Can NC State beat Purdue? Predicting the result of 2024 Final Four matchup

DJ Burns' NC State Wolfpack will face off against Zach Edey's Purdue Boilermakers in the Final Four on Saturday at the State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona.

NC State (26-14) and Purdue (33-4) will battle it out in front of 60,000 plus fans to advance to the national title game and play for a championship. In this game, NC State have a chance to win, but it will be tough.

This Cinderella run by the No. 11 seeded Wolfpack in March Madness has caught America by storm. Heading to the ACC tournament, NC State was 17-14, coming off a four-game losing streak, not necessarily a momentum builder before the tourney. NC State proceeded to go on a nine-game winning streak, capturing the ACC championship and a spot in the 2024 Final Four.

On the other hand, Purdue has been dominating the NCAA tournament lately. Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter has steered the team to back-to-back No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, trying to improve on their disappointing end to last season after losing to the 16th-seeded FDU Knights.

Let us break down each team's strengths and weaknesses before their matchup in the Final Four.

Breaking down NC State's and Purdue's strengths and weaknesses

In six straight games, NC State has been successful in limiting opponents' field goal percentage to under 40 percent. This will be crucial for the Wolfpack if they want to slow down Zach Edey and his 62.4% field goal shooting. They also take care of the ball well, ranking impressively 9th in the nation in turnover rate.

The Wolfpack has been pretty average most of the season and has been a mid-team: rebounds (32.7 per game, 138th), field goal percentage (44.4%, 194th) and three-point percentage (34.6%, 146th).

In four NCAA Tournament games, Edey has been averaging monster numbers: 30.0 points, 16.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, and attempting 13.5 free throws per game, knocking them down at 66.7% accuracy.

Two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey is the main man for Purdue. He is a big reason why the team has been dominant in rebounding (6th in offensive rebounding %), and free throws (2nd in free throw attempts). The attention he commands in the paint causes the opponent's defense to leave open shooters, helping the team average 40.6% from three, 2nd in the nation.

Zach Edey's stats in the 2024 NCAA Tournament
Round	Opponent	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	Field Goals	Free Throws
First Round	Grambling	30	21	2	0	3	11/17 (64.7%)	8/14 (57.1%)
Second Round	Utah State	23	14	3	2	3	8/11 (72.7%)	7/8 (87.5%)
Sweet 16	Gonzaga	27	14	1	0	0	10/15 (66.7%)	7/10 (70%)
Elite Eight	Tennessee	40	16	1	1	1	13/21 (61.9%)	14/22 (63.6%)
Average		30.0	16.3	1.8	0.8	1.8	10.5/16 (65.6%)	9/13.5 (66.7%)

The Boilermakers have to protect the ball. They turn the ball over a lot for a No. 1 seed (11.3 TOs per game). Single-game eliminations can be hard to predict. Purdue might get cold from three despite it being their strength. In the Boilermakers' game against Tennessee, they shot 3-of-15 from the three-point line. They won only by six points.