Ohio State basketball has Purdue’s Zach Edey atop list of concerns
It will take a team effort to combat the player Chris Holtmann has repeated dubbed “The Human Cheat Code” on Thursday night.
But as Ohio State prepares to host No. 1 Purdue and its 7-4, 305-pound center in Zach Edey, the coach for the Buckeyes said the onus will fall on third-year center Zed Key – all 6-8, 255 pounds of him.
“He’s the most dominant player in college basketball,” Holtmann said of Edey. “We know that, so it’s gonna take a team effort but they also have other guys that can score and impact the game. This is an opportunity for Zed. He’s now in a primary role. He really hasn’t had this responsibility as much. Now he does as a junior and he and Felix (Okpara) will take a large role in that.”
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Mostly a role player for his first two seasons at Ohio State, Key has grown into a featured option for the Buckeyes as a junior. His scoring average of 13.4 points per game is more than his averages from his first two seasons combined, his team-leading 8.4 rebounds per game are a career high and his five double-doubles dwarf his career total of two entering the season.
Purdue’s Zach Edey leads Big Ten in scoring and rebounding
While Key’s production has increased, so has Edey’s – and at an even higher rate. He enters Value City Arena as the Big Ten’s leader in scoring (21.7) and rebounding (13.4) and is second in field-goal percentage (63.2%), trailing only Trayce Jackson-Davis (63.4%) while having taken 62 more shots than his Indiana counterpart.
It’s all made him a leading candidate for conference and national player of the year honors as well as the top name on every opposing scouting report. While Key is drawing the primary responsibility within Ohio State’s team approach to grappling with Edey, the captain said he’s not viewing it as a personal challenge.
“I mean, I see all the stuff on social media and stuff about the matchup,” he said. “I just come in and play my game. I don’t get bothered with that. It’s a game. Just go out there and play like I would play.”
Zach Edey vs. Ohio State: How he’s performed in previous games
Edey has enjoyed limited success in four career games against Ohio State. He scored 20 points in the lone meeting between the teams last season, 11 of which came at the free-throw line, but has averaged 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds against the Buckeyes. In those games, he was splitting time with fellow big man Trevion Williams.
And in those games, he was often guarded by Kyle Young – an undersized Ohio State forward who at 6-8, 225 pounds was able to give Edey problems.
“Kyle’s ability to be mobile, be really tough, be active, be physical and yet at the same time was obviously undersized,” Holtmann said. “This is really an opportunity for Zed to grow in his ability to defend a dominant post player.”
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Edey isn’t the first nearly 7-footer Key has played this season. In a loss to North Carolina at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 17, Key struggled against 6-11, 235-pound senior Armando Bacot. The Tar Heel finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds while Key had 11 points on as many shots and four rebounds while picking up three fouls.
More recently, though, Key helped hold 7-foot Northwestern center Matthew Nicolson to an 0-for-7 shooting performance despite pulling down eight offensive rebounds. Key had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the 73-57 win.
“I think in that (North Carolina) game, Zed let some of his offensive misses or not getting maybe early as involved as he’d like to affect his defense in some ways,” Holtmann said. “That’s a maturity thing for him he’s got to continue to grow in. he’s more than capable of defending bigger bodies. He’s done that, and I think it’s about angles, it’s about awareness, it’s about great effort.”
How Ohio State can defend Zach Edey
The problem is that, against someone as skilled and as big as Edey, angles, awareness and effort still might not be enough.
“He’s probably 290, close to 300 pounds, so it’s not just the length and the size,” Holtmann said. “Sometimes a leverage play is as important as anything and that’s where Zed is really good, because he’s really strong. Here you don’t really have a leverage play against a guy that size.”
In reality, the onus will be as much on Ohio State’s perimeter players to pressure the ball, cut down on passing angles and make it difficult to get the ball to Edey in spots where he can be effective. Key’s foray into becoming a perimeter player – he is 6 for 19 from 3 this season after not attempting any during his first two years – could also help.
But if those team efforts fall short, and the ball is in Edey’s hands down low, it’ll be up to Key and Okpara to hold their ground.
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