‘UConn has arrived in Phoenix.’ Can anyone stop them?

The Buzzer Final Four preview, with insight from coaches who have played all four teams before

One of the greatest ever Final Four press release emails came in at 6:27 a.m. ET, 3:27 a.m. local (PT), headlined: “UConn MBB Has Arrived in Phoenix.”

Under normal circumstances, this sort of thing wouldn’t warrant a notification to media; the other three Final Four participants arrived without incident. UConn, on the other hand, had NCAA-chartered plane delays, issues that caused some of the more very normal segments of the fan base who definitely have the same very normal brain chemistry as UConn coach Dan Hurley to stay up all night and track UConn’s flight. The Huskies arrived early in the morning in any US time zone, well past schedule, and as a result had most of their media duties for Thursday canceled. They were tired, as were fans.

“I think what goes through your mind once you're done kind of complaining and cursing and muttering, you just start saying to yourself, like, you don't really deserve to show entitlement,” Hurley, who still came to his press conference Thursday, said. “It’s such an honor to get a chance, a once-in-a-lifetime experience to play in a Final Four, to coach in a Final Four. Once that edge wore off, (you’re) lucky to be here.”

And so it is. The inaugural season of Buzzer’s existence has been one of anxiety and gratitude, of stress and satisfaction. The readers of this newsletter — Founding Members, paid subscribers and nearly six thousand email recipients in all — have showed up in truly unexpected numbers to support this stuff. As the head coach of the overwhelming national title favorite alluded to, you can quibble with the details, and get mad about the micro, or you can acknowledge how profoundly lucky you are and then get on with the thing that you want to do.

The thing that we want to do, here, namely, is preview the Final Four, with some help from assistant coaches who played both teams in each of Saturday’s matchups. So let’s do it.

Before we do, though, a quick reminder: Tomorrow we will have a live chat all day leading into and throughout the Final Four. The chats have been very active and super fun, especially during the tournament, with a fantastic, hoops-smart community, so come join. (Or don’t. That’s your choice, man.)

No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 11 NC State

The Prep

“There is no right way to guard Zach Edey.” This is the consensus prescription, related by Marquette assistant Neill Berry, that every experienced coach understands and has long since internalized, and that Big Ten assistants are currently nodding to while shaking in the fetal position in the corners of their respective Phoenix hotel rooms.

What on Earth are you supposed to do with this guy? The answer is nothing. Not much, anyway. There is no scouting Edey. There is only Edey.

Marquette played Purdue, and nearly beat Purdue, at the Maui Invitational in November, a game played on a day’s notice for both coaching staffs at the start of the season and thus not necessarily a tactical masterclass. Still: Marquette did fine! The Golden Eagles scored 1.10 points per trip despite not shooting from the perimeter very well (5-for-17, an early season affliction that would carry over for months, and into the Sweet 16 loss to NC State). But yeah: Edey scored 28 points on 19 field goals and grabbed 15 rebounds. Purdue won. It was one of many such performances to come.

“You can double him, and he’s 7-foot-4, and he just passes over it,” Berry said. “Or there are times where you plan on doubling and he catches it so deep the double can’t even get there.”

What’s more: Throughout the past two seasons, Purdue coach Matt Painter has become much more adept at using Edey in ways that aren’t as simple or obvious as just throwing it into the post and unpicking a double team. Edey’s usefulness as a screener in ball screens — which Painter talked about at length on Thursday — opens up Purdue’s entire attack.