Winners and Losers of the 2024 Men’s Final Four
Winners and Losers of the 2024 Men’s Final Four0 of 6
Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Inside the spaceship that is State Farm Stadium, the Purdue Boilermakers and Connecticut Huskies secured their spots in the national championship of the 2024 men’s NCAA tournament.
On paper, the Final Four results looked a bit lopsided. However, the reality is both programs scratched out a hard-fought win.
Purdue assembled a late 14-1 run to put away the North Carolina State Wolfpack in a 63-50 triumph. Best of all for the Boilers, the victory put them on the brink of program history.
In the nightcap, a similar second-half surge propelled UConn past the Alabama Crimson Tide and to an 86-70 win.
We’ve summarized some key takeaways from the matchups with a few winners and a couple of losers from the action.
Winner: Purdue’s Defense After Turnovers1 of 6
Zach EdeyJamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Early on, it seemed the story may revolve around the Boilers’ offensive rebounding. Purdue scored 10 of first 12 points on second-chance opportunities to take quick control of the game.
What truly defined the victory, though, was defense.
Purdue committed 16 turnovers—its second-worst mark of the entire season—including five apiece from Zach Edey and Braden Smith. NC State’s weak-side defenders hounded Edey in post-up situations and constantly tipped the ball away from him.
NC State, however, mustered 10 points on those takeaways. More specifically, Purdue’s eight-second half giveaways led to three points.
Making mistakes is never a good thing, but the Boilers did a tremendous job atoning for them on the defensive end.
Loser: NC State’s Perimeter Defense2 of 6
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
No single thing creates a sturdy perimeter defense. Scheme and talent are meaningful, but a bit of luck—or, if you’re cheering for the other team, some unfortunate rolls—make it a high-variance stat.
Heading into Saturday, NC State had been solidly on the desired side of this conversation. Three of the Pack’s previous four NCAA tourney opponents—Texas Tech, Marquette and Duke—shot no better than 25 percent from beyond the arc while making no more than seven triples.
Purdue, not unexpectedly, boasted efficiency and volume.
As the buzzer sounded, the Boilermakers had dropped in 10 threes on a 40 percent clip. That perimeter impact was a critical piece of NC State failing to claw within six points at any time during the second half.
North Carolina State also connected on only 5-of-19 threes offensively, and that disparity was a major factor in the result.
Winner: Purdue’s Supporting Cast3 of 6
Lance JonesBrett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Zach Edey put together a quality game, collecting 20 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. He absolutely played an important role in the victory for the Boilers.
Yet he also didn’t score for a 13-minute stretch, and it hardly mattered.
Lance Jones drained four triples in his 14 points, while Fletcher Loyer buried three of them with 11 points. Mason Gillis hit a couple of valuable threes, and Braden Smith—despite his poor shooting night—contributed eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Edey offered a clear, 40-point reminder during the Elite Eight that he can carry the Boilermakers.
Saturday, however, again showed why Purdue has been one of the nation’s most complete teams throughout the season.
Winner: Alabama’s Hot First Half4 of 6
Latrell Wrightsell Jr.Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Easy way to compete with UConn? Hit a bunch of threes.
The problem about that strategy is, you know, it’s incredibly difficult to actually do that. Entering the game Saturday, UConn had surrendered a measly 30.9 three-point percentage this season with a remarkable 22.5 percent clip allowed during the NCAA tournament.
Alabama drilled 8-of-11 triples in the opening half alone. For reference, only nine of UConn’s opponents hit eight threes in a whole game.
Throw in a perfect 5-of-5 mark overall from All-American guard Mark Sears, and it doesn’t take a genius to understand why Alabama only trailed by four points at halftime.
The problem, of course, is that Bama enjoyed an outstanding half on offense and still trailed by four points.
Loser: Bama’s Problem We Knew All Along5 of 6
Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Whenever someone asked me whether I believed Alabama or UConn would win, I had an uncomplicated answer.
“Bama can score 90, but it might give up 120.”
While that was always a slight exaggeration, the point is Alabama’s undeniable weakness in 2023-24 has been its defense.
Nine opponents hung 90 on the Crimson Tide, who entered the game ranked 105th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency measure on defense. Sure, the volume of points allowed can partially be attributed to Bama’s scorching pace, but it’s nowhere close to the main reason.
All five UConn starters netted 12-plus points, including 21 from freshman Stephon Castle. Down the stretch, the Crimson Tide simply could not get stops; UConn scored on seven of its last nine possessions.
Offense, as usual, kept Alabama in the game. Defense, as was typical, proved to be the Tide’s undoing.
Winner: UConn’s Title Defense6 of 6
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Five down, one to go.
Not since 2006 and 2007 Florida has a program won back-to-back national titles, but UConn may snap the drought.
Last season, the Huskies put together a dominant run as a highly respected No. 4 seed. They landed the overall No. 1 seed in 2024 and have backed up their billing all tourney. The 14-point win over Alabama is UConn’s smallest margin of victory in the Big Dance.
This time, though, a greater challenge looms in the championship.
Fifth-seeded San Diego State was a fun story in 2023, but the Aztecs were a surprising runner-up. Purdue, conversely, entered the campaign as a top contender, waltzed to a Big Ten crown and landed a No. 1 seed.
Purdue will be the biggest obstacle in this pursuit of a second straight title, but UConn officially has a shot.
