NC State Basketball: 3 keys in their Final Four matchup against Purdue

The NC State Wolfpack is in unprecedented territory as an 11-seed in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. They've gotten strong performances from a number of their emerging stars, especially DJ Horne and DJ Burns in making their first appearance in the Final Four since 1983.

The Wolfpack will meet the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers for the first time since 2021 on Saturday night in Phoenix, back when Purdue defeated them 82-72 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational in overtime. The stakes are much higher though this time around as the Wolfpack look to make it 10 wins in a row in punching a ticket to their first appearance in the National Championship game since the team last won a National Title under the late-great head coach Jim Valvano.

So far, NC State has answered the call as underdogs in this year's NCAA Tournament. They've held opponents to 35.3 percent shooting from the field as a team while allowing just 65.5 points per contest heading into Saturday's matchup with Purdue. On the flip side, the Boilermakers allow just 62.8 points per game, ranking second behind the UConn Huskies in teams left in the Final Four. They'll have a big task ahead of them as the South Region Champions but, they've proven they can overcome the odds before.

Head coach Kevin Keatts has his squad playing well and they've knocked off some top programs in their conquest to the Final Four. Take a look at the three keys to victory heading into Saturday.