Tennessee’s defense is so good because it simply refuses to give you an inch at the rim. Yeah, three-pointers are the new rage and have changed the sport, but the best shot in basketball will always be a layup. Tennessee makes that almost impossible. Just ask Syracuse who shot just 6-for-15 on layups against Tennessee in Monday’s 73-56 loss.
This season, opponents are shooting just 44.7% at the rim against Tennessee which is one of the best marks in all of college basketball.
Zach Edey could care less about the gaudy numbers. The 7-foot-4, 300-pound center is a straight-up load who imposes his will on anyone and everyone. Purdue is better this year. It’s deeper, more athletic, has better point guard play and is shooting it from downtown with way more confidence. But Edey will always be the head of the snake.
“He doesn’t really have a comp,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “So, like, sometimes you’ll watch a lot of films, like, ‘Oh, okay, this team’s played 18 games, this is how they have handled low post situations.’ Then you’ll face ’em and it’s totally different because they feel if they do it that way he’ll have the advantage.
“So we have seen about everything. I’ve seen almost everything work at times, too. Like, a lot of people say this doesn’t work and that doesn’t work, it’s really the fight. It’s like who wants to fight to get deep position, who wants to fight to keep you from getting deep position, who wants to be active, who wants to have an understanding of who they’re guarding in weak-side help. We’ve had games where we had struggles. Like, this isn’t something where we just have success every time. But he’s smart and he figures things out, and he’s tough.”
