In Indianapolis, Zach Edey and Purdue took a big step towards their goal. They played really well, but for them it was just one step in the right direction.
They want more.
Edey explained, “I'm not satisfied with just making it to the Sweet 16. I want to go further, deep into the tournament.”
So far, everything is going well.
Edey scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, helping the Boilermakers beat Utah State 106-67 and advance to the NCAA Tournament's second weekend.
Trey Kaufman-Renn added 18 points and eight rebounds for Purdue (31-7), which set a new school record for wins in a season. Fletcher Loyer scored 15 points, and Braden Smith provided six assists in the second half when the Boilermakers made 65.2% of their shots before resting their starting players.
Purdue also set a school record for the most points in a March Madness game. Edey also achieved a personal milestone by becoming the first player since Lew Alcindor in 1968 to have at least 50 points, 35 rebounds, and a 65.0 field goal percentage in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
Next, they will face fifth-seeded Gonzaga in the Midwest Region semifinals in Detroit.
Edey emphasized, “We are not content with where we are right now.”
Great Osodor, the Mountain West Player of the Year, scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds for Utah State. The Aggies (28-7) were outrebounded 49-26, and they went back home still trying to reach the program’s first regional semifinal since 1970.
The main reason was Edey, who once again played exceptionally well in Indianapolis, just 60 miles away from his campus.
Only two days after achieving the first 30-point, 20-rebound NCAA Tournament game since 1995, Edey made 8 of 11 field goals and 7 of 8 free throws. The 7-foot-4, 300-pound center also had three blocks, three assists, and two steals in 26 1/2 minutes.
According to OptaSTATS, he became the first player with three consecutive NCAA tournament games with at least 20 points and three blocks since Shaquille O’Neal for LSU in the 1991 and 1992 tournaments.
Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle praised Zach Edey, saying, “He's a special player. There haven't been many players like him in college basketball history. That's why I believe they can reach a higher level. We told our players that Zach Edey is obviously a national player of the year, but they have other really good players that we can't ignore.”
If Purdue wins their next game, it will be their first Elite Eight since 2019, when they lost in overtime to eventual national champion Virginia — one year after the Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, UMBC.
With Edey leading the team, the Boilermakers are hoping to follow the same path as the Cavaliers did when they won the championship. If Loyer and Smith perform as well as they did against the Aggies, they will be a very tough team to beat this time.
Edey said, “We have a really deep team. When I was substituted, the team played well. When Braden was substituted, the team played well. We have many players who can sustain a high level of play.”
Utah State tried everything to stop Edey. They sent multiple players to guard him, used physical play, and tried to frustrate him. But nothing worked.
The native of Toronto received eight fouls, seven in the first half and four in the opening minutes, which led to two Utah State starters being benched.
Edey easily dominated the center, scoring the first four points in a crucial 16-0 burst that concluded with Purdue holding a 39-24 lead. Then the 3-point shooters started performing well, leading to a 20-6 run at the beginning of the second half, which increased a 49-33 halftime lead to 69-39.
“Today was a great day for us,” stated Purdue coach Matt Painter. “Once we settled into the game, we were able to position Zach near the rim. That was too much for them, and then we balanced some things out.”
ON THE RECORD
Sprinkle was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year after guiding a team with three returning players — none of whom scored in 2022-23 — to the regular-season conference title. One of the players he brought with him from Montana State, point guard Darius Brown II, had four assists to break a tie with Kris Clark for the Aggies’ single-season record. Brown finished with 228.
“To me, everything feels like a storybook ending,” said Brown, who participated in two consecutive NCAA tournaments with two different teams.
UP NEXT
The Purdue-Gonzaga game is a rematch from November in the Maui Invitational. Purdue won that game 73-63.
