Unexpected Fun

Pretty much on a whim, I turned on the Purdue-Northwestern men’s basketball game last night, about halfway through the second half. For the first time in, I don’t know, forever, college hoops felt exciting. Welsh-Ryan Arena was rocking, as the kids like to say. NU gave top-ranked Purdue more than it could handle, even with all-world giant center (7’4”) Zach Edey scoring thirty-five points with fourteen rebounds in a game that went into overtime before the Wildcats pulled off the 92-88 upset. Guard Boo Buie—love the name—led NU with thirty-one points and nine assists. Wildcats’ coach Chris Collins seems to be heading in the opposite direction of his football ex-counterpart, Pat Fitzgerald. Three years ago, Fitgerald looked to have a job for life in Evanston, if he wanted it, while Collins’ star was in decline. But after an NCAA Big Dance appearance that went two games, Collins’ team looks ready for more March madness. As long as he runs a clean program (see Fitzgerald), good for him. And the same for Buie after coming back for his senior year. As for Edey, an intriguing talent. The era of the big center is long gone in the NBA. Edey may change that with a combination of athleticism and offense. It would be interesting to see him matched up against Spurs’ rookie Victor Wembanyama, a 7’4” power forward. Wembanyama was supposed to be the next LeBron James. He’s averaging 19.3 points and 9.7 rebounds a game so far, which is nice, but Wembanyama hasn’t led the 3-16 Spurs back to relevance. Will Edey, who’s probably going to be the top pick in the 2024 NBA draft, be any better? It’ll be interesting to see.