Edey Scores a Career High in Win Over Tennessee to Advance to the Final Four
Detroit - The game of Basketball is all about who can make the most runs and this was an excellent showcase of it. The two favorites to win the Midwest, Purdue, and Tennessee, both went on multiple runs all throughout the game. Evan Miyakawa best describes the “Kill Shot” as a team that goes on a 10-0 or more run, and whoever has the most, typically wins the game outright. In the end, Purdue and Zach Edey were far too dominant in their runs, which led to a 72-66.
The inevitable foul trouble that comes with the Boilermakers struck early for the Volunteers. The fast-paced style of play made it difficult to defend, which led to early fouling. That did not stop Dalton Knecht from heating up from downtown. He scored eight points in a matter of two and a half minutes, gaining a five-point lead over Purdue. The game plan quickly switched to feeding Zach Edey the ball as much as possible as he is almost impossible to defend. The result of the switch of the game plan led to a 7-0 run for the Boilermakers.
After taking a short rest on the bench, Knecht checked back into the game and led the Volunteers on a 15-2 run. He was unconscious from deep, unable to miss. As I mentioned before, whoever has the most 10-0 or more runs, typically wins the game. With how UCONN went on a 30-0 run against Illinois, they won with ease. Purdue closed the half on a 15-2 run and led 36-34 after trailing by 11 at one point. Edey, once again, had a first-half double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Knecht led the Volunteers with 18 points and went 4/5 (80%) from three.
The second half was another sequence of trading runs. Purdue seemingly had the lead the entire half but the explosiveness of Knecht and the rest of the Volunteers, they were never out of it. Edey (40) and Knecht (37) combined to score 77 of the total 138 points in the game. There was a reason these two incredible athletes were in the final vote for the 2024 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy. Even though Tennessee lost, Knecht won as he just proved he can compete on the highest stage and deliver against a great defense.
Down the stretch, Braden Smith calmed the Boilermaker offense down. He had quite the box score, scoring nine points, seven assists, and seven rebounds. The pick-and-roll between him and Edey was unstoppable. You could not leave either one of them open as Smith can knock down the long shot and Edey finishes at the rim as if a defender isn’t in front of him. The constant fouling to extend the game led to a career-high for Edey as he scored 40 points, shooting 14-22 from the free-throw line.
Zach Edey broke the long streak since Oscar Robertson, the last time a player led the nation in scoring and advanced to the Final Four, with a win this afternoon. Knecht was quite literally doing everything possible for his team to win the game. Between the lack of shooting help from the other Volunteers and foul trouble, there was just no answer to be given. He was the only Volunteer to score double-digit points. There was a 14-minute stretch where Knecht was the only player with a made FG for Tennessee, an absurd statistic. Purdue will now prepare to travel to Phoenix, after winning the Midwest region, for the Final Four, their first time since 1980.
