USATSI
The 2024 Final Four field is set, and the NCAA Tournament will crown a men’s national champion within the week. Given No. 1 seed Purdue vs. No. 11 seed NC State and No. 1 seed UConn vs. No. 4 seed Alabama are on deck, there is not only the chance for a pair of top seeds to play for the title, the Huskies have the opportunity to become the first repeat national champions since Florida in 2006-07.
The Boilermakers, after decades of close calls, return to the Final Four for the first time since 1980. The Wolfpack have taken an improbable road back to their first Final Four since 1983, riding a hereto unforeseen hot streak through the ACC Tournament and South Regional of the NCAA Tournament over the last three weeks. The Crimson Tide, meanwhile, are in uncharted territory playing in the Final Four for the first time in program history.
UConn’s dominance has been the story of March Madness. Even during games in which the Huskies struggle to pull away in the first half, they storm past opponents in the latter 20 minutes. The players of the tournament, though, are Purdue’s Zach Edey and NC State’s DJ Burns Jr.; the two behemoths will have a battle on their hands in the opening Final Four game.
If you notice a new voice when you tune into the Final Four on TBS and TNT, that’s because CBS veteran Ian Eagle is stepping in as lead play-by-play announcer for the Final Four, replacing the legendary Jim Nantz, who stepped away in 2023. Eagle will lead mainstays Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and reporter Tracy Wolfson on the broadcast.
So, buckle yourself up for a frenetic finish to a fantastic 2024 NCAA Tournament starting Saturday evening as we prepare to chop the field from four to two ahead of Monday night’s national championship. All times…
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