Purdue basketball has a potentially grueling week in paradise starting with a game against No. 10 Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational.
The Boilermakers (3-0) have beaten Samford, Morehead State and Xavier. Zach Edey (20.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.6 blocked shots) and Braden Smith (11.7 points, 8.3 assists) lead Purdue, which has hit 46.3% of its 3-pointers and is +11 rebounding per game.
The Bulldogs (2-0) have beaten Yale and Eastern Oregon. Five Gonzaga players average double figures: Braden Huff (21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds), Graham Ike (18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds), Anton Watson (15.5 points, 9.0 rebounds), Nolan Hickman (13.5 points) and Ryan Nembhard (11.0 points, 5.0 assists), the younger brother of Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard.
The second-ranked Boilermakers struggled from 3-point range (4 of 17) and taking care of the basketball (13 turnovers), but was able to overcome some first half struggles and an anemic outside shooting performance to defeat No. 10 Gonzaga 73-63 in the opening round of the Maui Invitational.
The trio of Zach Edey, Braden Smith and Lance Jones, along with some timely offense from Myles Colvin and Trey Kaufman-Renn combined with a ratcheted up second-half defense lifted the Boilermakers to a win over Gonzaga for the second straight season.
Purdue plays No. 8 Tennessee, which beat Syracuse, in the Maui Invitational semifinal at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Edey, a 7-foot-4 senior center, shot 8 for 16 from the field and made 9 of 10 shots from the free throw line. He also grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked three shots in 33 minutes.
Lance Jones and Braden Smith added 13 points apiece for Purdue, which shot 54.5% from the field (18 of 33) in the second half. Smith also notched five steals.
Graham Ike led Gonzaga with 14 points and seven rebounds. Ryan Nembhard had 11 points, six assists and three steals, and Nolan Hickman added 11 points and three steals.
The Bulldogs were 26-for-69 shooting (37.7%) from the field.
Going forward, Purdue is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by five points. This will be their first time playing as the underdogs this season.
Monday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Purdue has themselves a killer kicker this season, having nailed 53.4% of their shots per game. However, it's not like Gonzaga struggles in that department as they've drained 56.7% of theirs this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check CBS Sports after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other NCAA Basketball content.
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