Zach Edey, Purdue Falls to Ohio State Despite Another Double-Double Performance
It's been a season chock full of double-doubles for Purdue's Zach Edey.
Pacing the No. 2 nationally ranked Boilermakers with a 23-3 record, the 7-foot-4, Toronto native has found himself catapulting up draft boards this season – drawing lottery discussions after opting to return to college a year ago.
Now, 19 double-double's later, the senior center is one of the most dominant forces in college basketball.
Though on Sunday afternoon, he and the Boilermakers were narrowly taken down by the Ohio State Buckeyes, 73-69.
And even through Edey's 22 points on 63.6% from the field, 13 boards and theee blocks, the Buckeyes defense was able to fluster the monstrous big to its advantage. Six turnovers – which he's had troubles with, averaging a career-high 2.4 per game on the year – bled into their efforts on defense, as he accounted for nearly half Purdue's 14 turnovers to contribute to Ohio State's 22 points off takeaways.
The Buckeyes looked to stretch the floor, only taking what's given to them in the paint and working around that to deter shot-blocking Edey, who had three blocks on the day. This approach meant that Ohio State would have to hit their shots when it mattered. Shooting 21 threes, the Buckeyes capitalized on seven of them, and bolstered that effort with a 48.3% outing from the field alongside its points generated from takeaways.
Just the Boilermakers' third loss on the season, this snapped a nine-game winning streak for Purdue. And after his 19th double-double in his senior campaign, Edey now averages 23.2 points on 61.3% shooting, 11.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game
The Wooden Award favorite sits within the top three in the nation in both scoring and rebounding, consistently attempting to prove his worth as an NBA caliber player.
As the season progresses into March, and the further they go in the tournament, it seems Edey's stock will continue to rise as he competes at this level.
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