On April 9th, Beijing time, many fans should be confused: Why is there no NBA game today? Because there is an NCAA men's basketball final in the morning: Purdue University vs University of Connecticut. Every year in the NCAA men's basketball finals, the NBA basically stops for one day, because the NCAA finals are too popular, and the NBA is actually worried about its poor ratings.
This season, the NBA has officially given "league-wide holidays" many times, including midterm election day, Thanksgiving, the day before the midseason knockout game, etc., and the NBA has not scheduled games. However, there are as many as 14 games scheduled for the NBA tomorrow, including two major games: Warriors vs. Lakers and Clippers vs. Suns. It's hard to use one heart for two purposes, and the sect leader doesn't know which one to write.
Speaking of this NCAA final, Purdue's interior and Chinese-Canadian center Zach Eddie has been in hot form lately. He has scored at least 20 points and 10 rebounds on 60 percent shooting in seven straight games, the longest record in the NCAA Division I in nearly 25 years. As soon as he arrived at the arena today, he was booed by Connecticut fans.
Born on March 14, 2002, Zach Eddie is 2.22 meters tall, has an arm span of 2.40 meters and a standing touch height of 2.93 meters. The height of the jump on the spot is 66 cm, the run-up jump is 75 cm, and the draft template: Boban. Although Zach Eddie's static talent is not inferior to Wembanyama, the two have completely different styles of play, and Zach Eddie is a traditional insider.
This year is Zach Eddie's senior season, not counting today's finals, he averaged 24.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.2 blocks and 2.3 turnovers per game this season, shooting 62.5% from the field and 71.1% from the free throw line. It's a draft year, and Zach Eddie has put up amazing numbers, but the predicted pick is only about 14 picks.
Let's talk about Zach Eddie's strengths first: first-class height and reach, good rim protection and blocking ability, and a soft finish under the basket on the offensive end. The disadvantages are also obvious: the offensive and defensive ends move slowly, and there is no ability to change defenses. The offensive range is limited to the basket, and there is basically no outside projection in actual combat. His style of play is really not suitable for today's NBA.
Connecticut also has a 7-foot center, and he is the 2.18-meter Donovan Klingen. Since Olajuwon vs. Ewing in 1984, the NCAA finals have been played in 40 years with a 7-foot center. Klingen was born on February 23, 2004, and is averaging 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 blocks per game this season while shooting 64% from the field.
There were two big players on the field, which made this final look like there was little space on the field, and the score in the first half was not high. At halftime, UConn led Purdue 36-30. Zach Eddie showed his offensive dominance, scoring 16 points, five rebounds and two blocks on 7-of-12 shooting. Klingen only scored 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 hat, but fortunately, his teammates gave him a lot!
Zach Eddie can attack, but the defensive end is targeted, and the pick-and-roll can only shrink, not expand at all. If he goes to the NBA, he will definitely be called out by those little guards. In the second half, Connecticut stepped up its defense against Zach Eddie, and the whole team rushed together to grab rebounds. Eddie's physical strength declined, and Purdue soon fell behind to double digits.
Purdue only scored one three-pointer in the first half, and the second half was even worse, with none of them. Klingen was plagued by fouls, Kangda sent a five-small lineup, and although Zach Eddie could score easily, he couldn't prevent Kangda from attacking. At the end of the game, Connecticut won the game 75-60 and completed two consecutive championships!
Zach Eddie shot 15-of-25 from the field and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line for 37 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. After playing the finals, his ranking may have to slip, and his shortcomings on the defensive end will be infinitely magnified. Connecticut is too strong! In six games in March Madness, they outscored their opponents by a total of 140 points, averaging 23.3 points per game, breaking the NCAA all-time record.