The Midwest region top seeds Purdue were in action Friday night at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. After comprehensive victories in their opening two games, Zach Edey and Co. were up against the relentless Bulldogs who showed their might against Kansas in their previous encounter.

However, the night belonged to Zach Edey (27 points, 14 rebounds) and Braden Smith (14 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds) whose resounding display on the court took Purdue through to the Elite Eight.

Fittingly, Purdue’s star center Zach Edey opened the proceedings through a Jumper assisted by Lance Jones. It didn’t take long for Gonzaga to respond as Anton Watson put the first points for them. Following this, both teams produced multiple layups and threes to get the scoreboard ticking. Gonzaga then got themselves ahead and had a 5-point lead for a brief time. At this time, a Jumper from Lance Jones quickly followed by a 3-pointer levelled the scores with 10:38 still left in the first half. After this, neither team was able to gain any significant advantage until Purdue scored 4 points in the last minute and ended the opening half on 40-36.

Nolan Hickman’s three brought the difference to a single point as soon as the second half commenced. Anyhow, with the score at 42-41, Purdue had a 9-1 run and got the upper hand. The Bulldogs then scored the next 6 points to ensure that Purdue didn’t run away with the game. Still, Braden Smith and Zach Edey were asserting Purdue’s offensive authority intact. Consequently, the Boilermakers controlled the next 5 minutes with a 16-2 run to completely swing the momentum in their favor with just 7:36 left to the final buzzer. While the Bulldogs tried to find their way back, they couldn’t recover from this earlier onslaught and lost 68-80.

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Meanwhile, it was a regular day at the office for the two Purdue standouts.

Zach Edey and Braden Smith’s masterclass

Some supreme brand of basketball by the two of Purdue’s very best takes them to their 6th Elite Eight appearance. The senior center started it off for the Boilermakers and reached his double-double in the first half itself. In addition to this, he was 10 of 15 while shooting from the field and had a 70% accuracy in his free throws. At the same time, No.3 Braden Smith almost pulled off a triple-double. Anyhow, his assist-dominant double-double had 54.5% efficiency in field goals while he buried 50% of his 3-pointers.

Purdue now holds a very strong case for themselves in the discussion of worthy title contenders. The convincing manner in which they are securing their victories is a worrying sign for their upcoming opponents. We’ll have to wait and see who will be their opponents in the regional finals. Tennessee or Creighton.

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What are your thoughts on Purdue’s win?