Zach Edey stats today: How did Purdue's center perform vs. Wisconsin?
Zach Edey is having yet another strong season as he's looking to lead the Purdue Boilermakers to their first national title. The 2023 consensus National Player of the Year led the No.2-ranked Boilermakers against the No.6-ranked Wisconsin Badgers on the road on Sunday.
Purdue won 75-69 to improve to 21-2 and 10-2 in Big Ten play, remaining in first place in the conference. Wisconsin, meanwhile, fell to 16-6 and 9-3 in Big Ten play, falling into a tie with the Illinois Fighting Illini for second place.
Edey finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and three blocks. The Boilermakers center shot 7-13 but was just 4-8 from the free-throw line. He broke the school record for double-doubles, though, according to Big Ten Men's Basketball, who tweeted:
"Official: Zach Edey has more double-doubles (55) than any player in Purdue history. Enjoy some of his best highlights from today's big win at No. 6 Wisconsin. ⤵️ @zach_edey x @BoilerBall"
Check out the tweet and highlights from Zach Edey's performance below:
Edey has had a storied career at Purdue, recently becoming just the sixth player in Big Ten history to reach 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
The Boilermakers host the Badgers on Mar. 10 in the final game of the Big Ten regular season, in what could be his final game at Mackey Arena.
How has Zach Edey performed in his college career?
Zach Edey joined the Purdue Boilermakers as a three-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class.
He hardly played as a true freshman, though, averaging 8.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 14.7 minutes per game, shooting 59.7% from the field and 71.4% from the free-throw line.
Edey made just 19.0 mpg in the 2021-22 season but broke out, averaging 14.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.2 spg and 1.2 bpg, shooting 64.8% from the field and 64.9% from the free-throw line.
He followed up by averaging 22.3 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.2 spg and 2.1 bpg, shooting 60.7% from the field and 73.4% from the free-throw line. The Boilermakers center was named a consensus first-team All-American and the consensus 2023 National Player of the Year.
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 the matchup averaging 23.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.2 steals and 2.3 blocks per game, shooting 63.5% from the field and 71.9% 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. Edey, though, is expected to enter the 2024 NBA Draft.