Edey, Boilermakers Handle Hoosiers' Top Scorers Ware, Reneau For Easy Rivalry Win

Indiana has relied on Malik Reneau and Kel'el Ware to carry the load as both scorers and rebounders. But against Purdue center Zach Edey, the reigning National Player of the Year, Indiana's front court duo had two of their least-productive games of the season.

Jack Ankony | Jan 16, 2024

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The outcome had been decided.

Purdue simply needed to milk the final three minutes and change, and it would have its first win at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall since the 2020-21 season. But that didn't stop Zach Edey, looking to lead Purdue to program pinnacles and win back-to-back National Player of the Year awards, from playing his heart out.

After Indiana guard CJ Gunn mishandled his dribble, Edey – all 7-foot-4 and 300 pounds of him – dove all the way down to Branch McCracken Court. He beat Indiana's Kel'el Ware to the ball, then advanced it ahead to a sprinting Lance Jones in transition while lying on his back.

Winning basketball pic.twitter.com/4HCkTL4aVT
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Jones' layup added two points that spoke more loudly about what Purdue did and what Indiana didn't do throughout Tuesday's rivalry game than the final score, 87-66. Edey's 33 points and 14 rebounds powered the No. 2 Boilermakers to the win, but his dive represented coach Matt Painter's favorite play of the game.

"Yeah, no question," Painter said. "To instinctually do it, not where you had to be like, 'Oh, I guess I've got to do this.' Like no, he instinctually dove and got us a loose ball and got us a possession back. No question about it. He's fun to coach."

For Edey, one final opportunity to beat Purdue's biggest rivals in their home building provided enough motivation to play his hardest for 36 minutes. Sure, the Boilermakers have greater aspirations than simply beating Indiana this year, like reaching their first Final Four since 1980 or winning their first national championship. But easing the sting from last year's 0-2 record against Indiana was certainly a desired box to check along the way.

"It was my last chance to get a win in this building with real fans there," Edey said. "I think our team took this matchup very, very seriously, and everyone wanted to win, everyone wanted to play hard. That was just part of it. Whether you're up 18 or down 18, I'm going to play the same way if I'm in the game."

Painter entered the game with an eye on Indiana's front court duo of Ware and sophomore forward Malik Reneau. He said earlier in the week he was impressed by their inside-out scoring, length, athleticism and chemistry.

Ware and Reneau led Indiana in scoring, 16.3 and 14.8 per game, respectively, through 17 games. Ware was one of the Big Ten's top rebounders at 9.6 per game, along with 1.6 blocks. Reneau's 3-point shooting development added to the challenge.

But Tuesday, Purdue handled them. Reneau finished the game with eight points on 4-for-10 shooting, plus nine rebounds and three assists across 35 minutes of play. That's Reneau's second-lowest scoring total, behind a 6-point effort in Indiana's win over Morehead State.

"Reneau was the guy for us. We thought that he was the one, and we gave him a lot of attention," Painter said. "So when he dribbled, when he was extended, we put another guy there. We went at him and tried to double him. We got a couple rotations that got burned that way, but he's so good when he gets to his right shoulder and gets to the middle, whether he's driving it or he's posting it. So you've got to keep him off the glass. He had two offensive rebounds, but he's a good player."

Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) looks to shoot the ball while Indiana Hoosiers center Kel'el Ware (1) and forward Malik Reneau (5) defend in the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. — Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) looks to shoot the ball while Indiana Hoosiers center Kel'el Ware (1) and forward Malik Reneau (5) defend in the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Ware was even less impactful, scoring a season-low five points on 2-for-6 shooting. He knocked down a three from the top of the key over Edey, which was part of Painter's pregame concern. But Ware's six rebounds were also tied for his second fewest all season.

Edey said his defensive approach on Ware was to keep his touches away from the rim and force him to make tough shots. Indiana runs plenty of pick-and-roll plays with Ware, and Painter said Edey's increased mobility in those defensive situations has improved significantly from a year ago.

Painter has been impressed with Ware's talent since his time coaching him with USA basketball, but going up against Edey represented the toughest matchup of Ware's career.

"The adjustment to go against Zach, it takes a game," Painter said. "It takes a game to kind of feel your way through it. It's like playing a good pressing team and you press in practice and you're not a pressing team and it's like, 'Okay, we're ready for this team,' and you get to the game and you're like, 'Oh, shit. We didn't see this in practice.' [Ware] ain't seeing [Edey] in practice. So it's difficult to see someone that can move that's 7-foot-4, 300 [pounds] with size 20 [shoes] that plays hard every single play."

"Who the hell is diving up 18 at 7-foot-4, 300? That just kind of shows you who he is."

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