The national championship game to conclude the 2024 NCAA Tournament will be No. 1 seed Purdue defeating No. 11 North Carolina State in a telegraph showdown, and No. 1 overall seed University taking on No. 4 seed Alabama in the final. It was defeated in battle and the final decision was made. Final four games on Saturday. The reigning champion Huskies open the game as six-point favorites on Monday night at 9:20 pm ET on TBS.
How did Boilermakers get here?: After losing to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in last year's NCAA Tournament, Purdue has a chance to write a comeback scenario similar to Virginia's in 2019. The Boilermakers defeated No. 16 seed Grambling and No. 8 seed Utah State in the first round. In the second round, No. 5 seed Gonzaga faced off in the Sweet 16 and No. 2 seed Tennessee faced off on the Elite Eight. In the nation's first semifinal on Saturday, Purdue superstar big man Zach Eady led his team to victory with a late second-half surge, but the Boilermakers led by as many as 20 points in the closing minutes and lost to North Carolina. We won against State University.
How did the huskies get here?: The reigning national champions aren't just winning the NCAA Tournament, they're dominating. UW opened the NCAA tournament with a 91-52 win over No. 16 seed Stetson and advanced to the second weekend with a 75-58 win over No. 9 seed Northwestern. The Huskies defeated No. 5 seed San Diego State 82-52 in the Sweet 16, a rematch of last season's title game, and defeated No. 3 seed Illinois 77-52 in the Elite Eight. Fourth-seeded Alabama had the toughest fight at this point, but UW pulled away late and won 86-72.
Compatibility between the university and Purdue: This game will be decided by a showdown in the paint. On one side, there is an unstoppable force (Eday) who is the first in at least 50 years to score 20 points and 10 rebounds in six consecutive NCAA Tournament games. On the other side, there's a stalwart (UW center Donovan Clingan) who is moving up draft boards thanks to his performance in March Madness. Clingan will be the best defensive-minded big man Eady has faced all season. Eady committed five turnovers against NC State, most of them when the Wolfpack fell on him inside. UConn could mount a similar game plan, but Clingan is more than capable of defending him one-on-one. Purdue is one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country, and if Clingan neutralizes Eady, they may have to rely on that even more.
what is the problem: Purdue is seeking its first national championship in program history. UW is seeking to become the first team to win back-to-back titles in men's basketball since Florida in 2006-07. The Huskies have a chance to tie North Carolina State for the third-most championships of all-time behind UCLA and Kentucky. UW's Dan Hurley has already established himself as one of the best coaches in the sport, but a win on Monday will raise his profile even further. Meanwhile, Purdue coach Matt Painter came into the tournament as one of the best coaches to ever appear in the Final Four. Now that Painter has left that club, he can add a championship to his resume and contribute to a Big Ten program that helped his alma mater win its first national title since Michigan State in 2000.