Purdue And Zach Edey Too Tall For North 'Cinderella' State At Final Four

North Cinderella State just got clocked.

No. 1-seed Purdue is one win away from completely erasing its embarrassing upset to No. 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson last year in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Purdue 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey became Captain Midnight personified as he ended No. 11-seed North Carolina State's Cinderella ride with a 63-50 clobbering Saturday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Purdue center Zach Edey rises above all as he grabs a rebound in the second half of the Boilermakers' win over North Carolina State Saturday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona at the Final Four. (Getty Images)

The Boilermakers (34-4), playing in their first Final Four since 1980, have reached their first national championship game since losing in it in 1969. They can win their first national title in school history on Monday (9:20 p.m., TBS) with a win over the winner of Saturday's late game between No. 1 seed and defending national champion Connecticut (35-3) and No. 4 seed Alabama (25-11).

"It's the one we've been talking about all year and for four years now," Edey said after scoring 20 points with 12 rebounds and four assists for his fifth double-double of the NCAA Tournament. He towered over announcer Tracy Wolfson in the interview. She came up to his number.

Purdue's Zach Edey Dominated North Carolina State's DJ Burns

Edey became just the second player in Final Four history to score 20 points with 10 rebounds and four assists after Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony in 2003. His duel with North Carolina State 6-9 center DJ Burns never materialized as Burns could not stop Edey and scored only eight points on 4-of-10 shooting with but one rebound.

The Wolfpack's incredible nine-game winning streak - five in five days at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament to get the NCAA Tournament bid and four in it - ended as their season closed at 26-15.

Purdue fans celebrate their team's win over North Carolina State in a national semifinal at the Final Four Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona. (Getty Images)

"We wanted to do some stuff to make him uncomfortable," Edey said of Burns. "I think we did a good job."

Purdue never trailed, led 35-29 at the half and eventually blew North Carolina State away late.

"It feels great," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "Zach didn't come back to win a couple games in the NCAA Tournament. He came back to compete for a national championship. Obviously, we're here now."