• Slug: Sports-Final Four Update, 720 words.
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By Staff
Cronkite News

GLENDALE – The biggest party in America Monday night could be in West Lafayette, Indiana. On the campus of Purdue, students are packing into Mackey Arena, where the basketball team plays, for a watch party of the national championship game.

The arena will be at full capacity as over 12,000 students bought tickets within moments of the national championship watch party being announced. If Purdue is crowned the champion on Monday night, all hell could break loose.

Since the Boilermakers earned their berth in the championship game Saturday, students have been receiving emails from the Dean of Students, the President of the university, Purdue police and the West Lafayette police department.

The police have already put in measures in place to help prevent the city from being destroyed.

Light poles are being greased up and outside furniture, such as park benches, are being bolted down to the ground. Hours before tipoff, students and fans have lined up to get into the town’s popular bar Harry’s, which has been the spot in West Lafayette to watch all the games.

Due to the line that accumulated at this establishment, police had to cut the line off and move fans elsewhere.

“After our game on Saturday, the main streets were shut down and the National Guard was called in,” Purdue senior Jayden Brown said. “The National Guard is already there. The campus is going to burn down.”

Purdue’s presence has been known in Phoenix as well all weekend long. The Boilermakers student section is the only one out of the Final Four teams to have all their tickets claimed for the games. The other teams filled their empty student seats by giving away the tickets to Arizona college students, which led to “ASU, ASU cheers” in the UConn line to get in Monday.

At Saturday’s semifinal games, Purdue fans made up the majority of the 74,720 fans inside of State Farm Stadium.

Purdue is in its first Final Four since 1980 and first national championship since 1969. It is safe to say Boilermakers fans are making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“My grandpa got to watch them play in the national championship 55 years ago and we’ve only been to one Final Four since then. We’re so lucky to be able to watch this. This means the whole world to Purdue fans,” Brown said.

– Lucas Gordon

Ticket prices drop

Total solar eclipses are a rare event, and so is the opportunity to go see Monday’s men’s basketball national title game. But at what cost?

No. 2 seed Arizona’s elimination by No. 6 Clemson surely helped lower prices. And they started dropping even more Saturday night after losses by Alabama and NC State inspired fans of those teams to put their tickets on the secondary market.

While many tickets for seats in the lower bowl are going to push toward $500 each, cheaper seats are available to watch UConn battle Purdue for those who don’t mind some altitude sickness.

Based on information available at several popular ticket-buying websites Monday afternoon, many of the lowest priced tickets fall between $100-$120. Here is a look at some of the latest bargains available without having to hunt down a scalper before tipoff.

Ticketmaster: lowest $99
StubHub: lowest $90, but most around $110
Seat Geek: lowest $94, but most are priced around $110
TickPick: No extra service fees associated, but it shows up in the increased price, with the lowest $123
Vivid Seats: lowest $96, most in the $100’s

– David Bernauer

ASU’s Tammaro honored

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association honored Doug Tammaro, Arizona State’s senior associate athletic director for media relations, at a luncheon Monday.

Tammaro was named the 2024 recipient of the Katha Quinn Award. Since 1988, the honor has recognized sports information directors and administrators that have excelled at servicing the media or provide an inspiration to those in the sports journalism profession.

Reaching new heights

At 7-feet-2, UConn center Donovan Clingan is tied for the second tallest center in championship game history. Purdue’s Zach Edey is the tallest center in championship game history, standing 7-feet-4.

– David Bernauer

What’s the spread?

Monday’s fun isn’t just limited to the Fan Fest, pregame tailgate and NCAA men’s basketball championship. In addition to sweating out last minute bracket pools, traditional sports betting is sure to be a part of many fans’ pregame rituals. Here are the latest betting odds on some of the nation’s most popular sites.

FanDuel (as of 1:50 p.m. MST):

UConn -6.5
Moneyline: UConn -275, Purdue +220
Total Points: Over/Under 143.5
First Half Total Points: Over/Under 66.5

DraftKings (as of 1:55 p.m. MST):

UConn -7
Moneyline: UConn -298, Purdue +240
Total Points: Over/Under 144
First Half Total Points: Over/Under 67
First Half Spread: UConn -3.5
Percentage of total bets placed: Purdue 64%, UConn 36%

ESPN Bet (as of 2:00 p.m. MST):

UConn -6.5
Moneyline: Purdue +240, UConn -300
Total Points: Over/Under 144.5
First Half Total Points: Over/Under 67.5
First Half Spread: UConn -3.5

BetMGM (as of 2:05 p.m. MST):

UConn -6.5
Moneyline: UConn -300, Purdue +250
Total Points: Over/Under 144.5
First Half Total Points: Over/Under 67.5
First Half Spread: UConn -3.5
Will there be a buzzer beater? Yes +2800

Team scoring averages in last five games, according to Bet MGM:

UConn: 82.2
Purdue: 79.8

– Anthony Remedios

Can Purdue change Big Ten’s fortunes?

All conference eyes are on Purdue tonight The Big Ten has not won a national championship since 2000. In seven appearances, the conference is 0-7, with the most recent loss coming in 2018 when Michigan fell to Villanova 79-62.

Purdue has not made it to this stage since 1969, when it lost to UCLA 92-72.

While UConn and Purdue both hold No. 1 seeds, the Boilermakers’ long history of coming up short has lead them to the underdog role.

Purdue made the Men’s NCAA Tournament in nine consecutive seasons but never made it to the Final Four during the stretch until this year.

In the 2023 tournament with the No. 1 seed, Purdue lost to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63-58 in the Round of 64. Even with a nearly identical starting five this season, Purdue overcame adversity and made it to the title game.

Boilermakers coach Matt Painter believes the experience of the tournament prepared them for this moment.

“For us, our losses have been to more of the low- to mid-major teams. That’s something you take a hard look at … just allowing it to come to you, collaborate with analytical people,” Painter said, “We turned the basketball over, too. … At the end of the day, I’m like, ‘Don’t turn the ball over.’ … When we don’t turn the ball over, we’re 27-0.”

Superstar Center Zach Edey addressed the disrespect he believes the Boilermakers have received from media and said it has motivated the team this season.

“When you go through what we went through last year, it either makes or breaks you.”

— James Morel

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