Pete Thamel and ESPN College Basketball Insider Jeff Borzello discuss the teams that have just landed in the Final Four spots in the Men’s NCAA tournament – specifically how a missed free throw by Virginia in the ACC tournament impacted NC State’s trajectory to the Final Four. They also talk about UConn’s evisceration of Illinois, the No. 2 offense in the country. And although Duke lost to NC State, Borzello notes that the Blue Devils’ future is bright as they are looking forward to Cooper Flagg, the number one college recruit in the country who has committed to their program for the following season. Finally, the two round out the pod with a preview of the Final Four games and who they think will be the NCAA tournament champion.

0:00 The Final Four teams are set1:05 A missed free throw in the ACC tournament affected NC State’s trajectory to now8:49 Illinois should’ve adjusted to UConn’s Donovan Clingan12:01 The difficulty for UConn to win a back-to-back title24:22 How Zach Edey fits into Purdue’s game29:38 Tennessee’s dependence on Dalton Knecht31:53 Breaking down NC State DJ Burns’ game37:22 The future of Duke with No. 1 college recruit Cooper Flagg42:17 Final Four preview: Alabama vs UConn45:20 Final Four preview: Purdue vs NC State48:20 The best basketball players in the portal right now51:25 Who will be the men’s NCAA tournament champion?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices