UConn Coach Dan Hurley Talks Challenges of Defending Zach Edey, Purdue

UConn coach Dan Hurley knows his team has quite a challenging in defending Purdue big man Zach Edey. But the 7-foot-4 senior isn't the only player that makes the Boilermakers so dangerous.

Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley speaks at a press conference during practice before the / Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY

On Monday night, UConn will try to win a second consecutive college basketball national championship. But standing in the way of the Huskies is one tall hurdle: Purdue center Zach Edey.

Edey has been dominant during the NCAA Tournament this year, scoring at least 20 points and grabbing at least 12 rebounds in each of the first five March Madness games. The two-time Naismith National Player of the Year has been virtually unstoppable.

UConn coach Dan Hurley knows that Edey is truly one of the most unique players in the history of college basketball.

"Yeah, you may coach or play your whole career and never coach or play against somebody of his stature. Truly a giant player," Hurley said.

The good news for UConn? It has a pretty talented big man of its own in 7-foot-2 sophomore Donovan Clingan. He might pose the biggest challenge to Edey during Purdue's impressive NCAA Tournament run.

"He's healthy. He's confident. He's playing more like a junior player. He understands the challenges that he's dealing with with Zach Edey," Hurley said. "It's a unique matchup. He's played against some outstanding centers in Soriano and Kalkbrenner. But this is a different animal and they use him in a much, much different way."

"It's going to be a heck of a challenge for our front court, for our guards, our whole team. It's going to have to take a team effort to try to slow him down a little bit."

Edey isn't the only player who makes Purdue such a dangerous team. Matt Painter has surrounded the senior center with guys who can knock down the 3-point shot consistently. The Boilermakers finished the season as the best 3-point shooting team in the country, knocking down nearly 41% of their shots from long range.

When teams double-team Edey, it often leaves players like Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Lance Jones and Mason Gillis open behind the arc.

"Yeah, you got to pick your poison. I think you got to mix things up. Single coverage for Zach Edey, it's a scary proposition, even with Donovan, 'cause he's a game changer for us at both ends of the court and on the backboard," Hurley said.

"I just think we can't give them one look. They're too good. In a lot of ways, we mirror each other. They're two or three in offense in the country, 12th in defense. There's just not a lot of holes in either team. It's NBA-level talent up and down each roster. Teams that are just well-rounded without a lot of vulnerabilities."

Monday night's championship game is a heavyweight battle between two of the best teams in college basketball. It should be a fun way to close out the season.

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