Watch: Purdue's Zach Edey gets away with blatant traveling violation
Minnesota fell short against No. 2 Purdue Thursday night in West Lafayette, Ind., but as Gophers head coach Ben Johnson said after the game, his squad is one step closer to being a legitimate contender in the Big Ten.
"There's just one more step we need to take to be one of those top half teams in our league," Johnson said. "Games like this help our guys realize all the details that it takes to win, especially on the road."
Speaking of steps, Purdue All-American Zach Edey was given plenty of them when the officials missed one of the more obvious traveling violations you'll ever see.
In the second half, with Minnesota's Pharrel Payne and Dawson Garcia double-teaming the 7-foot-4 big man, Edey picked up his pivot foot and then shuffled his feet like he was barefoot on hot coals before passing the ball out of the trap.
Below is a blurry replay courtesy of GopherHole, though you don't need HD video to see Edey clearly travel as he sets his right foot as his pivot foot. While his left foot bounces around wildly, which he's allowed to do, he obviously takes at least one step with his pivot foot, committing a blatant traveling violation.
Here's the definition of traveling from the National Basketball Referees Association: "If a player, with the ball in his possession, raises his pivot foot off the floor, he must pass or shoot before his pivot foot returns to the floor."
The missed called didn't appear to have any real impact on the outcome of the game – an 84-76 win over the Boilermakers, who improved to 23-2 overall and 12-2 in the Big Ten.
Minnesota (15-9, 6-7) is back in action Sunday when they host Rutgers at 5:30 p.m.
Feb 15, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) passes the ball around Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Dawson Garcia (3) during the first half at Mackey Arena.
Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
