Zach Edey isn’t just dominant, he was historic in leading Purdue to the Final Four

Zach Edey has furthered his case as one of the most polarizing topics in college basketball following Sunday’s win.

Facing Tennessee, Edey and Purdue squared off with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Edey and Tennessee star Dalton Knecht traded blows time and time again, but it was Edey who came up with clutch buckets and a big-time block in the second half of a 72-66 win for the Boilermakers.

Edey’s full stat sheet is a thing of beauty. A career-high 40 points on 13-for-21 shooting to go with 16 rebounds (5 offensive boards), an assist, a steal and a game-sealing block.

In a true tale of dominance, Edey scored 55% of Purdue’s total 72 points. He also accounted for 54% of Purdue’s 24 made field goals and 66% of Purdue’s total free-throw attempts.

While Edey comes away from Sunday as the big winner, Knecht was equally magnificent for most of the game. He delivered 37 points while nearly matching Edey’s output, accounting for 56% of the Vols’ 66 points and 58% of Tennessee’s total made field goals.

Dominant and historic for Edey

That combined performance from Edey and Knecht is one for the NCAA Tournament record books. According to ESPN’s Stats and Info, it was the first-ever game in March Madness when two teams had a single player account for at least half of the team’s point total.

• Zach Edey: 40 points, 16 boards, game-clinching blocked shot

• Dalton Knecht: 37 points, six 3-pointers

The first game in NCAA Tournament history in which both teams had a single player score at least half its points, per @ESPNStatsInfo.

What a show.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 31, 2024

Sunday’s win was also Edey’s second game of this NCAA Tournament with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds. Per CBS’s broadcast, Edey is the first player since 1977 to produce multiple games with 30 points and 15 rebounds!

This time around, Edey delivered an even larger-than-life 40-point, 15-rebound performance while shooting 60%+ from the field. That’s the first time a player has achieved those numbers in an NCAA Tournament game since Elvin Hayes for Houston in 1968.

Via @ESPNStatsInfo: Zach Edey is the first player with 40 points, 15 rebounds and 60% field-goal shooting in an NCAA tournament game since Houston’s Elvin Hayes against Loyola Chicago in the 1968 First Round.

Just an all-time great performance.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 31, 2024

Tournament averages

Through 4 NCAA Tournament games this season, Edey is now averaging 30 points and 16.25 rebounds for the Boilermakers. Potentially an even better sign for Purdue, the 7-foot-4 big man is averaging 33.75 minutes per game. Edey is credited with playing all 40 minutes against Tennessee and also played 38 minutes against Gonzaga, so conditioning is not an issue.

It all sets up a potentially massive Final Four for Edey with Purdue looking like a potential challenger to UConn’s dominant postseason run. FanDuel has Edey at +230 to be the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four in Phoenix. Edey shares those top odds with UConn’s Donovan Clingan, UConn’s 7-foot-2 big man who dominated Illinois in the Elite 8.

Before we get to a potential Clingan vs. Edey showdown, the Boilermakers will have to account for the winner of the NC State vs. Duke in the national semifinals. We’ll see how Purdue and Edey approach that game after his dominance in the first 4 rounds of action.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.