Big Ten Daily (Jan. 21): Zach Edey Records 3rd Straight 30-Point Double-Double
Zach Edey has been a man on a mission ever since Purdue's loss to Nebraska. The 7-foot-4 center recorded a third straight 30-point double-double on Saturday, leading the Boilermakers to an 84-70 win over Iowa on the road.
Edey ended Saturday's contest with 30 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks and two assists. He was also incredibly efficient, making 10-of-15 shots from the floor and connecting on 10-of-15 free throw attempts.
In Purdue's loss to the Nebraska on Jan. 9, Edey was contained to just 15 points and seven rebounds. The Huskers pulled off an impressive 88-72 upset. Ever since that game, Edey has been dominant.
He's scored at least 30 points in each of Purdue's last three games against Penn State, Indiana and Iowa. He's posted a double-double in each contest:
- Jan. 13 vs. Penn State: 30 points, 20 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 assists
- Jan. 16 vs. Indiana: 33 points, 14 rebounds, 1 block, 0 assists
- Jan. 20 vs. Iowa: 30 points, 18 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists
"It's pretty cool, obviously scoring 30 is really good," Edey said of his recent run of dominance.
With Edey's recent string of success, he joined elite company on Saturday. He became the first Purdue men's basketball player to score 30 points in three straight games since Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson did it during the 1993-94 season.
Purdue entered this week with struggles on the road, posting just a 1-2 record in the Big Ten away from Mackey Arena. Getting wins in Bloomington and Iowa City should serve as a huge boost for the Boilermakers moving forward.
Especially if Edey continues this impressive run.
Nebraska Snaps Another Streak
This is the year that Fred Hoiberg and the Huskers are snapping all their unfortunate losing streaks. Nebraska put another one to bed on Saturday with a 75-69 victory over Northwestern.
Josiah Allick scored 15 points and Keisei Tominaga hit a clutch 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds, leading Nebraska to a win. Not only did that end a two-game losing skid for the Huskers, it also snapped a seven-game losing streak to Northwestern.
That's the third lengthy losing streak the Huskers have snapped against a single opponent this year:
- 11 games to Michigan State (def. Spartans 77-70 on Dec. 10)
- 7 games to Indiana (def. Hoosiers 86-70 on Jan. 3)
- 7 games to Northwestern (def. Wildcats 75-69 on Jan. 20)
Additionally, Nebraska's win over Purdue on Jan. 9 marked the first time the program had a win over a No. 1 team since 1982 (Missouri).
If this is really a season for ending droughts in Lincoln, could this finally be the year Nebraska posts its first NCAA Tournament win?
Tamar Bates Posts Career High
A former Indiana basketball player is having the best run of his college career. Tamar Bates, who transferred to Missouri after two seasons with the Hoosiers, put up 36 points in Saturday's game against Florida.
That total was a career-best for the former Hoosier. Unfortunately, that stellar performance came in a losing effort, with Florida defeating Missouri 79-67.
Still, Bates has put together an impressive run over the last six games. He's scored at least 12 points in each contest and posted 18 points or more four times.
Over the course of his two seasons at Indiana, Bates averaged just 5.1 points per game. In his first season at Missouri, he's averaging 12.7 points per contest, which ranks second on the team.
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