Purdue head basketball coach Matt Painter seemed to forget that Zach Edey is a foul merchant. The 7-foot-4 center often draws ticky-tacky fouls simply because of his size and they are rarely called the other way.
It is a large part of his game.
Now, this is not to say that Edey is not a fantastic college basketball player. He is the reigning Naismith Player of the Year for a reason and is the frontrunner to receive that title for a second year in a row. Whether you like him or not, there is no way to deny the 21-year-old Canadian’s greatness.
However, as exemplified on many occasions throughout the last few weeks (and throughout his entire career), Edey is frequently on the right end of questionable officiating. The Boilermakers’ big got away with multiple fouls against Utah State in the Second Round while referees blew the whistle the other way. There was a very obvious missed call against Gonzaga in the Sweet 16.
Edey throws his body around and nobody knows what to do. Many of the fouls are warranted. Just as many are not. It is a unique dichotomy that only applies to the biggest player in the sport.
Matt Painter must’ve missed that memo!
He spoke about Purdue’s Elite Eight opponent, Tennessee, as if his team does not benefit from (overly) physical play.
You know what you’re getting. It’s tackle football. You’ve got to buckle up.
If you do, you can win. It doesn’t mean you will win, but you can win. If you don’t do that, you can’t win.
— Matt Painter
The irony here is that the Vols are thinking the same thing of the Boilermakers. If there is one player in the country that benefits most from “tackle football” on the hardwood, it would be Zach Edey. If there is one conference that benefits most from “tackle football,” it would be the Big Ten.
When Painter points at Tennessee, three fingers point right back. His lack of awareness in this particular instance is astonishing!