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The last time NC State was in the Final Four was 1983, and they won their second national championship. As for Purdue, the Boilermakers are in their first Final Four since 1980, and they failed to reach the championship game after falling to UCLA.
The Wolfpack and the Boilermakers have played each other a total of six times. The Wolfpack are 4-2 against the Boilermakers, but lost the last matchup 82-72 in 2021.
Shutting Down Zach Edey
The Men’s basketball’s National Player of the Year is the starting center for Purdue, and his name is Zach Edey. After dropping 40 points on the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, Edey and the Boilermakers found themselves in the Final Four.
Since the NCAA Tournament started, Edey has scored 30 against Grambling State, 23 against Utah State, 27 against Gonzaga and then the 40 against the Vols. Rebounding has also been a strength as he has hauled in 65 rebounds in those four games.
The @NABC1927 National Player of the Year. Goin’ back to back. pic.twitter.com/RMIEjLC6il
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) April 2, 2024
Purdue head coach Matt Painter shared his thoughts on feeding Zach Edey in the second half against Tennessee.
NC State’s Journey
After winning the ACC Championship against North Carolina, the Wolfpack have been unstoppable. They first played the sixth-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders and beat them 80-67. They then played the impressive Oakland Golden Grizzlies after their upset win against Kentucky. The Wolfpack won 79-73 in overtime.
Moving to the Sweet 16, NC State faced a No. 2 seed in Marquette and won 67-58. As for their most recent game in the Elite Eight, the Wolfpack faced another North Carolina rival in the Duke Blue Devils. They would go on to win that game 76-64 in upset fashion once again.
https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1774581593329307866
NC State head coach Kevin Keatts noted his keys to winning in this NCAA Tournament.
Dominant DJs
DJ Burns Jr. and DJ Horne are the two best players for the Wolfpack, and they will have significant roles in the matchup against Purdue. Burns Jr. has had a dominant performance in every game except against Marquette. Burns Jr. dropped 29 points against Duke, 24 against Oakland, and 16 against Texas Tech.
As for Horne, he has been their most consistent player. Horne has been the Wolfpack’s facilitator and their lead man. He has dropped 16 against Texas Tech, 11 against Oakland, 19 against Marquette, and 20 against Duke.
https://twitter.com/PackMensBball/status/1774926500694761746
As for this matchup against Purdue, the Boilermakers have a 89.6% chance to win per ESPN. This game will be played April 6 at 6:09 p.m. in Phoenix, Arizona.
