March has not been an issue for Matt Painter's Purdue basketball program so far. They wrecked Illinois on the road and notched the title for being the Big Ten Conference's outright champions. Braden Smith may have been the one to shut the doors on the Fighting Illini's hopes of winning the championship but it was Zach Edey who had propelled them into a massive win. The Big Maple from the Boilermakers system even notched a feat that only legends like Shaquille O'Neal, Larry Bird, and David Robinson touched.

Only 17 players in the history of the NCAA have scored 700 points and grabbed 350 rebounds. The latest addition was none other than Zach Edey, per Chris Forman. He is also the only player in Big Ten Conference history to have notched those numbers in a year. This clearly helps the Purdue basketball star's resume in getting another National Player of the Year award and might even boost his chances of getting drafted higher in the NBA.

Moreover, an achievement like this also sets the Big Maple up for what could be a legendary career. The names in the list have mostly impacted NBA teams very positively as their career transitioned. Those 16 other individuals are Oscar Robertson, Elvin Hayes, Larry Bird, Dan Issel, Lionel Simmons, Rick Barry, David Robinson, Larry Johnson, Gary Trent, Elgin Baylor, Mike Daum, Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Billy McGill, Shaquille O'Neal, and Len Chappell.

This is only the start of what's to come for Coach Matt Painter's squad. They have the Big Ten tournament to win. After that, they have to face their fears and head straight for March Madness in hopes of keeping a consistent run along with avoiding Cinderella-like upsets.

Purdue's train runs over Illinois

Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) dunks the ball over Illinois Fighting Illini guard Niccolo Moretti (11), Illinois Fighting Illini forward Coleman Hawkins (33) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard Luke Goode (10) during the NCAA men s basketball game
© Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Marcus Domask was doing his best to keep the Fighting Illini within striking distance. He played 36 minutes and shot 50% from the field for 20 points. But, it was only him that popped off for Illinois. Purdue limited their opponents' offensive arsenal by quite a lot. The third-ranked team in the nation forced 12 turnovers from their rivals. They also suffocated them from outside which led to Illinois only going four for 16 from three-point range.

Momentum is on Purdue's side. They can surely ride it en route to a deep NCAA Tournament run.