Final Four 2024: 3 bold predictions for NC State vs. Purdue

The stage is set for the Final Four on Saturday night in Phoenix and there should be a lot of intrigue for the first matchup of the evening. Most experts gave Purdue, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, a strong chance to break through and reach their first Final Four since 1980 but no one expected NC State to win the South Region.

The Wolfpack, who were losing at halftime to Louisville in the 10 vs. 15 matchup in the ACC Tournament, beat No. 2 seed Marquette and No. 4 seed Duke in Dallas to earn their first Final Four trip since they cut down the nets in 1983. A title in Phoenix would be the third national championship for NC State while Purdue would be bidding to win its first title along with ending the Big Ten's lengthy national championship drought.

The early line has Purdue favored by 8.5 points, which makes sense given the regular season both programs had, but anything can happen in a one-and-done scenario. Let's make some bold predictions for the first Final Four matchup of the day.

Bold Predictions for NC State vs. Purdue in the 2024 Final Four

3. D.J. Burns Jr. hangs with Zach Edey

One of the biggest reasons Purdue has stomped to the Final Four is the dominating interior presence of Zach Edey, who has taken over all four of the Boilermakers' NCAA Tournament wins. Edey exploded for 40 points and 16 rebounds in Purdue's Elite Eight win over Tennessee and has recorded at least 23 points and 14 rebounds in each contest.

None of the teams Purdue has faced have the type of unorthodox big man that NC State does in D.J. Burns, whose power has given opponents fits over the past 19 days. Burns bullied Duke's Kyle Filipowski in the Elite Eight and he will put up a respectable performance against Edey, who has been able to stay out of foul trouble so far in the tournament but will have his hands full with Burns on the defensive end.

2. Purdue gets hot from the perimeter

While no one questions Edey's importance to Purdue's game plan, the Boilermakers do have the ability to get hot from beyond the arc. Six members of Purdue's rotation shoot over 42 percent from three, including guards Braden Smith (43.9 percent) and Fletcher Loyer (44.1 percent), which has given the Boilermakers the opportunity to make opponents pay if they sell out on stopping Edey down low.

Purdue had a quiet game from beyond the arc in the Elite Eight, knocking down just 3-of-15 3-point attempts, and perimeter defense is not a strength for NC State. Marquette's shot profile against the Wolfpack was elite but the looks simply didn't go down, something that won't happen with Purdue in the Final Four.

1. NC State keeps the game close

It is certainly hard to quantify momentum but NC State has it in spades. The Wolfpack have won nine games in 19 days to go from the first round of the ACC Tournament to the Final Four, and that kind of run builds a ton of confidence for a team that has been in elimination mode since the end of the regular season.

All of the pressure in this game is on Purdue, which is expected to get to the national championship game for a likely shot at UConn, and we've seen at points during the regular season that the Boilermakers can get tight when the chips are down. NC State is playing with house money here and they will be right in the game at the final media timeout, leading to some high drama in Phoenix on Saturday night.