Zach Edey Barrels Through Volunteers, Scores 40 as Boilermakers Take Midwest Region

Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel, USA TODAY Sports

Zach Edey simply proved to be too difficult of a matchup for the Tennessee Volunteers, as the Purdue Boilermakers(33-4) took down the Tennessee Volunteers(27-9) by a score of 72-66, as provided by ESPN. Purdue advances in the Tournament, hoping to continue their Tournament success against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in Arizona.

Jonas Aidoo, JP Estrella, and Tobe Awaka were all thrown against Zach Edey in an attempt to stop the Boilermaker Center from getting to the rim. The result: Tobe Awaka fouling out, and Edey going 13-21 from the field, using his 61.9% field goal percentage to drag his team to a Final Four appearance. 

Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel, USA TODAY Sports

Edey not only dominated through his scoring, but put up impressive numbers on the defensive end, grabbing 16 boards. Though his poor free throw numbers may be a concern going forward(Edey shot 14-22 from the stripe), Edey’s ability to generate mismatches against nearly every opposing player is a strong suit the Boilermakers must exploit if they have any hope of winning a national championship. Furthermore, understanding that this impressive production cannot be expected nightly, it is up to Matt Painter’s other starters and bench to produce, as Purdue’s bench didn’t score a single point in the matchup against Tennessee.

Photo Credit: Brianna Paciorka, Knoxville News Sentinel

While Purdue’s impressive showing knocked Tennessee out of the Tournament, Dalton Knecht’s performance against the Boilermakers cannot be ignored by NBA scouts. The Colorado product hit six of his 12 three-point attempts and went 14-31 from the field, scoring a total of 37 points according to the official box score on ESPN. Though his career at Tennessee is likely over, Knecht hopes to continue his success in the NBA.

Purdue, while currently celebrating their Elite Eight victory, has a matchup against the North Carolina State Wolfpack that cannot be underestimated, as Kevin Keatts’s squad has not lost a game since March 9th. If DJ Horne and DJ Burns Jr. continue their recent success, the Wolfpack could provide a tougher matchup to the Boilermakers than the spread indicates.