2024 NCAA Tournament: Final Four

Dude…

Then there were 4. The top overall seed in the UConn Huskies. The 7’4 monster and the Purdue Boilermakers. The high powered offense out of the SEC in Alabama. Finally, the Cinderella that’s not really a Cinderella because they’re in a Power 5 Conference in NC State. These teams have battled their way through the regional bracket and have now made it to the Final Four. Who will win?? The Dudes have their predictions for the Final Four and National Championship.

UConn vs. Alabama: UConn is looking to become the first back-to-back National Championships since 2007-2008 Florida Gators. Dan Hurley has his squad rolling, beating all 4 opponents by an average of 20 points. This UConn team is loaded and hungry to have a repeat with destiny. Donovan Clingan is a force on the interior. Tristan Newton is a playmaker and a game changer. Karaban is a three way scorer. Cassel is an assist machine who knows how to find the right player at the right time. The bench is loaded with depth and shooting. The Alabama Crimson Tide need to out shoot this UConn team to have a chance. Marcus Sears has balled out for Alabama all year. Grant Nelson didn’t have his best game in the Elite Eight but the NDSU transfer can be a threat on the defensive end. Aaron Estrada has been a workhorse for Nate Oats' team. The Crimson Tide have a terrific offensive team, but has really struggled on the defensive end. I don’t think it’s possible to beat UConn without a good defense. I’m sorry. Dan Hurley is just too good and he has recruited a dynasty of squad this year. I think Grant Nelson and Marcus Sears will keep it close til halftime. However, in the second half I think we’re going to get an old fashioned UConn ass whipping. Uconn pulls away to move onto the Championship game!

Purdue vs. NC State- Oh boy. We’ve got DJ Burns jr vs. Zach Edey. DJ Horne vs. Braden Smith. Loads of X factors all over the court on both sides. Who will win? The Purdue Boilermakers are looking to become the second team to win a NCAA Tournament after losing the a 16 seed the previous year. Zach Edey is the back to back National Player of the Year. This 7’4 behemoth is a problem on the inside. He is simply unguardable. If you try to get physical, the referee blows the whistle. It’s an impossible challenge to try and decipher. The backcourt is a year older and Braden Smith is an all Big 10 point guard. Fletcher Loyer and Lance Jones have been game changers for Matt Painter’s team. However, they are against DJ2. The Cinderella that’s not really a Cinderella because they’re in a Power 5 conference in NC State. DJ Burns has been cooking in the kitchen yet again for the Wolfpack. DJ Burns plays like Nikola Jokic. He scores when he needs to, but continues to be the center piece to this team throughout the entire game. If DJ Burns doesn’t play well . 99% chance they lose. The 1%, his counterpart DJ Horne, could ignite the Wolfpack. Mohamed Diarra and Casey Morsell could be great players that could help out one of the big two, but if DJ2 doesn’t show up. It’s going to get ugly. So, we have a sure fire team in Purdue who has a beast inside that’s been destroying the competition. A veteran backcourt who is finally at the biggest stage. A well known program, finally finding the Final Four since the 1980’s. It seems like it’s destiny. Too bad DJ2 is going to show up and upset the Purdue Boilermakers to make the National Championship boring.

National Championship- So we’re down to two. NC State and Uconn. If this scenario happens, I think Uconn will repeat. Yes, it will be the UConn Huskies being the back to back National Champions. Donivan Clingan wll handle DJ Burns. DJ Horne won’t be able to outshoot Braden Smith. No one on the Wolfpack can help out enough to balance out the contributions from Lance Jones and Fletcher Loyer. If the upset in the Final Four happens, UConn will breeze to a National Championship. However, if I’m wrong and Purdue wins the Final Four game, the National Championship will get much more interesting. The Boilermakers do have the firepower to balance out Uconns. It’ll be a dog fight, but I think Purdue will outmatch UConn to keep the streak alive of being a 1 seed to win the NCAA Tournament after losing to the 16 seed. My overall pick is UConn, but Purdue could surprise everyone and steal the championship.