NCAA Men's Selection Show Takeaways: Edey, Purdue in familiar spot

After a fantastic 2022-23 season, Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers had the misfortune of being on the losing end of true March Madness last year.

With that bitter memory in mind, the seven-foot-four Canadian star and his Indiana-based team are determined to flip the script.

For the second year in a row, Purdue was made a No. 1 seed on men's Selection Sunday. Last year, that didn't work out so well as Purdue became just the second top seed ever to lose a tournament opener when little-known Fairleigh Dickinson recorded a massive upset.

This will be Edey's last chance to make an NCAA title run as he's planning to enter the 2024 NBA Draft. While the Toronto native is poised to be named the college player of the year for the second year in a row, opinions are mixed on how effective he can be at the next level — with defending in space and shooting cited as primary concerns.

There's no doubt, however, that Edey (24.4 points, 11.7 rebounds per game) is the dominant player in the college game. No one can stop him when he's in good position close to the basket.

The team has had another great season. Purdue will be a heavy favourite again versus the winner of a First Four game between Grambling State and Montana State in the round of 64 in Indianapolis, about a 70-minute drive from the university's campus.

This time, history is on Purdue's side. The only other No. 1 seed to lose a tourney opener, Virginia in 2018, won the national title the following year.

Purdue coach Matt Painter didn't overhaul the roster after last year's shocker. Four of the top five scorers are back, with the lone addition being senior guard Lance Jones, a transfer from Southern Illinois.

But is a similar roster a good thing? Edey had 21 points (on seven-of-11 shooting from the field) and 15 rebounds in the 63-58 loss to FDU last year. The rest of the team, meanwhile, was a woeful 12-of-42 from the field, including 5-of-26 from three.

The good news for Purdue is its three-point shooting is much better this year (40.8 per cent, as compared to 32.6 last season). But it was down to 31.3 (five-of-16) in a surprising overtime loss to Wisconsin in a Big Ten semifinal on Saturday (Edey had 28 points and 11 rebounds).

What's more, key guard Braden Smith suffered a knee injury in the previous game against Michigan State. He did return and played Saturday, but there are questions about his health.

The Boilermakers need their supporting cast to step up and make shots when Edey is inevitably double teamed. If they do that, Purdue's as dangerous as anybody in the tournament.

Unpredictable at the top?

We haven't even started the tournament yet and we've already had more than our fair share of March upsets.

Three No. 1 seeds — Purdue, North Carolina and Houston — all did not win their respective conference tournaments. The other top seed, defending national champion, UConn, did emerge victorious in the Big East and was rewarded with the overall No. 1 seed. The Huskies will face tourney newcomer Stetson in their tourney opener.

All told, 21 of 32 No. 1 seeds lost in their respective conference championship tournaments.

Bubble bursts

Teams on the bubble for a spot in the tournament had a rough week thanks to 'bid thieves'.

Atlantic-10 champion Duquesne, Pac-12 winner Oregon and ACC champ North Carolina State also likely wouldn't have been in the tournament without their respective conference titles.

Temple's upset over heavily favoured Florida Atlantic in the American Athletic tournament also closed another bubble spot — with the latter school getting in on an at-large bid. The University of Alabama at Birmingham took advantage, beating Temple to claim the one of 32 automatic bids in the 68-team tourney.

Florida Atlantic, a surprise Final Four team last year, got a No. 8 seed in the East region and could face UConn in the second round if it beats No. 9 Northwestern. Reigning national runner-up San Diego State is a No. 5 seed in the same region, meaning a national championship rematch is possible in the Sweet 16.

North Carolina State was particularly impressive this past week, winning five games in five days to win its tournament, capping it by topping rival North Carolina. The only other team to win five-in-five at its conference tournament was the Kemba Walker-led 2011 UConn squad, which went on to win the national title.

“Winning five games in five nights is a miracle,” N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts told AP. “We’ve got to get some rest because, guess what, we’re going to the NCAA tournament.”

NC State will be an underdog again as a No. 11 seed against No. 6 Texas Tech in Pittsburgh. The latter school has a Canadian connection with Carleton Ravens coaching legend Dave Smart in his first year as an assistant coach.

Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Indiana State and Pittsburgh were listed as the top four teams to miss the cut.

Out but in

On Monday, Long Beach State announced veteran coach Dan Monson would not return next season.

But the Beach also said Monson could coach through post-season play. Well, the upstart team managed to win three games in as many days to capture the Big West tourney, giving Long Beach State a spot in the Big Dance.

So, in an awkward story that just won't end, Monson is now coaching in the national championship tournament, knowing his employment ends if and when the team loses a game.

“To their credit, they let me coach (after making the decision to cut ties),” Monson told the Los Angeles Times. “A lot of schools wouldn’t let you coach because something like this could happen. But obviously they didn’t think we had a chance to do that and that’s a motivation I used with our kids — they didn’t just quit on me, they quit on you guys; they don’t feel like you can win this tournament, you know? And it’s certainly no hard feelings because the most gratifying thing is to see how my players reacted.”

The Beach are a No. 15 seed and will battle No. 2 Arizona in a matchup with a great subplot.

Monson, as head coach of Gonzaga late last century, offered current Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd a job on staff, ESPN reported in 2020. While Monson had left for Minnesota by the time Lloyd decided to enter coaching, previous Gonzaga assistant and current head coach Mark Few honoured the agreement and brought Lloyd aboard as a volunteer administrative assistant.

Canadians in Detroit?

There could be some interesting Canadian content in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 at the Midwest Regional in Detroit

Edey's Boilermakers are No. 1 in the region. Edey could then face another high-profile Toronto player, Texas Christian leading scorer Emanuel Miller, in the round of 32 if the No. 9 Horned Frogs can get past No. 8 Utah State.

In that same portion of the draw are No. 5 Gonzaga, with starting point guard Ryan Nembhard of Aurora, Ont., and No. 13 Samford, with third-leading scorer Jaden Campbell of Brampton, Ont.

A Gonzaga-Purdue matchup would be a marquee Sweet 16 showdown on both sides of the border.

While Canadians have made a major mark on NCAA basketball in recent years, just five Canadian men have captured the national title.

It’s been more than a decade since the last Canadian crown — Kyle Wiltjer with Kentucky in 2012.