Purdue Crushes Utah State, Advances to Sweet 16

Last year, Purdue was stunned by Fairleigh Dickinson, the No. 16-seed that sent the Boilermakers packing. This year, Purdue dominated their opponents in pursuit of both reputational and regional wins. Now, the No. 1-seed team stares down Gonzaga in hopes of making the Elite 8.

Utah State Recap

Unlike last year’s upset, Purdue controlled the game. In both halves, they outscored Utah State by at least 16 points. They also capitalized of fouls by Utah State players. From behind the free throw line, the Boilermakers made 83% of their shots.

Zach Edey, the Canadian center, helped Purdue move past their previous season’s low points. He had 23 points on the night with three assists. Equally as important, he’s shown improvement from past years. Edey increased field goal percentage from 59.7% to 62.3%. He’s also getting more rebounds, allowing the Boilermakers to keep possession after missed shots. He ended his first season with an average of 4.4 rebounds per game. Now, he’s at 12.1.

Head coach Matt Painter spoke about the importance of Edey on the court in the post-game press conference:

Player of the Year Finalists from @NaismithTrophy 🚨

🏀 RJ Davis
🏀 Zach Edey
🏀 Dalton Knecht
🏀 Jamal Shead pic.twitter.com/IUeoiyIMIK

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2024

Facing Gonzaga

Edey, however, said he was unsatisfied with the win against Utah State. He spoke about how the Sweet 16 wasn’t the reason he returned in the post-game press conference:

The team is hungry for more, and No. 5 Gonzaga stands in their path. The Bulldogs have found success in the tournament, knocking out No. 4 Kansas 89-68. Their forwards, Ben Gregg, Graham Ike and Anton Watson, showcased their talents. Gregg and Ike led the team in rebounds with nine each. Greg also made all of six of his field goals and his two 3-pointers. Watson put up 21 points in the game. Both played more than 30 minutes.

Gonzaga demonstrated they can come back from behind. They clawed themselves to victory in the game against Kansas after trailing in the first half. Purdue will have to challenge the Bulldogs on every play and restrict their forwards to win.

ANTON WATSON WITH THE HAMMER BOMB @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/8O28MSlkOd

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 23, 2024