Every once in a while, after you type words about Zach Edey and tweet them to the world, somebody will jump in your mentions and claim that the Purdue star isn’t actually great at basketball as much as he’s “just really tall.” Obviously, I think most people realize that’s a silly opinion to hold. But if you’re one of the folks subscribing to such nonsense, here’s a question: Why wasn’t Tacko Fall, who is also really tall, a two-time national player of the year?
Answer: Because, with all due respect to the UCF legend, Fall wasn’t anywhere close to Edey as a player despite also being really tall — and actually even taller! Once you acknowledge that truth, you have to also acknowledge that what Edey is doing consistently isn’t simply a byproduct of the 7-foot-4 center being physically overwhelming for nearly everybody he encounters at this level. It’s partly that, sure. But Edey’s dominance is mostly the result of hard work and development that’s made him so clearly the best college basketball player in the country — and all of that was on display again Saturday when the reigning CBS Sports National Player of the Year finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in a 79-59 win over Indiana that keeps the Boilermakers No. 1 in Sunday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings for the 31st consecutive day.
Edey also buried his first career 3-pointer. He’s now 1 of 2 from beyond the arc in 123 games at Purdue.
“I’m going to go look for [the game ball]” Edey said afterward.
I know some might point out that Edey’s latest dominant performance merely came against the fourth-best team in the state of Indiana and a program that’s about to finish lower than it started at KenPom.com for the third straight year under third-year coach Mike Woodson — and that’s all true. I can’t argue with facts. But another fact is that Edey does this against basically everybody.
He got 28 points and 15 rebounds against the Marquette team that’s No. 4 in the Top 25 And 1. He got 22 points and nine rebounds against the Arizona team that’s No. 5 in the Top 25 And 1. He got 23 points and 10 rebounds against the Tennessee team that’s No. 8 in the Top 25 And 1. He got 25 points and 14 rebounds against the Gonzaga team that just won at Kentucky. So now he’s averaging 23.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on the season while shooting 62.3% from the field for a team that’s a national-best 15-2 inside of the first two quadrants.
Bottom line, what Edey is doing game after game, regardless of the competition, is wildly unusual. It should be applauded, not discounted, because he’s about to be the first back-to-back Wooden Award winner since Virginia’s Ralph Sampson won the trophy in both 1982 and 1983, and the voting shouldn’t really even be close as Edey continues to shine and headline the team that still has the best resume in the sport and remains the favorite to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament (according to FanDuel Sportsbook) despite not being ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers 6 Washington State 6 Wisconsin Rk Teams Chg Rcrd 1 Purdue Zach Edey finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s 79-59 win over Indiana. The Boilermakers’ next game is Thursday against Minnesota. — 22-2 2 UConn Alex Karaban finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday’s 89-64 win at Georgetown. The Huskies’ next game is Wednesday at DePaul. — 22-2 3 Houston J’wan Roberts finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Saturday’s 67-62 win at Cincinnati. The Cougars’ next game is Saturday against Texas. — 21-3 4 Marquette Tyler Kolek finished with 27 points and 13 assists in Saturday’s 86-75 win over St. John’s. The Golden Eagles’ next game is Tuesday at Butler. 1 18-5 5 Arizona Caleb Love finished with 19 points and three assists in Saturday’s 99-79 win at Colorado. The Wildcats’ next game is Saturday against Arizona State. 2 19-5 6 N. Carolina RJ Davis finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s 75-72 win at Miami. The Tar Heels’ next game is Tuesday at Syracuse. — 19-5 7 Kansas Hunter Dickinson finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s 64-61 win over Baylor. The Jayhawks’ next game is Monday at Texas Tech. 1 19-5 8 Tennessee Santiago Vescovi was 1 of 6 from the field in Saturday’s 85-69 loss at Texas A&M. The Vols’ next game is Wednesday at Arkansas. 4 17-6 9 Baylor RayJ Dennis was 1 of 5 from the field in Saturday’s 64-61 loss at Kansas. The Bears’ next game is Tuesday against Oklahoma. — 17-6 10 Iowa St. Tre King finished with 15 points and three rebounds in Saturday’s 71-59 win over TCU. The Cyclones’ next game is Tuesday at Cincinnati. 1 18-5 11 South Carolina Collin Murray-Boyles finished with 31 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s 75-60 win over Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks’ next game is Wednesday at Auburn. 1 21-3 12 Duke Jared McCain finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s 80-65 win over Boston College. The Blue Devils’ next game is Monday against Wake Forest. 3 18-5 13 Dayton Kobe Elvis was 0 o 6 from the field in Friday’s 49-47 loss at VCU. The Flyers’ next game is Tuesday against Duquesne. — 19-4 14 Auburn Auburn had 15 turnovers and nine assists in Saturday’s 81-65 loss at Florida. The Tigers’ next game is Wednesday against South Carolina. 4 19-5 15 Alabama Mark Sears finished with 23 points and five assists in Saturday’s 109-92 with at LSU. The Crimson Tide’s next game is Saturday against Texas A&M. 2 17-7 16 Colo. St. Rashaan Mbemba finished with 13 points and three rebounds in Friday’s 66-47 win over San Jose State. The Rams’ next game is Tuesday at San Diego State. 2 19-5 17 Illinois Illinois allowed Michigan State to shoot 52.7% from the field in Saturday’s 88-80 loss at Michigan State. The Illini’s next game is Tuesday against Michigan. 1 17-6 18 Oklahoma Jalon Moore finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in Saturday’s 66-62 win over Oklahoma State. The Sooners’ next game is Tuesday at Baylor. 1 18-6 19 Indiana St. Ryan Conwell finished with 24 points and four rebounds in Saturday’s 73-71 win at Missouri State. The Sycamores’ next game is Tuesday against Illinois State. 1 22-3 20 Wisconsin Max Klesmit was 1 of 7 from the field in Saturday’s 78-56 loss at Rutgers. The Badgers’ next game is Tuesday against Ohio State. 6 16-8 21 Washington St. Myles Rice finished with 21 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s 62-56 win at Oregon. The Cougars’ next game is Thursday against Cal. NR 18-6 22 San Diego St. Micah Parrish was 2 of 11 from the field in Friday’s 70-66 loss at Nevada. The Aztecs’ next game is Tuesday against Colorado State. — 18-6 23 BYU Jaxson Robinson finished with 12 points and two assists in Saturday’s 72-66 win over Kansas State. The Cougars’ next game is Tuesday against UCF. — 17-6 24 Saint Mary’s Aidan Mahaney finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s 76-51 win at Portland. The Gaels’ next game is Thursday against Pepperdine. — 20-6 25 Virginia Isaac McKneely finished with 29 points and five rebounds in Saturday’s 80-76 win at Florida State. The Cavaliers’ next game is Tuesday against Pitt. — 19-5 26 Clemson PJ Hall finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s 77-68 win at Syracuse. The Tigers’ next game is Wednesday against Miami. — 16-7
In: Washington State | Out: New Mexico
College basketball rankings: Purdue’s Zach Edey hits first 3-pointer, likely to win player of the year again
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