Final Four first look: NC State’s magic, Purdue’s relief and UCONN’s dominance make for fantastic intrigue

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Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger & SI’s Pat Forde kick off the podcast by reacting to NC State’s shocking win over Duke to put the program in their first Final Four since 1983. The trio can’t get enough of the overnight sensation that is DJ Burns, who has helped fuel the Wolfpack on their magical run.

Forde highlights how NC State and Purdue have long had to live in the shadow of other dominant programs in their states and how both finally get to live in the limelight. Wetzel shares a story of Matt Painter and how close he was to playing, and potentially coaching, at Indiana under Bob Knight. Forde agrees there is an alternate reality where Matt Painter is doing what he’s done for Indiana and not Purdue.

The trio after the break looks at the historic dominance of UCONN and if anyone can stop them from repeating as champs. Wetzel shares how the transfer portal built Alabama’s fast paced, high octane team. Forde believes the Crimson Tide have to score 100 in order to pull off the massive upset to beat UCONN.

The guys end the show talking about all the absurdities taking place in the Women’s tourney and how excited they are to watch Iowa-LSU on Monday night. The trio end the show by ‘Saying Something Nice’ about March Madness.

2:00 – How NC State got to the Final Four and what makes them special

12:30 – How Purdue got to the Final Four and what makes them special

30:35 – How UCONN got to the Final Four and what makes them special

39:10 – How Alabama got to the Final Four and what makes them special

45:45 – The Women’s Tourney is off the rails, LSU-Iowa is set to be a classic

59:40 – Say Something Nice segment: March Madness edition

Follow Dan @DanWetzel

Follow Pat @ByPatForde

Follow Ross @RossDellenger

Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger & SI’s Pat Forde kick off the podcast by reacting to NC State’s shocking win over Duke to put the program in their first Final Four since 1983. The trio looks at how UCONN, Alabama and Purdue reached Phoenix as well and look ahead to the semifinal matchups on Saturday. (Credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

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