Zach Edey did everything in his power to assure Purdue would not suffer another upset loss to a No. 16 seed.
One year after the Boilermakers were stunned by Fairleigh Dickinson, the No. 1 seed put a beatdown on Grambling State to exorcise their demons of the past and advance to the Round of 32.
Grambling battled in the first half, throwing as many bodies as possible at Edey to try and take the soon-to-be two-time National Player of the Year out of rhythm. Edey was a man on a mission, though, dragging defenders to the rim on every possession to finish through contact.
As the game went on, Edey began to wear down Grambling's thin frontcourt. The result was a historic stat line that has only occurred one other time in the last 50 years, as Edey carried Purdue to a commanding 78-50 victory.
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Zach Edey joins March Madness history with 30-point, 20-rebound game
It became clear before the first media timeout that Grambling's frontcourt was going to have its hands full with the 7-4, 300-pound center.
Senior Jonathan Aku (6-11, 255) drew the initial assignment, but it's a team effort defending a player with Edey's size.
Grambling tried doubling Edey on the catch and dribble. On offensive rebounds, it felt like all five players were in the paint trying to disrupt the Purdue star. Tigers head coach Donte' Jackson even gave backup big man, 6-11, 235-pound junior Malik Lamin, more playing time than usual.
No matter what defense or which players Grambling threw at Edey, they had no answer.
Too strong. 6️⃣ early for Edey.
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 23, 2024
🎥: @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/AxPul204xd
MORE: Zach Edey scouting report: Will the Purdue star be a first-round pick?
Before you could blink, Edey had his 25th double-double of the season. He had 16 points and 12 rebounds at the half, but the Boilermakers were only up by nine points. Edey's arms were gashed up like Nuggets star Nikola Jokic from the constant battle in the paint against Grambling's big men.
Eventually, Edey wore down the Tigers' frontcourt. Aku ended up fouling out and Lamin used four of his five fouls. Credit to both of those players for how hard they played the All-American, but Edey was just too much to handle.
As Purdue started to pull away in the second half, Edey continued to instill his force on the game.
It was a historically dominant performance, as the senior center racked up 30 points, 21 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Edey etched his name in the March Madness history books, becoming the second player in 50 years (!), since Maryland star Joe Smith in 1995, to rack up 30 points and 20 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game.
Purdue leads 63-43 with Heide to the FT line.
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 23, 2024
Edey with 30 points, 21 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists.
The last 30-20 game in @MarchMadnessMBB was in 1995 by Joe Smith (Maryland).
Just the second 30-20 game in the NCAA Tournament in the last 50 years. pic.twitter.com/cioGiUeFi5
With the win, Purdue will advance to take on the winner of No. 8 Utah State and No. 9 TCU in the Round of 32.
