Even though Zach Edey scored 37 points for Purdue in the national championship, four-time NBA champion Draymond Green is convinced the big man quit on his team.
On Monday night, Green questioned Edey’s commitment in the second half. He claims the AP Player of the Year’s body language was suspect.
Green also gave UConn’s Samson Johnson credit for making Edey “quit” in the second half.
“Job Well Done 35! You did your job tonight. It was him that made Edey quit with about 19 mins to go in the 2nd half,” Green wrote on X. “There was a turnover and I saw Edey body language walking back. He was done. Now rewatch the game from that point on.”
Fans disagree with Green’s assessment of Edey, but it’s interesting that he felt that way nonetheless.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley, meanwhile, told reporters that his team was OK with Edey having a big night. The plan was to neutralize Edey’s supporting cast.
“We didn’t care if Zach took 25, 28 shots to get 30, 35 points,” Hurley said. “This whole gameplan was: no Smith, no Loyer, no Gillis, no Jones. Keep that collective group under 18, 20 points as a group, they had no chance to win no matter how well Zach played.”
UConn’s plan certainly worked considering the Huskies dominated the Boilermakers in the second half.