MADISON, Wis. – Through all its advanced scouting, the University of Wisconsin has developed a foolproof plan to adequately prepare for Purdue 7-4 center Zach Edey. The Badgers are going to find a pair of 3-foot-7 athletes and tape them together.
Beyond that, Wisconsin is like every other opponent of the Boilermakers in being at a distinct disadvantage in trying to prepare for the distinct size advantage the reigning national player of the year possesses. It’s the task the sixth-ranked Badgers (16-5, 8-2 Big Ten) are undertaking in the 48 hours between their disheartening overtime road loss at Nebraska Thursday and facing No.2 Purdue (20-2, 9-2) Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center.
Edey’s 23.4 points per game are second nationally, his 11.6 rebounds per game rank fourth, and his 63.5 percent shooting percentage is 11th. His 174 field goals are the most in the country.
His performance during Purdue’s 105-96 overtime win over Northwestern Wednesday showcases his impact. Playing over 41 minutes, Edey finished with 30 points on 14 shots and 17 free throw attempts. It was his fourth 30-point performance in his last six games. He was whistled for only two fouls while drawing 14 of them, one fewer than Purdue committed as a team.
Northwestern’s aggressive style leads to a lot of fouls (271st in the country in fouls per game) but Purdue’s 46-8 advantage in attempts from the line was the largest free throw attempt gap in the Big Ten conference games over the past 25 seasons and the second largest across Division I this season.
“I don't know if you've ever seen a disparity like that in a Big Ten game,” said Northwestern coach Chris Collins, who added to the free throw total by being ejected with 1.7 seconds remaining. “I mean, I feel like we were aggressive, too. But (All-Big Ten Guard Boo Buie) doesn't shoot a free throw in the game? It's kind of crazy, but that's how the game is called."
UW ran into a similar situation last season. The Badgers were aggressive with Edey but watched him score 17 points (7-for-9 FG), draw seven fouls, and not get whistled for one in a 63-61 Purdue win, a game in which Purdue outshot UW, 18-5, from the foul line.
“You got to match the physicality as much as you can with a guy that big,” forward Steven Crowl said. “You want to stay on the floor and not give up stupid, silly fouls. The big thing with him is when you’re going foul, you got to foul and use it. You don’t want to use up cheap ones with a guy that big.”
Edey is being whistled for one foul every 16.7 minutes this season, picking up more than two fouls in only eight games and not having fouled out. It’s impressive considering Purdue’s goal is to attack the rim and get teams in foul trouble, forcing them into matchups that the Boilers can exploit.
“You can’t replicate him because we don’t have anybody that big,” head coach Greg Gard said of the 300-pound Edey. “It’s not only just him. It is the other pieces they have. And Matt (Painter) has always done a really good job schematically of putting you in some tough decision-making positions of where other guys are on the floor.”
As Gard alluded to, the Boilermakers are deeper and more experienced than a year ago, specifically at guard, a position that was their undoing last season when they lost to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a No.1 seed.
Against the Wildcats, Southern Illinois transfer Lance Jones scored a season-high 26 and sophomore Braden Smith had 11 points and 16 assists — matching the second-highest game total in school history. Purdue is the top-scoring team (85.8), shooting team (49.5), and three-point team (40.4) in the Big Ten and the country’s most efficient offense (126.1 points per 100 possessions).
“They’re a really, really good team aside from Zach Edey,” Gard said. “And then you throw him into the mix.”
The decision of how to cover Edey will be dependent on the performance of Crowl and graduate forward Tyler Wahl, UW’s two veteran forwards who entered this week playing some of their best basketball.
Crowl was leading the Big Ten with an effective field goal percentage of 62.8 percent and was averaging 12.4 points and 7.8 rebounds over a 17-game stretch when Wisconsin went 15-2. Wahl improved his game in his final conference season, averaging 11.9 points, 5.3 boards, and 2.0 assists per game in conference play.
More importantly, both became better defenders without fouling. Wahl was limited by fouls earlier in the season by having committed three fouls or less in nine of the last 10 games. His defense was partly responsible for Minnesota’s Dawson Garcia and Michigan State’s Malik Hall scoring under their season averages in consecutive games.
Crowl was just as good, staying at three fouls or fewer in 11 consecutive games. The key has been forcing players to go over the top instead of underneath and not twisting to try and block shots, which alters positioning.
“They’re both understanding the importance of the wall-ups and not worried about blocking shots,” Gard said. “We’ll get support whether we’re trapping with the other big or digging from the perimeter to get support from the top. It’s minimizing easy catches where you can and not giving up easy shots, not bailing them out.”
Those comments were made before Thursday’s struggles. Wahl and Crowl were whistled for four fouls and lost their aggressiveness, shooting a combined five two-point shots and attempting seven free throws. It was worse for Crowl, who was constantly doubled by Nebraska forwards and didn’t attempt a shot inside the three-point line.
Those performances won’t cut it Sunday, but their teammates have confidence in their ability to rebound in more ways than one.
“I’ve watched them since I was a junior in high school,” guard Chucky Hepburn said. “Steven has put on so much more muscle. Steven has gotten so much better because he’s gotten so much stronger. He’s just bullying people down there. His footwork is tremendous, same with Tyler. I love playing with those two guys. They are easy to play with. When you have players like that, it makes a team very good.”
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