7-foot-4 Zach Edey can make Canadian basketball history in March Madness final

When Zach Edey takes the court tonight for the Purdue Boilermakers, it’ll mark his last-ever appearance as a collegiate basketball player.

And after being named national Naismith Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons, the Toronto native has already cemented his career as a college basketball legend.

But in taking on the UConn Huskies in tonight’s National Championship game, the 7-foot-4 centre could make history as part of a select group of Canadian athletes.

As per the Sporting News, just five Canadian men have won the NCAA title:

• Kyle Wiltjer, Kentucky (2012)
• Denham Brown, UConn (2004)
•  Dave Thomas, Michigan State (2000)
• Jamaal Magloire, Kentucky (1998)
• Mike Brkovich, Michigan State (1979)

Magloire was the only one of the five to achieve NBA success. He is currently a community ambassador for the Toronto Raptors and has also served as an assistant coach for the team.

Edey’s teams at Purdue haven’t always lived up to expectations during his time with the program. They made it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2022 before being bounced by No. 15-seeded Saint Peter’s. They were knocked out of the tournament in 2021 and 2023 with first-round upsets, including an embarrassing loss to No. 16 seed Farleigh Dickinson while ranked No.1 themselves last year.

“It’s the one we’ve been talking about all year,” said Edey of the chance to win a national title. “It’s the one we’ve been talking about for four years now, to be able to play in that, accept that challenge.”

Edey might be the most polarizing player in recent college basketball history due to his style of play, where he mostly dominates in the paint due to his extreme physical advantages.

Averaging 11.2 free throw attempts per game this season (while shooting 71.1% from the line), Edey is the clear centrepoint of Purdue’s offense. Plenty of critics accuse him of “foul-baiting” and getting a favourable whistle from the referees. He’s attempted just two three-pointers this season, with his game resembling a different era than most modern basketball players.

But Purdue coach Matt Painter addressed media members who criticized Edey’s style of play earlier in the tournament and defended his star.

“Yeah, they just shouldn’t cover basketball,” Painter said of Edey’s critics. “I think all coaches should take a test so they understand refereeing, and I think all referees should take a test so they understand coaching, and I think all journalists should have to take a basketball quiz or test… If they say something so moronic as that, they should have to have a probationary status where they can’t tweet for like three months.”

Tipoff is set for 6:20 pm PT/9:20 pm ET, with the game viewable in Canada via TSN and local CBS affiliates.

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