2024 March Madness Tournament Round of 32 Day Two: Midwest Region
Indianapolis - Grant Osobor. Zach Edey. These two big men won Play of the Year in their respective conferences and showcased their elite basketball skills this afternoon. Osobor just did not have enough talent around him to pull off the upset. Purdue steamrolled through Utah State 106-67. Isaac Johnson, the starting center for the Aggies, picked up two fouls before the under-16 media timeout trying to defend Edey. This was bad news for Utah St as they do not have extreme depth in this position. Kalifa Sako checked into the game for Johnson and then he picked up two fouls trying to guard Trey Kaufman-Renn. Kaufmann-Renn scored Purdue’s first eight points of the game by dominating the paint and offense glass. This was the worst possible start for the Aggies.
To help with the foul trouble, the Aggies started doubling teaming in the post on defense which forced turnovers. Ian Martinez took advantage of this by scoring a quick eight points, including knocking down a pair of triples. Edey proved to be too difficult to deal with and Osobor picked up a foul but remained in the game. He finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds all within the first half. The Aggies were not giving up though as they were matching baskets and kept it within one possession. Ultimately, the number of fouls hurt the Aggies too much and Purdue was just living at the free-throw line. The last eight minutes were utterly dominated by the Boilermakers as they led 49-33 at the end of the half.
The Boilermakers just kept on trucking in the second half. Everybody was filling in on the box score as Utah State couldn’t stop anyone. Braden Smith got out of his first-half funk and started playing like himself. He dealt out six assists in the second half, getting back to what he is used to. The duo of Edey and Kaufmann-Renn combined for 41 points as they were scoring at will. Purdue was the fourth team in this tournament to score 100 points or more, the most since 2009. Their 39-point victory allowed them to cruise to the Sweet Sixteen, where the Gonzaga Bulldogs will be waiting for them.
