GLENDALE, Ariz. — Zach Edey spent the entire season as the dominant presence at the center of Purdue’s effort to reach new heights.
His space-consuming presence, his scoring close to the basket, his ability to use his length to score over defenders — he utilized all of that to bring the Boilermakers within 40 minutes of their first national title. However, the 7-foot-4 star and two-time Associated Press national player of the year couldn't propel the Boilermakers past a strong UConn team on its way to making history.
Edey ended the game with 37 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots in Monday night’s 75-60 loss to the Huskies, who became the first team to win the men’s championship in 17 years.
He fought all the way, both in an individual battle against a strong post presence in the 7-2 Donovan Clingan as well as constant defensive attention and frequent double-team help. And he kept running the court to score in the dwindling hope of a miracle, even as UConn had turned this matchup into another double-digit win.
But he largely fought this one alone, with only Braden Smith (12 points) reaching double figures along with him.
Ultimately, Edey could only walk sadly off the court and begin the long walk to the locker room as the Huskies celebrated their win on Monday night. He paused to shake a few hands, then extended his left arm to give a gentle high-five to a fan in the stands above him.
After that, it was as if he was struggling to keep his composure. He placed both hands on his head as he walked, then quickly put them back at his sides. As he got closer to the locker-room doors, he grasped the front of his jersey with his right fist.
And when he went through them, he pulled the front of his jersey up over his face as he disappeared into the locker room.
This was not at all the ending he had imagined, especially after getting Purdue to its first trip to the title game since its only other appearance: a loss to John Wooden and UCLA in 1969.
Edey entered the game averaging a national-best 24.9 points while ranking second with 12.2 rebounds, and he also ranked among the national leaders in shooting percentage (.625) and blocks (2.16).
He got off to a quick start on Monday against Clingan, making 7 of 9 shots for 16 points in the first 14 minutes. He also displayed a bit of aggressiveness with UConn’s Dan Hurley at one point, exchanging words with the coach after he had approached the middle of the court to complain during a timeout about a lack of an illegal-screen call on Edey.
But Clingan and backup Samson Johnson started to have more success holding their ground against Edey’s variety of hook shots and turnarounds, and Edey surprisingly went without a basket from the 5:47 mark of the first half until scoring on a goaltending call with 13:39 left.
At that point, with Purdue receiving little contribution from its backcourt, the Boilermakers found themselves trailing 47-38 and facing a tough challenge against a team that seemed like the favorite to win the championship from the moment the brackets were revealed.
Edey continued to run up and down the court and hustling, making several baskets late in a last-ditch effort to prolong the game.
Finally, coach Matt Painter had seen enough, removing Edey for the last time with 36 seconds remaining and UConn ahead by 15. He gave a strong pat on the back to Edey, who walked to the bench to acknowledge the rest of his teammates.
From that point, he could only stand at the edge of the court as the final moments passed by in Purdue’s most successful season, giving him a clear view of UConn’s players rushing to midcourt to celebrate with each other as the confetti descended from above.
