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 set

1:05 A missed free throw in the ACC tournament affected NC State’s trajectory to now

8:49 Illinois should’ve adjusted to UConn’s Donovan Clingan

12:01 The difficulty for UConn to win a back-to-back title

24:22 How Zach Edey fits into Purdue’s game

29:38 Tennessee’s dependence on Dalton Knecht

31:53 Breaking down NC State DJ Burns’ game

37:22 The future of Duke with No. 1 college recruit Cooper Flagg

42:17 Final Four preview: Alabama vs UConn

45:20 Final Four preview: Purdue vs NC State

48:20 The best basketball players in the portal right now

51:25 Who will be the men’s NCAA tournament champion?

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