Mark Few Has Nothing But Praise For Zach Edey
Mark Few has his Gonzaga Bulldogs back in the Sweet 16 for the ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament, which is a staggering achievement. To get past that point and reach the Elite Eight for the third time in four years, they'll have to beat a familiar foe in Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers. On Tuesday, Few was effusive in his praise for the two-time All-American center.
Gonzaga faced Purdue in the Maui Invitational back in November and lost 73-63. In that game, Edey finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. The two teams also played in last season's Phil Knight Legacy tournament. The Boilermakers came out victorious 84-66 and Edey led the way again. The 7-foot-4 center scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had three blocks. Like the rest of the country, Gonzaga has yet to find an answer for the reigning national player of the year.
During an appearance on Tuesday's edition of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Few said he's never dealt with a player like Edey. His comments are in the clip below.
Few is right that Edey is something of a singular entity. Not only is he enormous, he's skilled at the little things as well. Edey is excellent at establishing post position, is solid in the pick-and-roll, has touch around the rim and shoots 71.4 percent from the free throw line. Defensively he's averaging 2.3 blocks per game but alters far more shots than that based on his presence alone.
Purdue is a tough nut for any team to crack. Few's teams have struggled to counter what Edey and his teammates can do in each of the past two seasons. That said, the Bulldogs are currently playing their best basketball of the season.
Gonzaga opened the 2023-24 campaign 11-5 before getting on track. Since a 77-76 loss to Santa Clara on January 11, the Bulldogs are 16-2 and are coming off an 89-68 demolition of Kansas in the Second Round. They're as ready as they'll ever be to reverse their fortunes against Purdue.
Few's is familiar with and respects what Edey can do. Now it's about stopping him.
Ryan Phillips is a senior writer at The Big Lead.
