Zach Edey stats: How did the Purdue Boilermakers star perform against Michigan?
Zach Edey is in the midst of yet another strong season as he's looking to lead the Purdue Boilermakers to their first national title in program history. The 2023 consensus National Player of the Year led the No.3-ranked Boilermakers against the struggling Michigan Wolverines on the road on Sunday.
Purdue won 84-76 to improve to 25-3 and 14-3 in Big Ten play, remaining in first place in the conference. Michigan, meanwhile, fell to 8-20 and 3-13 in Big Ten play, remaining in last place in the standings.
Edey had a monster performance as he finished with 35 points, 15 rebounds and two assists. The Boilermakers center shot 14-18 from the field and was just 7-11 from the free-throw line.
Zach Edey has had a storied career at Purdue as he recently became just the sixth player in Big Ten history to reach 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. The Boilermakers have just three games remaining in the regular season before the Big Ten Tournament where they will look to lock up a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
How has Zach Edey performed in his college career?
Zach Edey joined the Purdue Boilermakers as an unheralded three-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. He did not play much as a true freshman, however, he averaged 8.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in just 14.7 minutes per game while shooting 59.7% from the field and 71.4% from the free-throw line.
Edey played just 19.0 mpg in the 2021-22 season but it was a breakout season as he averaged 14.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.2 spg and 1.2 bpg while shooting 64.8% from the field and 64.9% from the free-throw line.
He followed that up by averaging 22.3 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.2 spg and 2.1 bpg while shooting 60.7% from the field and 73.4% from the free-throw line as a junior in 2022-23. The Boilermakers center was named the consensus 2023 National Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American.
Following the season, Edey declared for the 2023 NBA Draft while retaining his college eligibility but returned to Purdue for his senior season. He entered today's matchup averaging 23.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.3 steals and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 61.9% from the field and 72.2% from the free-throw line.
He has the option to return for a fifth season due to the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Zach Edey, though, is expected to conclude his collegiate career and enter the 2024 NBA Draft.