Edey provides opening message with 30-21 line

• Ben Infant, ESPN Staff WriterMar 22, 2024, 11:43 PM ET

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  Ben Child covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for numerous papers in Texas, most just recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He offers daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL programs and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism teacher at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

INDIANAPOLIS– Do not be fooled by the nonchalance after the fact.On the surface, Purdue’s 78-50 win over Grambling was standard organization Friday night. The top-seeded Boilermakers steamrolled the 16-seed Tigers and made good on their status as heavy favorites.But simply a year back, Purdue ended up being the second No. 1 seed ever to lose to a 16-seed when it was up to Fairleigh Dickinson. On Thursday, Purdue star Zach Edey stated a great deal of the team’s players had the spectacular upset in the back of their minds.Edey eliminated

any idea of that taking place again. He had 30 points and 21 rebounds versus the Tigers.Editor’s Picks

2 Associated After

the win, Edey said he wanted to send a message to his teammates– and others who were likewise considering that loss a year earlier– about this year’s group.

“Attempted to play as hard as I can, attempting to send a message to the group: We’re here, we’re ready, we’re excellent,” Edey said. “Send out a message to the country: We’re great.”

Whether Edey was referring to the group’s quality or mental resolve, both questions were peacefully addressed by the end of the evening.Grambling (21-15),

making its very first NCAA guys’s competition appearance, kept things close in the first half. The Tigers routed by four points with 3:38 left before Purdue sophomore guard Fletcher Loyer struck a 3-pointer and a layup to give the Boilermakers(30-4) a 36-27 lead at the break.By that point, Edey currently had 16 points and 12 rebounds.In the 2nd half, the ruling national player of the year further

asserted his supremacy. He helped the Boilermakers extend their lead over the course of the last 20 minutes as a partisan crowd inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse roared with each big play.Edey ended up being the very first player because Maryland’s Joe Smith in 1995 to have a 30-point, 20-rebound game in the NCAA competition. It was Edey’s third career game with 30 points and 20 rebounds, one of the most of any player in Department I over the previous 25 seasons.The 7-foot-4 center was precisely as advertised. “I don’t think nobody has actually seen anything like Zach Edey,”Grambling guard Kintavious Dozier stated.”That’s sort of unreal. What they say he is on paper, he’s exactly that.” Tigers coach Donte’Jackson issued an alerting to other groups that will need to deal with Edey and Purdue during the rest of the competition.”The truth of the scenario is,”Jackson said,” I hope you’re geared up for it.”