Zach Edey's Dominance Has Fans Believing in Purdue After Big Ten Championship Win

Penn State gave Purdue all it could handle. It was fitting that Zach Edey's final touch ended the contest.

Purdue, needing to burn just 0.6 seconds off the clock, simply threw it up to Edey and trusted him to make the right play, much as it had done the entire game. The star center wisely tipped the ball up in the air as time expired to give the Boilermakers a 67-65 win over Penn State, holding off a furious late rally from the Nittany Lions.

It was Purdue's first Big Ten Tournament triumph since 2009. They also claimed the conference's regular-season crown.

Edey, as expected, led the way for Purdue with 30 points and 13 rebounds. The Boilermakers needed every last bucket, as Penn State trimmed a 17-point deficit with six minutes and 21 seconds remaining to just two points with only seven seconds to go, hounding Purdue with a relentless press.

But Camren Wynter traveled on Penn State's final possession, giving the ball back to Purdue before Edey's tip on the inbounds pass sealed the win for Boilermakers.

After the game, Edey's performance and Purdue's prospects in the NCAA tournament had Twitter buzzing:

"I feel like I've been pretty steady all season," Edey said on the CBS broadcast after the win. "We're really peaking at the right time. ... I love my team. This is a great feeling."

Purdue has some major questions to answer, however. Namely, can they deal with a team that will choose to press them the entire game? It has been an issue in the past, and it almost cost them Sunday's game.

Purdue, as a team, inherently contains contradictions. They've been incredibly impressive this season. They have an absolute force in the paint in Edey, who is basically free buckets. They are a deserving No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

But they also have clear weaknesses, namely when facing pressure. They are going to be a popular top seed to be upset. Winning the Big Ten this year wasn't quite as impressive as it might have been in the past.

Purdue still held off Penn State. They still checked every box this season. They deserve the benefit of the doubt heading into the NCAA tournament.

But it sure is hard to ignore that the doubt is lurking nonetheless.