The second weekend of the NCAA Tournament was one for the books, with a couple of unlikely teams extending their runs beyond the sweet 16 and a couple to the final four. The weekend was highlighted by 11th-seeded North Carolina State and their run to the Final Four. It’s their first appearance in the Final Four since 1983, and they are the sixth 11th seed to make it. They join 1986 LSU, 2006 George Mason, 2011 VCU, 2018 Loyola Chicago, and 2021 UCLA. Another big headline is Purdue making their first Final Four since 1980. Led by 7’4 center and reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey, who averages 25 points per game and 12.2 rebounds per game. The Final Four games are UConn vs. Alabama and NC State vs. Purdue.
Iowa State’s tournament run and phenomenal season came to an end on Thursday night vs. Big Ten Tournament Champs Illinois. The final was 72-69, and it was a battle until the very end, star Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. finished with 29 points to lead Illinois, forward Coleman Hawkins also had 12 points. Illinois came out hot in the first half and took a ten-point lead into halftime, but the Cyclones came clawing back but didn’t have enough in the tank to complete the comeback. Their leading scorer was Curtis Jones, who came off the bench with 26 points.
Also on Thursday night, sixth-seeded Clemson upset a popular Final Four pick, Arizona. The Tigers played an all-around great game with a balanced scoring attack that was too much for the second-seeded Wildcats.
Alabama edged out a dogfight vs. the one seed in their bracket, North Carolina. The North Dakota State transfer, a 6’11 forward Grant Nelson, led the Crimson tide with 24 points. He made a number of clutch free throws down the stretch that would lead to the upset win. The Tide would then go on to beat Clemson to advance to the Final Four, where they would meet UConn, who ran through Illinois in the Elite Eight.
Purdue has dominated their region of the bracket, they beat Gonzaga and Tennessee without too much stress. Zach Edey finished the game vs Tennessee with 40 points and 16 rebounds, the most points scored in a tournament this season. They will meet NC State in the Final Four. The matchup between Zach Edey and NC State center DJ Burns Jr. will be the most anticipated matchup of the tournament. With the Wolfpack Cinderella’s run continuing through fourth-seeded Duke.
Purdue and NC State play Saturday, April 6 at roughly 5 PM. UConn and Alabama play shortly after that, scheduled for 7:50 PM.
