The Purdue Boilermakers’ season is not yet over. Zach Edey made sure that his team will have at least one more game to play in the 2024 NCAA Tournament after exploding with yet another brilliant performance, this time in the Elite Eight round versus the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers.
The No. 1 Boilermakers heavily leaned on the production of Edey, as they successfully staved off Dalton Knecht and the Vols, who gave Purdue a scare.
Purdue Boilermakers’ Matt Painter Said Zach Edey Could Have Dropped 50 Points vs. Tennessee

Edey looked unstoppable on the court, with Tennessee barely having any answer to the 7-4 man mountain. He ended up with 40 points on an efficient 13/21 shooting from the field and also went 14/22 from the free-throw line. Those missed chances at the foul line prevented Edey from finishing with more points, as pointed out after the game by Purdue head coach Matt Painter.
Via The Associate Press (h/t ESPN):
“You’re not trying to take away 100 percent, you’re trying to take away maybe 80 percent of what he’s trying to get accomplished,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Knecht. “But we don’t take Zach for granted. He could’ve scored 50 tonight if he’d made his free throws.”

Edey did not just shine on offense against Tennessee, as he also had 16 rebounds (11 defensive boards) and a block. His lone block of the contest was a crucial one, with the Purdue star erasing Knecht’s lay-up attempt with under a minute to go in regulation.
Up next for Purdue is a Final Four showdown versus the No. 11 NC State Wolfpack, who are led by another huge human being in DJ Burns. The Purdue-NC State game is scheduled to take place on Saturday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

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