March Madness is now down to the Final 4 with the four best teams in the tournament battling it out for their spot in the championship. We have the UConn Huskies who were the odds-on favorite to win it all again this year. Then we have Purdue Boilermakers who many have pegged to make the championship opposite UConn with their big man Zach Edey who could be the bonafide top pick in this year's NBA Draft.

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Of course, we can't forget the Cinderella stories of the No. 4-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide and the No. 11-seeded NC State Wolfpack, Alabama made their presence known by defeating UNC in a nail-biter while trailing by double digits. As for NC State, they defied the odds time and time again when they beat the No. 2-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles and Duke Blue Devils as underdogs to reach their first Final 4 since 1983.

We have a great matchup on tap for today as the Cinderella story continues for the No. 11-seeded NC State Wolfpack as they take on one of the favorites to win it all the No. 1-seeded Purdue Boilermakers. We take a look at this marquee matchup to make a NC State-Purdue prediction and pick.

NC State (26-14) has been the surprise of the tournament, winning back-to-back games as sizable underdogs against the No. 2-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles and the No. 4-seeded Duke Blue Devils. After exceeding all expectations they are now just one win away from heading to their first finals since 1983. They have the daunted task of going against the best player in the country Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers but they will attempt to do it one more time when they head onto that court in tonight's matchup.

Purdue (33-4) has looked every bit like a championship-caliber team. Not only has it been spearheaded by the best basketball player in college basketball right now Zach Edey but they also have a great group of players that surround him. His presence opens for easy buckets from the perimeter which is why Purdue has been shooting a staggering 40.6% from 3-point range. Purdue will look to close the book on NC State's Cinderella story when they play them tonight as they look to capture their first championship in Purdue history.

MARCH MADNESS: NC STATE WOLFPACK VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS FANDUEL ODDS FOR APR. 6

MONEY LINE

• NC STATE WOLFPACK: +340
• PURDUE BOILERMAKERS: -450

SPREAD

• NC STATE WOLFPACK: +9.5 (-115)
• PURDUE BOILERMAKERS: -9.5 (-105)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER 146.5 (-110)
• UNDER 146.5 (-110)

BEST MARCH MADNESS ODDS FOR NC STATE WOLFPACK VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS

• The Purdue Boilermakers are -9.5-point favorites against the NC State Wolfpack. Hard Rock Bet currently has the best odds at -8.5 (-120)
• The NC State Wolfpack are the underdogs by 9.5 points to cover the spread. FanDuel currently has the best odds at (-115)

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• DraftKings currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 146 (-110) for the over, and (-110) for the under

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NC STATE WOLFPACK VS. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS INJURY REPORT

NC STATE WOLFPACK INJURY REPORT

• LJ THOMAS - OUT FOR SEASON - PERSONAL
• DENNIS PARKER JR. - OUT INDEFINITELY - ILLNESS
• MJ RICE - OUT FOR SEASON - REDSHIRT

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS INJURY REPORT INJURY REPORT

• NONE

WHY NC STATE WOLFPACK WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The NC State Wolfpack has been taking it to the opposition and the games that should have been close haven't beating Duke by double digits and getting out to an early lead against Marquette and not letting up. They have now won their last 9 games while winning 7 of those games as an underdog. Their win against Duke was their most eye-opening performance the way that they handled the Blue Devils' offense just shutting them down.

The Wolfpack stifled the Blue Devils' perimeter shooting as they just shot 5-20 from beyond the arc where they have been hitting 38.1% from 3-point range for the season and they only shot 25% in their upset defeat. In this matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers, this should be a much harder task at hand.

This Purdue team has done very well defensively all tournament long and the Wolfpack will need their most scoring output from their top players like DJ Horne, D.J Burns Jr., and Casey Morsell if they want to advance to the Finals. If this Wolfpack squad can muster up the same tenacity on defense leading to points on the other end they can continue their Cinderella story.

WHY PURDUE BOILERMAKERS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The No. 1-seeded Purdue Boilermakers are playing exactly how many expected them to play as they head into this year's tournament. They dominated Grambling State, Utah State, Gonzaga, and then Tennessee to advance to the Final 4 for the first time in the program's history.

Purdue is one of the top teams in the league in scoring averaging 83.5 points per game which was 11th in the nation during the regular season with a point differential of +14 per game.

Their star center Zach Edey, who's projected to be a top pick in the NBA draft, has been doing the heavy lifting during their run in the tournament averaging 29.5 points on 64.8% shooting to go along with 2.3 assists, 2 blocks, and 7 rebounds

However, it hasn't been just a one-man show for the Boilermakers as they have been a cohesive unit with players like Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer their presence known on both sides of the ball. It's up to this Boilermakers offense to put this NC State defense on their heels if they want to advance to the Finals and make a run at a National Title.

FINAL NC STATE-PURDUE PICK & PREDICTION

This game should be a good one from start to finish. Seeing as how the NC State Wolfpack have been in the most form that they have been all season long it's hard to not take them with the points here, but in this matchup with Purdue, they have finally met their match. NC State will not have an answer for Edey in the paint and when they attempt to double-team him in the pain that's where shooters like Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith will start hitting their threes.

This is Purdue's year to finally get over the hump and get their first-ever National Title and it starts here by ending NC State's Cinderella story by getting the win and covering the spread.

FINAL NC STATE-PURDUE PICK & PREDICTION: PURDUE BOILERMAKERS -9.5 (-105)

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