Purdue basketball has hit a rough patch this season, leaving everyone questioning what’s gone wrong for Matt Painter’s squad. Coming off a stellar 2023-24 season where the Boilermakers led by Zach Edey posted a remarkable 34-5 record with a deep tourney run to the Finals, their recent 81-70 loss to Penn State has dropped the West Lafayette program’s record to a middling 7-2, sparking heated discussions among fans and media about their latest star athlete.

The latest uproar came during an episode of The Field of 68: After Dark podcast, where the cast laid heavy criticism on Purdue’s sophomore guard Braden Smith. “The Purdue Boilermakers, they lost to Penn State and the final score was 81-70 and anybody that watched the game knows that was an a– kicking. Like Purdue, I think was down by 27 atv one point in the second half. They had 24 turnovers as a team. Braden Smith did not looked like the All-American point guard that we were promised this season,” said Rob Dauster.

Its loss has only magnified Purdue’s roster changes since Zach Edey’s departure. Last year the 7-foot-4 center was a brute featuring 25.2 points, 12.2 boards, and 2.1 blocks per game. It wasn’t just that Edey was only putting up stats; he was the offensive and defensive heartbeat of Purdue’s offensive and defensive schemes.

“They’re that good bowling up ball screens, they’re that good on the ball rotations with their length and that’s that’s where I worry about Purdue is defensively because there’s always obviously all the talk about the you know the guard rail that Zach Edey was offensively I think they miss him more defensively because that’s a guy that blocked 85 shots last year probably altered hundreds more and probably deterred teams from driving into the paint hundreds of times more as well,” said Dauster.

While the season is far from over, the Boilermakers find themselves at a crossroads. Braden Smith, still a promising talent, has the potential to grow into a reliable leader, but the team needs collective improvement to turn things around. However, how is Zack Edey doing in the big league?

Zach Edey’s stint in the big league

At Purdue University, Edey became a star as a 7’4″ center at a pace unlike any other college basketball player. He led in scoring, rebounding, and shot blocking and received such accolades as the Naismith College Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2023 and 2024).

The Memphis Grizzlies took Edey ninth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. As a rookie in the 2024-25 season, his first 14 games were electric, showing an impressive stat line of 11.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 0.8 APG. The energy in the arena was palpable during his performances. Near the basket, his field goal percentage of 61.0 percent is not shabby. Edey’s presence in the paint and defensive contributions, even as a rookie, turned out to be vital for the Grizzlies. ​

Edey’s story of going from collegiate stardom to the professional game is a case of hard work and adaptation. All eyes are on him growing into a force to be reckoned with in the NBA, as fans and analysts alike raise their expectations for him to step up and show.