The Final Four is officially set and will kick off on Saturday for the men's tournament. Purdue faces NC State as UConn tries to win another national title with a Final Four clash against Alabama. The Purdue-NC State showdown will be fun to see as the 11-seed Wolfpack continues their improbable run through March Madness.
On the other hand, Zach Edey has been dominant and has become the center point of NBA Draft discussions due to his wide array of profiles. For the NC State basketball team, the story has been DJ Burns, who has become a national sensation and has even caught the attention of NFL scouts.
However, if the Wolfpack want to get past mighty Purdue and make the national title game, they need somebody besides Burns to step up. So, who is the X-factor besides DJ Burns?
Mohamed Diarra is the X-factor for NC State
There are a ton of players who have stepped up for the NC State basketball team during this improbable run. The Wolfpack won five games in five days in the ACC Tournament to earn the automatic bid. They then won against Texas Tech, Oakland, Marquette, and Duke (whom they beat in the ACC Tournament) to get to the Final Four.
It has been a complete team effort with different guys stepping up each night. But, the time is now for Mohamed Diarra to show his talent on the national level. The 6-foot-10 junior from Montreuil, France has to find a way to limit Zach Edey as best as he can.
When you look at Diarra's numbers from the year, they aren't eye-popping. He averaged just 5.4 PPG with 6.6 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per contest. However, since the game against Syracuse in the ACC Tournament, here are Diarra's numbers:
- Vs. Syracuse: 8 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists
- Vs. Duke: 14 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks
- Vs. Virginia: 9 points, 12 rebounds
- Vs. North Carolina: 11 points, 14 rebounds
- Vs. Texas Tech: 17 points, 12 rebounds
- Vs. Oakland: 11 points, 13 rebounds
- Vs. Marquette: 11 points, 15 rebounds
- Vs. Duke: 3 points, 7 rebounds (4 fouls, played just 22 minutes)
During this March run, his worst statistical output came in the Elite Eight game against Duke, although he battled foul trouble and was unable to pay more than 22 minutes. On the other hand, Diarra was the primary defender on future NBA lottery pick Kyle Filipowski, who went just 3-12 from the field and had five fouls of his own in that game.
In the Sweet 16 win over Marquette, Diarra's defense and inside presence sure threw fits for the Golden Eagles.
It has been an unreal performance for Diarra so far in March Madness, and he will look to continue that level of play on the biggest stage yet.
Mohamed Diarra labeled as an “unsung hero”
Yes, DJ Burns has gotten most of the hype for the NC State basketball team, but what Mohamed Diarra has done over the past few weeks is noteworthy. And, against a team as talented as Purdue, and Zach Edey who had 40 points and 16 rebounds in the Elite Eight win over Tennessee, Diarra will need to be. a huge force inside and on the glass if the Wolfpack want a chance to win this game.
Moreover, Diarra has gotten a ton of respect from analysts everywhere, even being labeled NC State's ‘unsung hero' by The Field of 68:
“DJ Burns a matchup nightmare…Mohamed Diarra is the unsung hero of that team because he boards so well and does so many different things for that squad…It's the other things, the winning things, that don't necessarily show up on the stat sheet.”
If the NC State basketball team wants to keep this unreal streak going, Mohamed Diarra will need to play at a high level.
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