Zach Edey is wrapping up his career at Purdue on the wrong side of a game, falling to UConn in Monday’s national title game. It gives the Huskies back-to-back titles under Dan Hurley and provides more historical agony for Purdue and the Big Ten as a whole.

However, even in defeat, Edey was fantastic for one final game in the NCAA Tournament. He produced 37 points and 10 rebounds to finish Purdue’s March Madness run with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in all 6 games this postseason.

Ultimately, Edey showcased he can still deliver against elite competition, consistently going against 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan throughout the game. But, the performance was a two-edged sword with the Huskies willing to trade buckets with Edey in one-on-one situations in order to protect the 3-point line.

With Edey wrapping up his time at Purdue, the question becomes about his ultimate legacy as a two-time National Player of the Year and back-to-back B1G POTY honors. Matt Painter was asked about that legacy Monday night, and he admitted Edey’s numbers against the greats illustrate Purdue’s center is “in the conversation” as the winningest player at Purdue.

“We won our league back-to-back years by multiple games. First time that’s happened in the Big Ten since I was in kindergarten,” said Painter. “We got to the championship game after having a disappointing loss, he got to a Sweet 16. He went to four tournaments.

“I think that’s always what kind of separates everybody. Everybody wants to have the argument about the G.O.A.T., who is the greatest. That’s the ultimate separator because every person in that conversation is great. I think he was great in how he did it, too.”

Painter also praised Edey for how the big man carried the burden of being really good in the age of social media. As Edey continued to dominate teams and players over the past two seasons, he generated a large group of critics and haters, some even arguing that Edey was only good because of his size.

Asked about his own perception of his legacy, Edey dismissed the notion as something that is left “for Purdue to decide.” However, he did admit one key part of his legacy involves giving everything he had every night out.

“I think for me, the big thing is you can say whatever you want about me. You can say — however I played, you can say whatever,” said Edey. “But you can never say that I didn’t give it my 100% every single time I stepped on the floor, every single time I went and practiced. That’s what I’ll always hang my hat on.”

Edey leaves elite, even without a ring

When it comes to greatness, fans traditionally rate players based on championships collected. But, even without a ring to his credit, Edey leaves with a career of historical significance for the Boilermakers.

This season, Edey joined an elite list of players to win back-to-back Naismith Awards as the top player in the country. Bill Walton (UCLA) and Ralph Sampson (Virginia) both won the award 3 times, and Sampson was the most recent to accomplish the feat in the early 1980s.

Along with the award honors, Edey’s other accomplishments are equally legendary. He’s the first player ever with 40+ points and 15+ in an Elite 8 game and the first player to lead the nation in points and reach the Final Four since 1960. He’s also the first player in over 30 years to complete a career with at least 2,500 points and 1,300 rebounds.

Then, there’s the impact Edey had on the Boilermaker program. Though a traditionally strong team under Matt Painter, Purdue is far removed from the realm of college basketball’s “blue blood” programs, and Edey certainly elevated the group during his time there.

Consider that from 1981 until this season, Purdue did not have a single Final Four appearance. All while some elite performers cycled through West Lafayette, a group that includes the likes of Glenn Robinson, Carsen Edwards, Trevion Williams, AJ Hammons, Jaden Ivey, JaJuan Johnson, Robbie Hummel, Caleb Swanigan and others.

Reaching a Final Four is not an individual accomplishment by any means, but trying to debate Edey’s impact on this year’s run would be futile. That’s partly evidenced by Edey breaking a long-time NCAA Tournament record previously held by David Robinson.

No matter how you look at Edey’s career, he comes away looking like a legendary figure in college basketball and a true mastermind of March Madness. The ring would have solidified his status among the all-time great big men, but it’s not necessary to include Edey in the discussion.