DJ Burns Jr. vs. Zach Edey: NC State and Purdue big men to clash in Final Four providing showdown we want

No. 11 seed NC State and No. 1 seed Purdue meeting Saturday in the Final Four is a metaphorical David vs. Goliath matchup. Literally speaking, though, a Goliath vs. Goliath matchup is a more apt description for what’s on tap in a thrilling head-to-head between Boilermakers big man Zach Edey and his Wolfpack counterpart, DJ Burns Jr.

Edey is a towering 7-foot-4, 300 pounds and the current face of college basketball. Burns is a burly 6-9, 275 pounds and the current face of March Madness after leading NC State to its first Final Four since 1983. Both have dominated the 2024 NCAA Tournament and in the process taken their teams to the final weekend of the tourney. Now, each are likely to be the primary defender for the other in one of the biggest and most fascinating individual showdowns of March Madness.

Let’s dive into the Tale of the Tape between two of arguably the biggest NCAA Tournament stars entering the final weekend.

Tale of the Tape: DJ Burns Jr. vs. Zach Edey 

CBS Sports graphic

DJ Burns Jr.

Zach Edey


6-9
Height
7-4


275
Weight
300


Senior
Year
Senior


Rock Hill, South Carolina
Hometown
Toronto, Ontario


13.0
Points per game
25.0


4.1
Rebounds per game
12.2


53.40%
Field Goal Percentage
62.40%


0.6
Blocks per game
2.2

It’s hard to imagine this NCAA Tournament matchup on paper would have even been on the table a few weeks ago — NC State lost seven of its final nine regular season games and needed to win five games in five days at the ACC Tournament to get into the…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/dj-burns-jr-vs-zach-edey-nc-state-and-purdue-big-men-to-clash-in-final-four-providing-showdown-we-want/

Author : Kyle Boone

Publish date : 2024-04-03 01:30:47

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