 points. 

Zach Edey remains dominant 

While Purdue continues to shake off the ghosts of last season, Edey also shattered a narrative on Saturday. The Boilermakers’ imposing force posted a team-high 20 points, doing so while shooting only two free throws on the night, both of which he made. 

Edey recorded his fifth consecutive game of 20-plus points and 10 or more rebounds to help Purdue advance to the title game. The senior is averaging 26 points and 15 rebounds per game during the tournament. 

NC State’s remarkable run will be remembered 

Despite a valiant effort, NC State’s incredible tournament run is over. After winning nine straight to reach the Final Four, the Wolfpack ran out of steam against a tough Purdue team. 

After seemingly playing a must-win game every other day or more, a five-day layoff may have slowed NC State’s momentum, but it doesn’t take away from what the team accomplished. Following five straight wins in five days to win the ACC championship, the Wolfpack went on to upset No. 2 Marquette, No. 4 Duke and No. 6 Texas Tech, becoming only the sixth No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four.