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Zach Edey Continues To Get Away With Obvious Fouls While Referees Blow Whistle The Other Way

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Zach Edey Foul
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Zach Edey is an absolutely massive human being and a phenomenal college basketball player. It is impossible to take away from the 7-foot-4, 300-pound center’s incredible career at Purdue.

However, officials are often confused by how to call him because he is so big.

Edey is a foul merchant. He often gets away with overly physical play. His opponents are often penalized for trying to lock him down with an equally as physical double team.

Sunday’s Second Round game at the NCAA Tournament was the perfect example. Utah State found itself in foul trouble early. Especially with its bigs.

Some, if not many, of those calls were warranted!

It’s not that Edey is never fouled. Rather, he is often fouled. But there are a lot of calls that go the wrong way.

The Aggies were called for a foul on this play:

Edey not only committed an offensive foul, he walked. The referees put it on the Aggies.

Here is another example:

Utah State was whistled for a foul and it was not a bad call, per se. But with that being said, there is a legitimate argument to be made that it was actually a jump ball. Contact was pretty minimal!

Watch this:

Edey used his elbow to create space and… nothing. I have no issue with the no call here. It was a basketball play. The problem is the lack of consistency on the other end.

And then there was this putback:

“Over the back” is not a foul call and it is not the issue here. Edey grabbed the Utah State rebounder’s jersey and pulled down.

Zach Edey Foul
CBS

That is a foul.

If Edey is directly under the rim, a guard should not be fouling him from behind. He frequently draws contact that deserves a whistle. He is one of the best big men in college basketball history.

At the same time, Zach Edey is a foul merchant who is subject to inconsistent officiating in his favor. All of those things can be true!