NEWSLETTER
Nothing could keep Zach Edey from being named the best player in College Basketball. It was announced Friday that Edey was a near-unanimous choice in AP Player of the Year voting.
Edey received 57 of the 58 first-place votes for the award. Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis received the other first-place vote. The Purdue big man led all power conference players in scoring with 22.3 points per game. His 12.9 rebounds per game ranked second in the country behind Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe.
Edey was a one-man wrecking crew for the Boilermakers this season. He averaged twice as many points as the team’s second-leading scoring. He led Purdue to a 29-6 record, a Big Ten Tournament championship and a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
AP Player of the Year voting is done before the NCAA Tournament, so Edey winning the award was never in doubt. Purdue’s historic upset loss to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickenson wasn’t factored into the voting. It wouldn’t likely have hurt Edey’s case because he finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.
Zach Edey is a Massive Favorite To Win The Wooden Award
Anybody holding a ticket on Edey to win the Wooden Award will have to wait until April 7th, but that, too, is a mere formality. Edey was -2450 to win the award in the middle of February. He opened the season at nearly 30-1 so his rise to the top of the sport has been meteoric this season.
The 7’4 Junior from Canada burst onto the scene as a sophomore last year in his first year as a starter. He averaged 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds alongside Jaden Ivey helping Purdue reach the Sweet 16. With Ivey off to the NBA as the fifth overall pick, Edey developed into a star this season.
Edey’s future is undecided. He could enter the NBA Draft, but he still has a year of eligibility left so there’s a good chance he’ll return to college. One thing is for certain, Edey isn’t going anywhere. A blowhard radio host tweeted that Edey entered the transfer portal, but Edey shot that rumor down immediately.
