Gonzaga prepares to slow down Purdue's Zach Edey at Maui Invitational: 'He's a different kind of player'

The key to upsetting the No. 2 Boilermakers starts with slowing down their 7-foot-4 All-American

As the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs prepared for a gauntlet of opponents over a three-day stretch at the Maui Invitational, they were reminded of the last time they faced No. 2 Purdue and Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4 center who swept all the national player of the year awards last season.

The Zags had seemingly bottled up the Boilermakers' post, holding him to just eight points and one rebound in the first half. But as many of Purdue's opponents had realized over the course of the season, it's a tall task to keep the All-American contained for very long. While his teammates applied pressure from outside the arc, the paint opened up for Edey in the second half, as he scored 15 of his 23 points in the final 15 minutes of the Boilermakers' 84-66 drubbing of the Bulldogs in Portland, Oregon. 

“He’s a moose down there,” Drew Timme said of Edey after the game. “He’s strong, he knows how to use his body. You have to tip your hat to him.”

Over a year later, Edey has continued his run as one of the most dominant players in college basketball. He dropped 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 12-point win over Xavier on Monday. As the front-runner to repeat as the player of the year once again, Edey leads Purdue with 20.7 points, 10.0 boards and 3.7 blocks per game.

Gonzaga prepares for 'challenging' three-game stretch at Maui Invitational

With size and strength to create a mismatch for any individual player, Edey's improved as a passer (2.0 assists per game) and is adept at drawing fouls (24 made free throws through three games, second-most by a Big Ten player).

As the rematch approaches, Anton Watson reflected on what needed to change from last season's meeting against Edey.

"I think just physicality and just the pace that we play with," Watson said after Gonzaga's win over Eastern Oregon on Tuesday. "We got to get him in ball screens, make him move a lot more. Keep him away from the rim, pick them up halfcourt and just kind of bug them really, kind of annoy them."

"He's a different kind of player. Something that you don't see too often in college basketball, but yeah, he's probably gonna sit close to the rim. And yeah, we're probably gonna have to come with some type of strategy to get get him away from the hoop."

Keeping the 7-foot-4, 300-pound big man away from the rim is easier said than done, although the ball pressure Watson alluded to echoed the strategy of the last team to neutralize Edey — the very undersized Farleigh Dickinson squad that pulled off the historic upset as the No. 16 seed against No. 1-seeded Purdue in last season's NCAA Tournament.

The Knights, who didn't have a player taller than 6-foot-6 on their roster, often swarmed Edey in the paint with two defenders, one playing in front to defend the entry pass and one behind in between Edey and the rim. The strategy clearly frustrated Edey, who missed his first three shot attempts and complained to the refs that the Knights were holding his left arm. He eventually settled in and finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds, but the box score didn't tell the whole story.

Edey didn't attempt a shot in the final nine minutes, and anytime he touched the ball there were multiple defenders who swarmed him. Obviously, any sort of double-team left Edey's teammates open on the perimeter, a strategy then-Knights coach Tobin Anderson said forced the Boilermakers to make 3s but not allow for easy shots. It worked to Anderson's credit, as Purdue shot 5-of-26 from beyond the arc and 3-of-15 in the second half.

Overall, Edey's teammates shot 12-of-41 from the field, a woeful night that Gonzaga can't rely upon if a similar strategy is to be deployed in Hawaii. Through three outings, Purdue has shot an efficient 46.3% from 3-point range with 10.3 triples made per game. Freshman Myles Colvin, who's 7-of-10 from deep to start his career, highlights a slightly revamped roster that figures to be much-improved from beyond the arc compared to last season's team.

"They're deeper. They may be more athletic with some of the guys they added," Mark Few said of Purdue. "And again, I mean, obviously going through what they went through last year, I'm sure there's an incredible hunger and drive to you know, make a statement this year."

Gonzaga will look to slow down Edey and the Boilermakers in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday at 2 p.m. PST, with coverage on ESPN2.

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