Rothstein: 4 Key Final Four Storylines

This is April!

Check out our list below for four key Final Four storylines for later this week in Phoenix:

Final Four Storylines

Loose As a Goose

Purdue had major pressure to reach the Final Four after losing to Fairleigh Dickinson. Much of that pressure may have dissipated. All the Boilers need to focus on now is winning a national title. I'm expecting to see a much looser Purdue team this weekend in Phoenix. The Boilers are 9.5-point favorites over NC State, per the college basketball odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

A Team of Destiny?

NC State took a four-game losing streak into the ACC Tournament. Everything that's happened since feels like destiny. If the Wolfpack beat Purdue on Saturday and then beat UConn or Alabama on Monday night in the national title game, they'll be arguably the biggest Cinderella national champion in the history of the NCAA Tournament. They are listed at +2000 odds to win the national title.

Bombs Away

A whopping 46.7 percent of Alabama's field goal attempts this season have been from three-point range. Expect that to be more of the case on Saturday against UConn. Nate Oats has built a system where three-point shots and layups are the primary field-goal attempts, and layups should be hard to come by with Huskies big man Donovan Clingan defending the front of the rim at 7-3.

A Surgeon's Focus

This is the first time ever that UConn has played in back-to-back Final Fours. With two more wins, the Huskies can win back-to-back national titles. This team is still hunting. Expect Dan Hurley's team to be razor sharp -- as usual -- with its execution. The Huskies have won four NCAA Tournament games by an average of 27.8 points. They come in at -185 odds to win the national championship and are 11.5-point favorites over 'Bama.

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Jon Rothstein is not a FanDuel employee. The reporting of Rothstein is not subject to FanDuel's verification and does not represent the views or input of FanDuel. Betting based on Rothstein's reporting will not guarantee a successful outcome. Always do your own due diligence and use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

Rothstein has been a college basketball insider for CBS Sports since 2010 and a contributor to the CBS Broadcast Network since 2016. He joined FanDuel in 2022 as a Content Creator. Rothstein is also the host of the College Hoops Today Podcast via Compass Media Networks.