Purdue big man Zach Edey was absolutely stellar in 2022-23. He was so good, in fact, that he was named the recipient of the annual Wooden Award, which is given to the most outstanding player in college basketball.
The Wooden Award is just the latest in a long list of trophies Edey added to his resume thanks to his play this year.
He’d already been named the National Player of the Year by the Associated Press, Sporting News, and United States Basketball Writers Association and he also won the Naismith Trophy as well as the National Association of Basketball Coaches National Player of the Year awards.
That’s a legendary season and Edey is deserving of all the praise. Unfortunately, there is only one thing marring his record from this past season, and that’s the fact that Purdue got bumped early in March Madness.
Like, way early.
Purdue won the Big Ten regular season after going 15-5 in the conference and the Boilermakers followed that up by winning the Big Ten conference tournament as well, beating Rutgers, Ohio State, and then Penn State in the Final.
The Boilermakers were so good this season, in fact, that they were the first team since 2014 to win the regular season by three games.
Purdue was the top seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament and looked poised to make a big run with Edey leading the way. That’s where Edey and his team ran into No. 16 Farleigh Dickinson, though, which was primed to make a Cinderella-like run through the tournament.
Farleigh Dickinson’s ride was cut short in the second round by Final Four team Florida Atlantic. but Purdue was one of the casualties along the way. The Knights beat the Boilermakers 63-58 in their first-round matchup, crushing both Purdue’s March Madness dreams as well as serving up an unceremonious end to Edey’s otherwise incredible season.
Edey scored 21 points and had 15 rebounds against the Knights. On the season, the 7-foot-4 big man averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
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