Final Four 2024: How Purdue’s mid-major transfer has unlocked Zach Edey’s team en route to championship game

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — In a 63-50 Final Four win Saturday against NC State, Purdue improved to 15-0 this season when Lance Jones scores 15 or more points in a game. The Boilermakers tend to go as star big man Zach Edey goes — and he indeed was key in the win, scoring 20 and grabbing 12 boards — but they seem to hit the turbo button when Jones is on his game. 

That registered as a surprise to Jones.

“Who, me?” the transfer guard said, seemingly taken aback by the stat.

That’s because Jones is not always hunting his shot. He is not the centerpiece of this No. 1 seed Purdue team that is marching its way into the NCAA championship game Monday. What Jones is, though, is the only newcomer in that Purdue team’s primary six-player rotation — an essential difference-maker who stepped up in the bright lights of the Final Four.

“I just wanted to come in and be that person that does whatever is necessary,” Jones, who spent four years at Southern Illinois before moving to Purdue this season, said after the game. “Obviously, I wanted to bring my defensive edge. But really I just wanted to win.”

Against NC State, Purdue asked Jones to dust off his cape and help save the day. And save the day he did: He finished with 14 points, drilled four 3s and set the tone defensively in aiding the Boilers to a cozy win.

This is mostly the same Purdue team that lost last season as a No. 1 seed to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round, becoming the second-ever No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed and entrenching itself in infamy. That loss came with point guard Braden Smith committing seven turnovers and the team finishing 5-for-26 from 3-point range. And while Smith struggled again Saturday, finishing 1-for-9 shooting with five turnovers, Jones in a pinch recognized his game — and his mentality — was needed in the biggest game of Purdue’s season.

“I brought a different type of mojo and swagger and edge to this…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/final-four-2024-how-purdues-mid-major-transfer-has-unlocked-zach-edeys-team-en-route-to-championship-game/

Author : Kyle Boone

Publish date : 2024-04-07 02:20:58

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