Final Four teams, ranked by ability to win it all in men’s March Madness

April 1, 2024

The Final Four is set in the 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament, with great stories building to a perfect crescendo.

of university university The Huskies are running around the field in hopes of becoming the first team to win back-to-back national championships in the men’s game since Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators in 2006-2007.of purdue boiler maker They’ve fully avenged their historic first-round loss to a No. 16 seed a year ago, and now they’re hoping for a storybook ending that Virginia once got a year after suffering the same humiliation. north carolina He rode the improbable ACC Tournament championship just to qualify as the No. 11 seed, and has continued his unique Hollywood run since then, playing Magic all the way to the Final Four. Alabama doesn’t need stories of nonsense when it has the power of math on its side and is ready to outrun any challenger that stands in its way.

Let’s rank the remaining teams in the Final Four by who has the best chance of winning it all.

4. NC State Wolfpack

All Virginia had to do was hit one free throw and NC State’s season would have ended in the ACC Tournament semifinals.Wolfpack guard Michael O’Connell is substituted by UVA. Hitting a buzzer beater for many yearsAnd so the most improbable Final Four run in history was born. Five wins in five days were needed just to send NC State into March Madness. They won four more games en route to the Final Four, none more convincing than their Elite Eight victory over in-state rival Duke. North Carolina State roared like a well-oiled machine, trying to score 55 points in the second half and win the game off the selfless ball movement that fueled this run from the beginning. .

DJ Burns is a perennial March Madness star, a classic heavyweight lefty with a soft touch around the rim and incredible passing vision when double-teamed. DJ Horn served as a slippery guard pacing the offense in the backcourt, hitting pull-up jumpers and slicing toward the rim. With O’Connell as the team’s designated floor spacer, the rest of the team plays an aggressive defense and doesn’t allow easy runs inside. This team’s run is already the stuff of Hollywood, and with two more improbable victories it will go down as one of the greatest stories ever told in college sports. right. — Rod

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama head coach Nate Oats made a calculated move, and the Crimson Tide’s trip to the Final Four is his ultimate proof of concept. Oats energized the program by hitting a flurry of 3-pointers while playing at a breakneck pace, and had a spectacular offensive onslaught in the final minutes of the Elite Eight’s win over Clemson. The Tide made 16 of 32 3-pointers and surrendered 54 points in the second half to dominate Clemson and earn a ticket to the Final Four for the first time in program history. All they have to do now is take down the rising giants of the University Con Huskies, who seem destined to win back-to-back national titles.

Alabama has a bona fide superstar at guard in Mark Sears, a second-team All-American who took his game to impossible heights in this tournament. He made 7 of 14 shots from behind the 3-point line in the win over Clemson. Because there are always three or four other shooters next to Sears, Alabama’s offense is usually able to generate good shots. Sophomore forward Jalin Stephenson made five threes off the bench in the Elite Eight, and Rylan Griffen and Aaron Estrada have provided important shot-making all year. Alabama’s best chance against UConn is his unusual shooting game, but the fact that he can generate those shots with such ease at least gives them a chance. Bama will never take their foot off the gas, so the UW powerhouse better be ready to run. — Rod

2. Purdue Boiler Maker

Purdue’s season really looked like it was going to end when Santiago Vescovi grabbed an offensive rebound and Dalton Knecht hit a wide-open corner three. Knecht’s shot with about five minutes left in the first half of the Elite Eight gave Tennessee an 11-point lead, marking the first time Purdue’s dominant tournament management was put to the test. That’s when Purdue went on a 15-2 run to take the lead and go into halftime before finally snatching the win the program had been hoping for. necessary Terrible.

Purdue needed this to avoid being the No. 1 seed for the second time in its history, having lost to a No. 16 seed in last year’s tournament. Purdue needed this because consistent excellence under Matt Painter had yet to lead to a Final Four appearance. This was necessary because Zach Eady is the greatest college player of all time and this is his last dance. Unsurprisingly, it was Eady who carried the Boilermakers all night, scoring 40 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and making the winning block on Knecht, playing all but 33 seconds into the game. We’re witnessing college basketball’s apex predator at his peak, and it’s thrilling to watch. With the supporting cast around him improving, the Boilermakers’ run to the Final Four is no fluke. It’s not over yet. — Rod

1. Connecticut Huskies

At this point, it might take something special to deny Connecticut a second straight championship.

You may need perfection.

Over the past two weeks, four teams have given the Huskies their best shot, and four of them have lost by double digits. Latest? Illinois Saturday night. Illinois held out for the first 18 minutes or so, but Marcus Domask hit a jumper with less than two minutes left in the first half to pull Illinois even, 23-23.

Connecticut scored the next 30 points, further routing a close game.

Huskies can beat you in a variety of ways. Their guard play has been great throughout the tournament, but it was the effort on the defensive end that really stood out on Saturday. Freshman Stephon Castle had the primary task of following his junior Terrence Shannon, who averaged 23.5 points per game, including his 28.3 points in his three NCAA Tournament games, the Illini’s first. was given.

On Saturday night, Shannon had just eight points.

Then there’s Donovan Clingan, a junior big man. He set a career high with six blocks in a game early in the tournament. He nearly matched that on Saturday, forcing many plays low and awkward with five blocks and generally disrupting the Illini offense. “He was like Bill Walton in influencing the game tonight.” Head coach Bob Hurley said after the win..

Will he stand in the way of a new title fight? Alabama. It’s going to take something special for the Crimson Tide to deny the Huskies a berth in the title game.

Probably the perfect one. -MS