EDEY’s ‘MONSTER’ GAME PROPELS PURDUE

EDEY’s ‘MONSTER’ GAME PROPELS PURDUE

by: Shawn Martin, Senior Writer

photo by: Anthony Harper/Excel H Sports/Indiana Sports Network

contributor: Cainan Harper/Excel H Sports

 

Tom Izzo is in his 28th year as Michigan State’s head basketball coach. The Hall of Famer has coached a National Champion, several Final Four teams, and is approaching 700 career wins with the Spartans.

Photo by: Anthony Harper/Excel H Sports/Indiana Sports Network

“I’ve never had a player like that”, Izzo lamented after his team was soundly defeated by the Number One ranked Purdue Boilermakers 77-61 in front of another sell out Mackey Arena crowd Sunday afternoon in the CBS leadup to the NFL Conference Championship football games.

Izzo drew laughter from the several dozen local, state, and national media that were in attendance to cover Matt Painter’s top ranked team when he described what it was like to deal with the presence of the 7 foot 4 295 pound Zach Edey, the front-runner for college basketball’s National Player of the Year. “They come down, and throw it up to this monster,” is how Izzo almost affectionately refered to Purdue’s junior Center from Toronto. “It doesn’t even have to be a good pass – can be a little off, or even bad – and he still gets it”.

Photo by: Anthony Harper/Cainan Harper/Excel H Sports/Indiana Sports Network

“He gets the ball so low, and you just can’t push him out.”

Edey scored a career high 38 points and retrieved his thirteenth rebound before Painter sent in a substitute for him the final time and allowing the WHITE OUT crowd – every seat had a white Purdue t-shirt on it for the fans to wear – to once again chant EDEY! EDEY! EDEY! He added three assists and no turnovers and a couple of blocks in an efficient 32 minutes of work.

Photo by: Anthony Harper/Excel H Sports/Indiana Sports Network

The Boilermakers (21-1, 10-1) pretty much dominated the game statically – scoring six more field goals, two more made three-point shots, eleven more rebounds – including a 12 to 2 advantage on the offensive glass. Purdue hit 29 shots on an impressive 21 assists and had just nine turnovers.

The only thing they struggled with was a poor 12-22 showing from the free-throw line.

It didn’t matter.

Both teams started somewhat slowly out of the gate and stood tied at the first media timeout at 7 each. Edey then started his domination with three made baby hooks deep in the lane fueling a 10-0 run by the Boilermakers.

After an Izzo timeout, the Spartans stalled the Purdue surge a bit, before Edey and his teammates layed another 10-zip run on Sparty and opened up the game even more. Senior guard David Jenkins Jr nailed a three at the buzzer ending the first half and Purdue headed for the lockers up 40-22.

Izzo “mentioned” something to the officials on his way to the tunnel for halftime and was given a technical foul. Purdue started the second half at the free-throw line.

Photo by: Anthony Harper/Excel H Sports/Indiana Sports Network

It is very evident that this Purdue squad is having a lot of fun playing together.

Edey was joined by Jenkins Jr and freshman guard Fletcher Loyer in the post game presser. Lots of smiles and gentle ribbing each other in answering questions. Edey referred to Jenkins Jr as “he’s old” in talking about Jenkins Jr emergence lately shooting the basketball. “He has been doing this since I was in high school.”

Loyer praised Jenkins Jr by saying “It’s obviously not easy to come in here and a freshman starts” said the freshman guard from Fort Wayne about the grad transfer most recently from Utah. “He hasn’t complained once.”

“I think it is because of how close we are off the court” Jenkins Jr said answering a question about why the chemistry is so good on this team. “We each want to see each other succeed.”

Ten Boilermakers played in the game, nine of them played eight or more minutes. Jenkins Jr had 11 points while Loyer added 9. AJ Hoggard led the Spartans (14-8, 6-5) with 20 points followed by fellow guard Jaden Akins with 12.

Photo by: Anthony Harper/Excel H Sports/Indiana Sports Network

Purdue returns to Mackey Arena Wednesday night where they will host former Purdue associate head coach Micah Shrewsberry and his Penn State team (14-7, 5-5) fresh off a 22-point shellacking of struggling Michigan Sunday. Michigan State travels to Rutgers Saturday.

The following is per Purdue University Athletics:

• Purdue improved to 21-1 overall and 10-1 in the Big Ten Conference with a 77-61 victory over Michigan State in Mackey Arena. The win was Purdue’s eighth straight victory.
• The Boilermakers move to 75-56 in the all-time series against the Spartans, taking 10 of the last 14 meetings against Michigan State. Purdue has won six straight games in Mackey Arena against the Spartans, coming by an average of 13.8 points per game.
• The game was also Purdue’s annual T-shirt game. Purdue is 9-1 in T-shirt games, winning nine straight games by an average of 14.7 points per game.
• Mackey Arena hit 123.2 decibels in the victory, the loudest recorded decibel reading in Mackey Arena. The contest was the first home game in school history as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team with The Paint Crew in attendance.
• With the season sweep of Michigan State, Purdue has swept the season series with the two Michigan schools (min. 3 games) for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
• With losses this week, Purdue now owns the fifth-longest winning streak in the country (8).
• The 21-1 start is the best start by a Big Ten team since Ohio State started the 2010-11 season with a 24-0 record. It marks just the fourth time since 2000 that a Big Ten team has started 21-1 (2011 Ohio State, 2007 Wisconsin, 2005 Illinois).
• Since the start of last season, Purdue owns a 50-9 record, becoming the fourth school to win 50 games since the start of last year (Arizona – 52; Houston – 52; Kansas – 51; Purdue – 50).
• Purdue’s 10-1 start in league play is the Boilermakers’ best since the 2017-18 team started 12-0 in league play. Purdue has started 10-1 or better six times (2023, 2018, 2008, 1988, 1984, 1969).
• Michigan State scored just 61 points, the 23^rd straight opponent held to 70 or fewer points, tied for the longest streak in the country (Saint Mary’s).
• Purdue has won 41 straight games when scoring 70 or more points.
• Purdue won the turnover and rebound battle against Michigan State for the sixth time this season. The Boilermakers are 144-15 under Coach Painter when doing so. Purdue has won 17 straight games when turning the ball over nine times or less.
• Zach Edey scored a career-high 38 points with 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block in the win over Michigan State. He is the first Purdue player (second player in school history) to have at least 38 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists in a game since Glenn Robinson had 41-13-3 vs. Portland (Nov. 27, 1993).
• Edey recorded his 17^th double-double of the season, good for seventh on the single-season list. His 29 career double-doubles ranks seventh all-time.
• Based on a 35-game season, Edey is on pace for 775 points, 453 rebounds and 77 blocked shots. The only player we can find in the sports-reference database to have at least 750 points, 450 rebounds and 75 blocked shots in a season is Navy’s David Robinson in 1986 (796-455-207).
• David Jenkins Jr., scored 11 points with two rebounds, going 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Over the last three games, Jenkins Jr., is 6-of-8 from 3-point range.