Purdue big man and two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey has stumped opponent after opponent throughout March. To foul or not to foul? To drive to the basket or to stay on the perimeter? The 7-4 center is the ultimate scorer and defender around the rim — there simply hasn’t been an answer to him yet in the NCAA Tournament. Yet.
UConn’s Donovan Clingan stands at 7-2 — not quite at Edey’s height, but as close as any team has come — and has been a dominant force in his own right this March. But there’s a key difference between the way Purdue and UConn use their big men. Clingan has been the Huskies’ leading scorer in just a single game this postseason, whereas Edey sits atop the box score in every 2024 postseason game for the Boilermakers.
This scoring distribution means that UConn will have the ability to limit Edey on the boards in both rebounding and scoring, while avoiding its own offense being particularly limited by the Purdue big man. All of UConn’s starters average double digits scoring, and the leading scorer varies game to game between Clingan, Cam Spencer, Stephon Castle, and Tristen Newton. Purdue cannot match the Huskies’ scoring depth, which means that while Edey can’t defend every player on the court, Clingan can defend Edey. If Purdue doesn’t plan accordingly, that strategy will make all the difference.
Edey will need to draw several early fouls from Clingan to maintain his standard scoring rate. The Boilermakers’ center has done well with that this postseason, patiently waiting below the basket to shoot and allowing players to foul him on his way up, and using his length to grab easy rebounds and drawing over-the-back calls.
On the other side of that coin, Clingan will need to avoid taking the bait — Edey is going to score, and he’s going to score more than anyone else on Purdue, so it’s not about stopping him entirely, but limiting his opportunities and using height to defend Edey in a way that he hasn’t yet seen this season. If Clingan is able to do this without help, UConn’s perimeter defenders can stay home on shooters and make Purdue’s offense more stagnant.
UConn enters as a 6-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook ahead of Monday’s national championship matchup.
