Purdue vs. NC State score: Boilermakers stop Wolfpack to make first NCAA Tournament title game since 1969

Purdue advances to the title game

Final: (1) Purdue 63, (11) NC State 50

No. 1 seed Purdue is going to its first national title game since 1969 with a statement 63-50 win over No. 11 seed NC State in the first Final Four game of the day. Purdue star big man Zach Edey scored 20 points and added 12 rebounds in a game his team never trailed. The Boilermakers will face the winner of No. 1 seed UConn-No. 4 seed Alabama on Monday in the final game of the college basketball season.

Edey recorded his sixth consecutive game in the NCAA Tournament with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds to pass former Navy star David Robinson for the most such games in the last 50 years. 

The Boilermakers used a late surge to extend their lead to as many as 20 points in the final minutes of play. NC State big man DJ Burns Jr. and Ben Middlebrooks both played with foul trouble while attempting to guard Edey. Purdue held Burns to eight points in 27 minutes. NC State star DJ Horne scored 20 points.

NC State ends its magical season with a 26-15 record. The Wolfpack won nine consecutive elimination games dating back to last month's ACC Tournament to advance to the final weekend of the college basketball season. No. 11 seeds playing in the Final Four fell to 0-6 since seeding began in 1979. NC State joined UCLA (2021), Loyola Chicago (2018), VCU (2011), George Mason (2006), and LSU (1986) as No. 11 seeds to lose in the national semifinals.

Purdue is pulling away

Late 2H: (1) Purdue 61, (11) NC State 43

Purdue can taste it. The Boilermakers are on a 12-1 run over the last four minutes of play and are 3:12 away from going to their first national championship game since 1969. Purdue star Zach Edey has 20 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth consecutive game in the NCAA Tournament with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. His performance in the Final Four passed former Navy star David Robinson for the most consecutive 20/10 games in the NCAA Tournament over the last 50 years.

NC State keeping it close

MID 2H: (1) Purdue 49, (11) NC State 42

We are approaching crunch time in Glendale, Arizona. Purdue has held the lead since Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 31 seconds into the game. The Boilermakers extended their lead to 12 points with 11:31 remaining but have gone 1 of 8 from the floor since. NC State star guard DJ Horne has a game-high 20 points, and he's keeping his team in it. Purdue star Zach Edey is two points away from recording his sixth consecutive game in the NCAA Tournament with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Edey would pass former Navy star David Robinson for the most such games in the last 50 years.

NC State facing more foul trouble

MID 2H: (1) Purdue 45, (11) NC State 33

NC State is facing more foul trouble while trying to defend Purdue star big man Zach Edey. NC State backup big man Ben Middlebrooks just picked up his third foul but is staying in the game because fellow big man DJ Burns Jr. also has three fouls. Purdue has 12 team turnovers. Edey and Braden Smith have five each. Edey is scoreless after halftime in seven minutes. 

Purdue is on a 6-0 run over the last 58 seconds and has its largest lead of the day. The Boilermakers have led wire-to-wire thus far.

DJ Burns Jr. picks up third foul

Early 2H: (1) Purdue 39, (11) NC State 33

NC State star big man DJ Burns Jr. just picked up his third foul in the opening minutes of the second half. Burns only played 12 minutes in the opening frame and scored four points. Burns checked out minutes later, and it looks like he will get a rest. With Burns out, NC State is putting Ben Middlebrooks on Purdue star Zach Edey.

Burns' second foul flips first half

Halftime: (1) Purdue 35, (11) NC State 29

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- No. 11 seed NC State's magical run through March may be extending itself into April. The Wolfpack, who were 8.5-point underdogs to top-seeded Purdue, have hung tough here in the first half. Purdue led by as many as 12 but NC State managed to punch back to end the half in part after DJ Burns Jr., the star of March Madness, picked up a second foul and was subsequently benched.

Ben Middlebrooks' physicality and length seemed to be a good fit for NC State defending 7-foot-4 Purdue big Zach Edey so the Wolfpack may have accidentally stumbled onto something. He didn't back down defending Edey and held up well by at least making Edey work for what he got.

One factor to consider, though: Edey by the end of the first half looked gassed. He played all 20 minutes in the first half and did some serious banging down low first with Burns and later with Middlebrooks. Purdue leads at the half but curious to see how coach Matt Painter handles his big man's minutes in the second half. 

Purdue up at halftime

Halftime: (1) Purdue 35, (11) NC State 29

The first 20 minutes of the 2024 Final Four are in the books. Purdue led by as many as 11 points in the fits half and will take a six-point lead into the locker room. Purdue star big man Zach Edey has looked like his usual self and has 14 points and eight rebounds at the break. Purdue star point guard Braden Smith has struggled early and has zero points and five turnovers. Smith recorded five rebounds, five assists, and two steals while playing the entire first half.

NC State star DJ Horne has a team-high 13 points. The Wolfpack went on a small run in the closing minutes of the first half to cut the deficit to six. DJ Burns Jr. played only 12 minutes and has four points. NC State shot 13 of 29 from the floor, while Purdue was slightly worse (13 of 30). The winner of this game faces No. 1 seed UConn-No. 4 seed Alabama in the national title game on Monday.

NC State on a run

Late 1H: (1) Purdue 30, (11) NC State 25

Purdue picked up its first team foul with 5:44 remaining in the first half. Shortly after NC State drew a charge on Zach Edey, they went on a 6-0 run. Edey has a game-high 14 points, and NC State star DJ Horne has nine. The Wolfpack have forced six turnovers, and Purdue star guard Braden Smith has four of them. Both teams are shooting 11 of 26 from the floor.