Grambling did what it could to stop future NBA draftee Zach Eday from imposing his will and leading his team to a big win to kick off March Madness. But, the 7'4″ center from Toronto was inevitable. Eday's game is a callback to what appears to be an ancient time in basketball where the offense was post-centric and bruising forwards and Centers overpowered their opponents in a show of sheer dominance.
The Boilermakers' center concluded the game with 30 points, 21 rebounds, and 3 blocks, guiding his team to a commanding 78-50 win against the SWAC Champion Grambling Tigers. This marks the first 30-20 game by a player since 1995, occurring only 22 times in history.
Grambling tried several defensive looks to try to slow down Eady. They ran a 2-3 zone for several possessions to stack the paint and make it hard for him to get a clean look at the basket. They fronted him in the hopes of preventing easy entry passes. They played as physically as they possibly could to attempt to knock Eady off his game.
Nothing worked. According to Ryan Bonaparte, cohost of the Boiler Alert podcast, Grambling fans were perplexed at the dominance of Eady.
He posted on Twitter/X, “Grambling fans behind us: ‘I ain't never seen anything like that in my life. He's a damn cheat code'. Say hello to Zach Edey sir”
Eady spoke with Andy Katz after the game about how he was feeling after the victory, especially considering the team's upset loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the 2023 March Madness opening round game.
“We just did what we were supposed to do. I don't think anyone on this team wants praise for it.”
He was also asked to access his own historic performance, simply responding, “We got the dub, that's all that matters.”
The internet reacts to Zach Edey's dominance
Although Edey was modest about his historic performance, the internet celebrated his game in their own unique way.
@boilerburner unleashed on Twitter/X about college basketball fans underestimating Edey, saying, “This is what the idiots get for vilifying a special player and special person for zero reason. Zach Edey plays the villain pretty well, eh?”
Purdue will play the winner of TCU vs. Utah State.
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