Filip Rebraca Embracing Zach Edey Challenge

Iowa Big Man Going Up Against National Player of Year Favorite

Iowa’s Filip Rebraca waits to be introduced before a game against Illinois on Feb. 4, 2023 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Filip Rebraca said he wasn’t sure who he was going to be guarding when Iowa plays at top-ranked Purdue on Thursday.

Then the Hawkeyes’ forward started laughing.

“I know,” he said. “Just the best player in the country.”

Rebraca, at 6-foot-9, will get the main defensive assignment on 7-4 center Zach Edey, who is averaging 22.4 points and 13.2 rebounds this season and has been basically unstoppable.

Which is why, when Rebraca was asked on Tuesday how to stop Edey, he responded, “I mean, you know you’re not going to stop him, just like any great player.”

It’s all about what you can contain.

“You can limit his touches, make him less efficient,” Rebraca said. “I have to make him catch the ball where he doesn’t want to catch it. Maybe off the ball, maybe a tough pass. And that’s where I have to trust my teammates. We know we’re not going to stop him. But make him less efficient, take him out of his rhythm, stuff like that.”

You don’t get to be the No. 1 team in the nation by being just a one-man wrecking crew. Purdue (22-2 overall, 11-2 Big Ten, 4 NET) averages 74 points per game, 13 more than opponents, and leads the nation in total rebounds as well as offensive rebounds per game. The Boilermakers are 14th in scoring defense.

“You have to make sure that you defend every possession, don't turn it over and get a good shot opportunity,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “You can't let them dominate the offensive glass and get second shots. They're really good at that.

“You give them more than one-or two-shot opportunities, you're going to have a hard time beating them.”

And containing Edey can’t be the main focus.

“I don't know that you sacrifice anything at any point in time,” McCaffery said. “You take what's there. You have to be careful — you can sell out on him, and they can make 15 threes on you. You have to be able to guard the paint. You've got to be able to guard the perimeter. You have to be able to guard the drive if you're going to beat this team.”

Iowa (15-8, 7-5, 35 NET) lost both regular-season games to Purdue last season, then beat the Boilermakers in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. That game was an all-hands-on-deck one for the Hawkeyes, who were in their fourth game in four days.

The Hawkeyes sent waves of frontcourt players at Edey and Trevion Williams in that game. Josh Ogundele, at 6-10 and 270 points, got 10 minutes and gave the Hawkeyes four points and five rebounds. Riley Mulvey, at 6-11, got 3 ½ minutes.

Ogundele will be available for Thursday’s game after coming back from a knee injury, McCaffery said.

But McCaffery knows the bulk of the Edey challenge will fall to Rebraca.

“I just want him to be who he is. He's going to work hard defensively, he's going to run the floor, he's going to be aggressive offensively, active and smart. Just make intelligent decisions.

“(Edey is) a hard guy to cover one-on-one, so we'll try to give him as much help as we can.”

The Hawkeyes, battling to keep pace with the six-pack of 7-5 teams in conference play, wouldn’t mind beating a top-ranked team. Knocking off a heavyweight in February can have a big impact on a postseason resumé.

“That’s fun,” Iowa guard Connor McCaffery said of the chance to play a top-ranked team. “That's something that I think most teams would want — to get a chance to take them down, get them out of the No. 1 spot.”