Purdue’s Edey vs. NC State’s Burns Jr.: A big man breakdown
WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue center Zach Edey has his next big-man matchup cut out for him when he jockeys for position in the paint against the shifty and powerful DJ Burns Jr. of North Carolina State.
It’s a matchup fitting of two tournament titans each coming off career performances in the Elite Eight.
Edey scored 40 points and grabbed 16 rebounds against No. 2 seed Tennessee while the 6-foot-9, 275-pound Burns scored 29 points to lead No. 11 NC State to an upset win over No. 4 seed Duke.
Now the two giants, beloved by their respective programs and fan bases, get to battle it out Saturday in Glendale, Arizona for a spot in the national championship. Here’s a breakdown of what challenges Edey and Burns will pose for each other.
The matchup
● Zack Edey: 24.6 points per game, 12.1 rebounds per game, 2.2 blocks per game, 62.4% FG.
● DJ Burns Jr: 12.6 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists, 52.7% FG.
Edey’s jump hooks and touch vs. Burns’ bully ball and finesse combo
Edey and Burns each have soft hands but the avenues they use to score couldn’t be more different.
Burns is typically the shorter man given how he regularly competes against centers with similar statures to Edey. They are seven feet or taller and use their tree-like reach to block and contest shots.
Burns uses his explosiveness and speed to one-step and get in position where his defender’s chest is to his back. A myriad of head fakes and stepthroughs with a body that angers the opposition and Burns has developed into a skilled scorer. Burns can also take players off the dribble and has mastered a consistent floater to shoot over taller defenders.
As for Edey? No, he isn’t just tall. Edey has brought back the long-lost art of jump hooks both left-handed and right-handed. The ability to play with his back to the basket, an up and under to displace defenders and conditioning
makes Edey both the best center and basketball player in the country.
Both Burns and Edey use angles to score off the glass. Edey goes over players while Burns attacks from underneath. Edey and Burns are also highly skilled passers out of the post. Effective in different ways and worthy of a Final Four appearance.
Who has the advantage?
While Burns has become a fan favorite for NC State, he’ll find scoring against Edey more challenging in the Final Four.
Length and size without a code of discipline is what separates Edey and other legendary centers from the average 7-footer.
Burns can create his own shots off the dribble and could be a step quicker than Edey in space. But Edey’s footwork and the knack for cutting off angles and shifting directions is what completes the package for the Toronto native.
But Burns himself is no slouch and will create his own set of problems for Purdue looking to win its first national championship since the NCAA tournament started in 1939. The Boilermakers’ 1932 team was retroactively named the national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1942.