By Woodrow Carroll
Each of the four teams, Connecticut, Alabama, North Carolina State, and Purdue, that made it to the semifinals of the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament semifinals Saturday, April 6, presents a different picture of previous success. The championship game will be Monday, April 8 at 8 p.m. and Saturday semifinals will be 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The NCAA started the men’s tournament in 1939 when Oregon emerged the victor. Although various teams previously may have laid claims to national championships the 1939 tournament played at Northwestern University is viewed as the official start-up year for the NCAA men’s championship by most observers.
Among this season’s Final Four, defending champion Connecticut has captured the most championships, five, all of which have come in the past 25 years. The first national championship for the Huskies was in 1999 followed by net-cutting in 2004, 2011, 2014, to go with last season’s championship when the Huskies beat San Diego State, 76-59, in the championship game.
In terms of tournament championships, the Wolfpack of North Carolina State ranks second. N.C. State took home the NCAA men’s trophy in both 1974 and 1983.
In 1969 the Purdue Boilermakers were in the tournament championship game. Unfortunately for the Boilermakers, the foe in 1969 final was UCLA. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Bruins were the team to beat at tournament time. Purdue was not about to spring an upset! Purdue fell, 92-72 to a UCLA side led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor.
Alabama? Some schools are far better known for their football program than basketball, which is true of Alabama. Prior to this season’s tournament, the best the Crimson Tide did on the hardwood was an Elite Eight showing in 2004.
For those who thrive on upsets, they need to be reminded that the championship game of the men’s final might feature a couple of No. 1 seeded teams, Connecticut and Purdue.
First up Saturday, April 6 will be the Purdue-North Carolina State semifinal to be followed by Connecticut and Alabama in Glendale, Ariz..
Purdue and Connecticut were seeded No. 1 in their respective regional tournaments. The Boilermakers and Huskies each is 28-3 overall and each was regular-season conference champion, Purdue in the Big Ten Conference and Connecticut in the Big East Conference.
The last trip to the Final Four for the Wolfpack was in 1983 when N.C. State shocked favored Houston to win the tournament championship.
You want an underdog? North Carolina State, a No. 11 seed, finished 9-11 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Nine teams, led by conference blue bloods North Carolina and Duke finished well in front of the Wolfpack in the ACC.
There is every reason to climb on the Connecticut bandwagon. The Huskies are defending national champions. Over last season’s NCAA Tournament and the team’s four tournament games so far this season, the Huskies have won 10 straight games, all by double figures, including 77-52 over Illinois last weekend.
Alabama was seeded No. 6. Maybe the Crimson Tide deserved a bit more respect. Alabama ended 13-5 in the Southeastern Conference just one game in back of Conference leader Tennessee. Being a No. 6 seed is, maybe, a mixed bag. Little respect is given a No. 6-rated team; yet, the No. 6 team is too good to pull off a major upset. Often the No. 6 team is overlooked by a higher-rated team.
The NCAA men’s tournament is littered with heavy favorites brought back to earth. Connecticut is favored to win the tournament championship with Purdue the choice to finish second. However, it’s a tournament and not a coronation, so, Connecticut and Purdue better be on guard.