GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) 鈥� There was more than one team that came to the Final Four with a dream 鈥� more than one team hoping to add its own unforgettable chapter to college basketball's colorful history book.
sa国际传媒's Zach Edey and Purdue have been thinking big all year, and after snuffing out North Carolina State鈥檚 magical season with a 63-50 victory Saturday, it's the Boilermakers from the program鈥檚 first NCAA title.
鈥淚t's the one we've been talking about all year,鈥� said Edey, from Toronto who played all 40 minutes and finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
For the past three weeks, though, a lot of the country has been caught up in N.C. State. The Wolfpack, 11th-seeded dreamers, were dialing up a classic reboot of 1983, when they won nine straight postseason games to capture an unlikely title that left their frenetic coach, Jim Valvano, running onto the court looking for someone to hug.聽
In 2024, the Wolfpack went 9 for 9 under similar must-win conditions to get this far.
Only this time, they came two wins short of glory.
鈥淒idn鈥檛 get the big one,鈥� said N.C. State guard DJ Horne, who finished with 20 points. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 definitely a big accomplishment in my career.鈥�
N.C. State aside, some might call this run by top-seeded Purdue as inconceivable as anything in college hoops this year.聽
This is a program well-versed in the art of disappointment and missed expectations. Edey retuned for his senior season and led the Boilermakers to the Final Four for the first time since 1980 鈥� one season after they became the second No. 1 seed to fall in the first round.
The Boilermakers (34-4), top-seeded again, will play sa国际传媒icut, an 86-72 winner over Alabama in the second semifinal, for the title on Monday night.
鈥淭he reason I came back is for playing games like this,鈥� Edey said. 鈥淚t's the reason I鈥檓 playing college basketball for four years, to finally get this game, big-time.鈥�
N.C. State (26-15) poked and jabbed at Edey and gave him fits through the entire slugfest of a game. He still dominated the battle of big men against 6-9, 275-pound , who labored to eight points and four assists.
Burns wasn't the only one having trouble finding the basket. The N.C. State team that outscored Duke 55-37 after halftime in the Elite Eight 鈥� the team that had, in fact, outscored seven of nine opponents in the second half since its season became a win-or-go-home affair 鈥� shot 28.6% over the last 20 minutes this time.聽
It didn't help that guard Michael O'Connell pulled up lame with a bad left hamstring halfway through the first half. More than that, though, the Wolfpack had too many great looks at open shots that simply would not fall.
鈥淭he biggest difference is that some of the shots we normally make we didn鈥檛 make,鈥� Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said. 鈥淚t kind of got away from us a little bit.鈥�
It made for some ugly hoops. At one stretch early in the second half, the teams missed 10 straight shots between them.
鈥淥bviously it was one of those grinder games," Purdue coach Matt Painter said.聽
The shooting troubles cut both ways. Purdue's second-leading scorer this season, for three points (but also had eight rebounds and six assists). For all his troubles, though, he put the final dagger in N.C. State鈥檚 season.
It came near the end of a stretch during which Horne shot an airball and Edey swatted N.C. State guard Jayden Taylor鈥檚 shot out of the paint, while on the other end, and then Smith made back-to-back 3s.
It was part of an 8-0 run that pushed Purdue鈥檚 lead to 20. The only drama left was whether the Wolfpack would surpass their season low in scoring of 52 points. They did not.
Edey, the back-to-back , grabbed his 10th rebound with 8:52 left to secure his 29th double-double of the season. But this was no easy stroll through the paint for the nation鈥檚 leading scorer. N.C. State finished with eight steals. Most came from guards sagging down on Edey and swatting it away.
Burns did OK on Edey. Wolfpack forward Ben Middlebrooks did even better.聽
In the end, Purdue's big man was just too hard to deal with. On defense, he , altered about five others and his inside presence played into N.C. State鈥檚 36% shooting night. On offense, he went 9 for 14 from the field. After the game, he accepted congratulations from none other than Shaquille O'Neal.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a tall guy,鈥� Burns said. 鈥淚f you let him get to his spots, he鈥檚 going to make his shots. We cleaned it up, but it was a little too late.鈥�
And so, a team that had a four-game losing streak and a looming date with the couch before the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament came close to living out a dream.聽
Instead, that chance belongs to Purdue.
鈥淚t鈥檚 everything we鈥檝e worked for, everything we thought about,鈥� Loyer said. 鈥淎 lot of late nights where you can鈥檛 even sleep because you鈥檙e thinking about it.鈥�
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AP March Madness bracket: and coverage:
Eddie Pells, The Associated Press
