Purdue downs NC State to advance to national championship game

PURDUE IS ROLLING NOW 🚂#MarchMadness @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/ywD1XTVjvm

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2024

NC State is on the ropes as Purdue is closing in on a trip to Monday night.

With under four minutes to go, Purdue leads 61-43

Lance Jones hits AGAIN from deep 😳#MarchMadness @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/v5MnBiwo4w

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2024

Lance Jones' wide-open 3 puts Purdue up 12 with 12:40 to go in the game at 45-33.

NC State is struggling big-time on offense, with just four points in more than seven minutes of play in the second half. The Boilers haven't been much better offensively in the second half, but 3-pointers by Jones and Mason Gillis have all the momentum on their side.

Zach Edey has five turnovers overall and has yet to score in the second half.

NC State used a late half run to crawl back into the game, but No. 1 Purdue leads, 35-29, at the break.

DJ Horne has been phenomenal for the Pack, his 13 points leading NC State.

Zach Edey has continued his dominant tournament with 14 points and six rebounds in the half. But he quieted down in the later stages of the half after NC State took DJ Burns out of the game due to foul trouble.

Burns, the primary catalyst of the Wolfpack's improbable run, has been limited to just four points through 20 minutes.

Here are stats for both teams after one half of basketball.

Purdue

NC State

Powered by Zach Edey, No. 1 Purdue leads 26-16 with 6:30 remaining in the first half. Edey has 11 points and five rebounds.

A six-plus minute stretch without a whistle was headlined by NC State's inability to get a defensive rebound. Purdue has already managed to double NC State on the glass, leading the rebound margin 16-8.

DJ Burns has yet to find his scoring touch, but has spread the ball around nicely with four assists in just 11 minutes.

Notably, no one on Purdue has committed a foul almost 14 minutes into the game, while Burns has already picked up two for NC State.

Get ready for the Men's Final Four. It's (1) Purdue against (11) NC State, with the Boilermakers and Wolfpack kicking off the semifinals. Here's how you can watch:

• Time: 6:09 p.m. ET
• Date: Saturday, Apr. 6
• TV channel: TBS/TNT/truTV
• Streaming: March Madness Live
• Location: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona

Purdue and NC State are a No. 1 and No. 11 seed in the 2024 men's NCAA tournament, respectively. Here's how they stack up based on this season's results and stats.

Full final 7:53 of Purdue and Tennessee's epic Elite Eight battle

Purdue bounced back from an overtime loss in the 2024 Big Ten tournament semifinals to rattle off four straight NCAA tournament wins as the No. 3 overall seed entering March Madness. The Boilermakers are putting last year's second-ever 16-over-1 seed defeat behind them, back in the Final Four for the first time since 1980.

Braden Smith steps up with 14 points, 15 assists in Sweet 16 win

See every 2024 NCAA tournament result from Purdue below:

Zach Edey drops 23 points, 14 rebounds in Purdue's second round win

Purdue Boilermakers vs. Grambling State Tigers: Game Highlights

Purdue and NC State have met 6 times in the two storied programs' histories. NC State leads the all-time series 4-2, with the first meeting coming in 1971.

Here's a look at all of the prior meetings