The Purdue basketball program has advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1980 with a 72-66 win over Tennessee, and Zach Edey's legacy with the program gets even better after his incredible performance to help take down Dalton Knecht's squad.

Zach Edey scored 40 points and grabbed 16 boards, with a game-sealing block as well. Dalton Knecht had 37 points with six three-pointers. Both players scored over half of their team's points, which is the first time in history that has happened in the NCAA Tournament, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN.

It was not the only history that Edey made during the win. He is the first player with 40 pints, 15 rebounds and a 60% field goal percentage in an NCAA Tournament game since Elvin Hayes did it for Houston against Loyola Chicago in the first round in 1968, according to Borzello. Edey's performance in Sunday's game will not only go down as one of the best performances in Purdue history, but in the history of college basketball as well.

This was seen as a legacy weekend for Purdue and Edey. They have been upset in each of the last three years in the NCAA Tournament, and while they have not won the National Championship, they will be able to see where the chips fall in the final four. Up next is either Duke or NC State, and if the Boilermakers advance to the championship game, they will play the winner of the UConn vs Alabama game.

Purdue also repeats what Virginia did, following up losing to a No. 16 seed by making the Final Four. The Boilermakers are trying to finish off the same way that Virginia did, by winning a national title.

Zach Edey's Purdue career and legacy

Edey is now a senior year at Purdue, and he made an impact in each of his four years. The first two seasons, however, he came off of the bench, averaging 8.7 points as a freshman and 14.4 points as a sophomore, according to Sports Reference. Then Edey took over the reigns as a starter in 2022-2023, averaging 22.3 points with 12.9 rebounds, winning the Naismith Player of the Year Award.

In 2023-2024, Edey followed up with arguably a better season that will likely land him the Naismith Player of the Year Award again. He is averaging 24.6 points with 12.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists, according to Sports Reference. As an individual, Edey is one of the great college players. He now hopes to find two more wins to add the cherry on top for his legacy at Purdue and as a college player in general.

It will be interesting to see who Purdue will have to match up against next weekend. They will likely be favored against either Duke or NC State, but at this point in the tournament, anything can happen.