The attendance numbers for Saturday's Men's Final Four games at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix have been announced. Nearly 75,000 college basketball fans traveled to the desert to see Purdue, North Carolina State, UConn and Alabama compete in the sport's premier event.
Per the official March Madness X page, a total of 74,720 fans attended Saturday's games at State Farm Stadium. This year's Final Four started with the matchup between No. 1 Purdue and No. 11 North Carolina State. No. 1 UConn and No. 4 Alabama was the second game of the night.
This year's semifinal round attendance edged out last year's total. In last year's Final Four in Houston, a total of 73,860 attended the semifinal round.
Based on Saturday's figures from Phoenix, this year's Final Four attendance is on pace to outperform last year's event. A total of 146,283 fans attended both the semifinal round and the championship game in Houston last year.
Purdue defeated North Carolina State 63-50 in Saturday's first game from State Farm Stadium. The Boilermakers were led by Zach Edey, who scored 20 points and collected 12 rebounds in the win. Purdue also got 14 points from Lance Jones and 11 from Fletcher Loyer.
UConn took down Alabama 86-72 in the second game of the night. All five Huskies starters scored in double figures, led by Stephon Castle with 21 points. UConn also got 18 points from Donovan Clingan, 14 points from both Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban and 12 points from Tristen Newton.
Monday night, No. 1 seeds Purdue and UConn will meet in the national championship. Tipoff is set for 9:20 p.m. ET with the game airing on TBS.
- EDEY NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: For a second straight season, Zach Edey has been named the Naismith National Player of the Year. He averaged 24.9 points and 12.2 rebounds for Purdue this season. CLICK HERE
- HOW TO WATCH PURDUE-UCONN:No. 1 seeds Purdue and UConn will meet in the national championship on Monday night at State Farm Stadium. Here's how you can watch and listen to the showdown in Phoenix.CLICK HERE
- HURLEY TALKS UCONN-PURDUE:On Monday night, UConn and Purdue will meet in the national championship. Huskies coach Dan Hurley is fired up about the matchup, saying the battle between the sport's two best teams is "Great for college basketball."CLICK HERE
- UCONN OPENS AS FAVORITE:Monday's championship game between UConn and Purdue should be an excellent way to conclude the college basketball season. The Huskies enter the matchup as the favorite to win it all.CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Purdue point guards past and present — P.J. Thompson and Braden Smith — are practically attached at the hip. So when Smith is having rough night, Thompson, who's in charge of his player development, is always right there with the right things to say.CLICK HERE
- WHAT MATT PAINTER, PURDUE PLAYERS SAID:Everything that coach Matt Painter and players Zach Edey, Lance Jones and Fletcher Loyer said folloiwng Purdue's 63-50 win over North Carolina State on Monday.CLICK HERE
