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Earlier this season, the Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 73-63 in the Maui Invitational. Zach Edey led all scorers with 25 points and 14 rebounds. On Friday night, the two teams face off to head to the Elite Eight.
Edey has dominated every opponent this season. He’s scored at least twenty points in seventeen of Purdue’s last nineteen games. Between the Big Ten Tournament and two NCAA Tournament games, he’s averaging 27.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game.
Alan Karpick, president and publisher of GoldAndBlack.com joined Query & Company on Monday afternoon to access how dialed in the Purdue big man is right now.
“He’s very very focused. I think he’s stepped it up mentally. I think he has learned you always thing about the big guys not being great leaders, and I think this guy is a great leader. Edey has just shown that he’s going to lead this team come hell or high water. You’re going to have to knock this chip off his seven-foot-four shoulder. He’s playing about as well as he can.” Karpick stated.
When watching Purdue’s first game against Grambling State, there was nothing that could stop him. He became the first player since March 18th, 1995 to score 30+ points while grabbing 20+ rebounds in a NCAA Tournament game.
In Purdue’s second tournament game, he wasn’t needed in the second half. Matt Painter’s team erupted for 57 points against Utah State, but he only scored two points. His final stat line of 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks could have been even bigger if he was needed.
Gonzaga’s Graham Ike could make it challenging for Edey in the Sweet Sixteen contest, but that’s hard to believe considering nobody has been able to make things challenging for him this year.
Last year, Purdue defeated Gonzaga 84-66 in the fourth game of the season. Edey registered 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the win.
Purdue will look to remain undefeated against Gonzaga on Friday night. Tip-off between the Boilermakers and Bulldogs is set for 7:39pm from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
To listen to Jake Query and Jimmy Cook’s conversation with Alan Karpick, download the podcast containing the conversation below! You can always listen to the Query & Company from 12pm-3pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan. You can also watch and interact with the show by going to the 107.5 The Fan YouTube Channel.
