Purdue Basketball's Zach Edey is getting a ringing endorsement from another college basketball coach. UConn's head basketball coach Dan Hurley says Edey should be a lottery pick in this coming year's NBA draft. Hurley made the comments on the Colin Cowherd show.
"If Zach Edey is not like a lottery pick and a tremendous NBA player, then there's something wrong with the NBA."
— @dhurley15 praises Purdue's big man pic.twitter.com/cwZbQtE3ms
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 1, 2024
“If Zach Edey is not like a lottery pick and a tremendous NBA player, then there's something wrong with the NBA,” Hurley said. UConn and Purdue are among the Final Four teams in this year's NCAA men's tournament. The two schools wouldn't meet until the National Championship.
Edey's success
Edey has Purdue basketball rolling in this year's NCAA Tournament. The big man scored 40 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Boilermakers in their latest win over Tennessee in the team's Elite Eight game.
Edey is 7-foot-4 and nearly 300 pounds. His size and strength is incredible, but some don't believe he would be a good fit in the NBA. The league has moved away from very tall low-post bigs, like Bryant Reeves or Gheorghe Muresan.
The league has moved toward bigs that can score from anywhere on the floor and run the court like smaller guards. NBA veteran Gilbert Arenas has come out saying that Edey shouldn't be an NBA lottery pick, per Gil's Arena.
No matter what happens with Edey, it is clear that Purdue basketball is on a revenge tour in this year's March Madness. The team is avenging last year's first-round loss to Fairleigh Dickinson as a No. 16 seed.
Purdue has rolled over Grambling, Utah State, Gonzaga and Tennessee to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1980. Edey is averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds a game and has been a walking double-double this season. He was named college basketball's player of the year in 2023.
“This guy has been as dominant, brings you back to Ralph Sampson, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson type of performances at that spot,” Hurley added. “The kid's a special player, and special players, when they go to that next level, they add new skills quickly.”
The only team that has possibly performed better in March Madness this year is UConn. The Huskies have basically walked through the tournament, beating down Illinois, San Diego State, Northwestern and Stetson to reach the final weekend of March Madness.
The Huskies are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Florida did it in 2006 and 2007. Dan Hurley has turned the Huskies back into the national power they were under Jim Calhoun. Before his time in Connecticut, Hurley coached at Rhode Island and Wagner.
Purdue basketball plays North Carolina State on Saturday, while UConn takes on Alabama. The winning teams then go on to play in the National Championship game. Time will tell if Hurley and his Huskies get a chance to go against Edey for a national title.
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