Zach Edey put up 37 points in the national title game. Unfortunately, the rest of his teammates only scored 23 points as UConn defeated Purdue, 75-60.
There’s no good strategy against Edey, who became the first back-to-back Naismith Player of the Year winner in 40 years this season. But UConn decided that they weren’t going to double Edey, rotating different defenders on him, even as Edey piled up points and put the Huskies frontcourt in foul trouble.
Samson Johnson fouled out. Donovan Clingan sat for big portions of the second half with four fouls. And while Edey shot 15-for-25, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots, his teammates shot 9-for-29 and scored 23 points. They made just one three-pointer and only hit three shots outside of the key.
Braden Smith hit a triple with two minutes left in the first half and that was it for Purdue’s outside shooting, as UConn locked the Boilermakers down on the perimeter.
Head coach Dan Hurley steadfastly refused to skew his defense toward stopping Edey. When Johnson fouled out and Clingan sat, Hurley had Alex Karaban defend Edey one-on-one, giving up eight inches in height and 80 pounds in weight.
But even the 7-foor-2 Clingan had trouble with Edey.
Smith had 12 points for Purdue, and no one else had more than five. By contrast, the Huskies had four players in double figures and Hassan Diarra had nine despite his foul trouble.
It was an incredible individual performance from Edey. But an even better team performance by UConn.
