The 2024 NCAA Tournament is nearing its conclusion with the Final Four tipping off this weekend from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. We saw several great individual performances over the past few weeks as the best players in the country fought tooth and nail to keep their national championship hopes alive.
With four rounds complete, we decided to recognize some of their efforts with our Pre-Final Four All-Tournament team
Pre-Final Four All-Tournament Team
Zach Edey, C, No. 1 Purdue, Midwest Region
Zach Edey has been the MVP of this entire tournament and has been the driving force behind Purdue reaching its first Final Four since 1980. He’s averaging 27.5 points and 16.3 rebounds in this tournament and stepped up with 40 and 16 in their Elite Eight victory over Tennessee on Sunday. It’s performances like that why he’s in line to join the elite fraternity of two-time national player of the year winners.
It’s been total domination for the senior from Toronto and he’ll try to keep that going when facing No. 11 NC State in the Final Four on Saturday.
Donovan Clingan, C, No. 1 UConn, East Region
UConn is a Death Star right now and it totally evaporated Illinois in a 77-52 blowout in the Elite Eight on Saturday. Every starter for the defending national champions have stepped in big in the tournament and Clingan has literally been at the center of their success. His performance against the Illini was fantastic as he offered up 22 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in the victory.
The Huskies are just two wins away from becoming the first program in 17 years to go back-to-back and the first team in their way is Alabama on Saturday.
DJ Burns, F, No. 11 NC State, South Region
NC State has undergone one of the most improbable Final Four runs in recent history and DJ Burns has been the face of this magical journey. The 6’9”, 275-pound force has put on a show with his scoring and passing abilities these past few weeks, culminating in a masterful performance against rival Duke in the Elite Eight. He dropped 29 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks against the Blue Devils, leading the Pack to their First Final Four berth since the legendary 1983 season.
We’ll see what he can do when going up against Zach Edey and Purdue on Saturday.
Mark Sears, G, No. 4 Alabama, West Region
Alabama is heading to the program’s very first Final Four in history and Mark Sears has been the driving force behind this run. The senior from Muscle Shoals has put up 24.3 ppg in the tournament and was the catalyst behind the Tide’s three-point parade against Clemson in the Elite, burying seven to send his team to Glendale.
We’ll see if he can lead Bama to an epic upset when facing defending national champion UConn on Saturday.
Dalton Knecht, G, Tennessee, Midwest Region
Knecht and Tennessee came up short against Purdue in Sunday’s Elite Eight showdown, but he went down swinging. The SEC Player of the Year dropped 37 points in the losing effort and finished his tournament averaging 26 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. If there’s any consolation for the Northern Colorado transfer, it’s that he improved his stock for the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft with his efforts in March.