"He's been doing this to Gonzaga and Duke and Minnesota" - NCAA basketball assistant coach reflects on preparing for Purdue's Zach Edey

When Zach Edey arrived in the Big Ten a few years ago, he was the biggest player in terms of height that the conference had ever seen. Edey's impact has been felt since he touched down on campus. The Candadian big man has found consistency and garnered a lot of national attention as he has led the Purdue Boilermakers to a top-five ranking in the country early into the season.

Tom Parrota praised Zach Edey's unique ability. He also commented on how hard it is to gameplan for a player of his size.

"He's been doing this to Gonzaga and Duke and Minnesota, really big people out there, so what do you do? They've all had their struggles. There really isn't anyone like him in college basketball."

In a matchup against Duke, Edey finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists in 32 minutes. He scored 25 points on a Seminoles that has elite size in their own right.

Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton had this to say after Zach Edey's performance.

"I've got to say that we did a pretty good job, except on the big fella and everyone's had trouble with him. He's a different kind of guy."

There is no way to prepare for a 7'4" Edey. You can watch every video and receive as much advice from the trusted coaches on your staff as you can. However, when that rebound goes up and you are denying Edey at the rim, how often will that work? It gets scary because Zach Edey's endurance has only gotten better year by year since he has been in Indiana.

The kid that was 5'9" in third grade had his best game of the season against the Minnesota Gophers. He finished with 31 points and 22 rebounds, including this nasty poster that made the Boilmakers' bench erupt.

How far can Zach Edey lead this Boilermakers team?

This Purdue team is one of the only six remaining undefeated teams in the country. They barely escaped on the road against conference foe Nebraska. If Fletcher Loyer plays how he did in that game often, there is no way this team is not in the sweet sixteen.

Fletcher had a career-high of 22 points in their overtime win against the Cornhuskers and a nasty dunk that added to Purdue's late second-half lead.

In his second 20-point game of the season, if he can improve on his 3-point scoring as the season progresses (39%), he could garner even more attention. This will give the Boilermakers and Edey even more space to operate with as well. They have three straight games after this narrow Nebraska win against mid-major division one opponents to the end of the year. They will take on Rutgers on January second and fifth, before heading to Columbus, and then taking on Ohio State.

Zach Edey is in the running for National Player of the Year. He could lead this team to their first final-four appearance in over 40 years (1980). He could also add to their Big Ten Championship record and help them receive their 25th. An exciting year is on the horizon for this Boilermakers team. They are a fun team to watch if you have not already done so this season.