What's at stake for each team in this year's Elite Eight

At least one program is guaranteed its first Final Four appearance this year and two others could make it to the national semifinals for the first time since the 1980s. Plenty is at stake when the Elite Eight tips off on Saturday night – even for UConn, which is attempting to accomplish something that hasn't been done in almost 20 years.

Here's a look at what each team left in the men's NCAA Tournament is playing for when they tip off in the Elite Eight.

Connecticut

Last Final Four: 2023

UConn seeks to become the first team since North Carolina (2016-17) to make consecutive Final Fours. As strong as the Huskies have looked through three games, they are capable of more. Florida was the last team to win back-to-back national titles (2006-07), which is where UConn appears to be headed.

In the Sweet 16, Connecticut defeated San Diego State, 82-52, in a rematch of the 2023 national finals. Through three tournament games, the Huskies have won by nearly 29 points per game, an average score of 82.7-54.

Duke

Last Final Four: 2022

The Blue Devils are in the Elite Eight for the fourth time since winning their last national title in 2016. They went 1-2 over their first three appearances in that space, winning their most recent regional final in 2022 (former head coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season). Four players remain from that squad, but only senior guard Jeremy Roach receives substantial playing time. He's second on the team in scoring, averaging 14 points per game.

Illinois

Last Final Four: 2005

Illinois has made it to the Elite Eight for just the third time this century. The last time it did, in 2005, the Illini rolled all the way to the national championship game. This year will be slightly more challenging with UConn looming in the regional finals. But the Fighting Illini have size in the front court with Coleman Hawkins, a 6-foot-10 stretch big who's hitting on 37.9% of his threes, which could allow them to match-up well with Huskies center Donovan Clingan.

NC State

Last Final Four: 1983

The Wolfpack are the closest thing to a Cinderella left in the field. An 11-seed entering the tourney, NC State has won eight in a row after beginning the ACC Tournament on a four-game losing streak. With a win over Duke, the program would head to its first Final Four since winning the tournament in 1983.

Center DJ Burns and guard DJ Horne have been excellent during the team's current run. In the Sweet 16 against Marquette, Horne hit four threes, improving his season average to 41.1% from deep. Burns was quiet against Marquette but is averaging 14.7 points per game while shooting 66.7% from the field.

Purdue

Last Final Four: 1980

Purdue got one step closer to redemption with an emphatic 80-68 win over Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. One year after becoming the second 1-seed in tournament history to lose in the first round, Purdue is a win away from its first Final Four in 44 years. The program has never won a national title.

Center Zach Edey is in line to win his second consecutive Associated Press National Player of the Year award and has been dominant in through the first three rounds of the tournament, where he's averaging 26.7 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. The Boilermakers aren't strictly confined to Edey's production. They're also the best three-point shooting team in the country, making 41% of their attempts.

Alabama / Clemson / Tennessee

Last Final Four: N/A

The winner of Alabama-Clemson is guaranteed its first Final Four in program history while Tennessee must get past Purdue to make its first. Alabama, like Purdue, is trying to finish what it started last year when it entered the 2023 NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed but lost in the Sweet 16.

Meanwhile, Clemson was a popular pick to lose in the first round of this year's tournament to New Mexico after falling to Boston College by 21 in the ACC Tournament. Instead, it has been a part of the ACC's revenge tour with three of the final eight teams in the field.

The Vols are led by their defense, which ranks third in adjusted defensive efficiency and fifth in effective field goal percentage allowed, per KenPom. SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht is averaging 22.3 points per game in the tournament, including a game-high 26 points against Creighton in the Sweet 16.