Instant react: Purdue takes first step

Purdue has waited a long time to get to this point. It wasn't just about Purdue being back as a #1 seed. It was about looking like a #1 seed.

That's exactly what Purdue did in the second half as it turned a 9 point lead at half into a 20+ lead less than halfway into the second half on its way to winning convincingly, 78-50.

While the first half was about Zach Edey holding Purdue afloat, the second half was about Braden Smith leading Purdue to soar. And soar it did when Braden Smith lobbed a pass up to redshirt freshman Camden Heide in transition and the Minnesota native went high up and threw it down with two hands at full speed.

It was a resounding reminder that this team is both built and playing different than last year's squad.

In 31 minutes, Zach Edey goes for 30 points and 21 rebounds, assists on 2 baskets and blocks 3 shots.

It's just the second 30-20 game in the NCAA Tournament in the last 50 years.

Edey had 9 offensive rebounds and made 8 of 14 field goal attempts and had just 2 turnovers. It's one of Edey's most dominant performances. It helped Purdue stay ahead in the first half, then allowed it to blow Grambling State out in the second half.

Edey has already set the scoring and rebounding record, all-time, at Purdue, and he's now starting to leave his mark on March as Purdue moves onto the second round to take on the winner of Utah State and TCU.

Zach Edey has somehow become the focus of what's wrong with college basketball. Again, Edey displayed that he's a game wrecker. He was the best player from tip to whistle, unfortunately, the team he was playing against was again forced to make those whistles happpen again and again and again.

A flagrant was called early on Grambling, but the ugly were the fouls not called. Edey had red scratch marks a few minutes into the game, but the scariest play of the game involved Edey running down court, getting grabbed by one arm from behind, and yanked to the ground. There was no whistle. There was no review.

But through that, Edey was a singular force, a one man wrecking crew, and his edge was Purdue's edge. He grabbed 12 rebounds in the first half, 6 of them offensive, and Purdue's 9 point lead in the first half was in large part to its 12-0 second chance points advantage.

A college sport that's had no answer for Edey for the last two seasons, has reverted to physicality to the point of whistle exhaustion. Edey bears the brunt of that physicality and that mocking from pundits to twitter. He drew 7 fouls in the first half, and it could have easily been double that.

Braden Smith is screaming to himself. It's a curse word, it's loud, and the emotion spills out of him. He keeps screaming, still cursing as he walks all the way from half court to his bench. Purdue is shooting free throws because a missed shot was a good shot all half for a Purdue team that out rebounded Grambling by 11 in the first half, including 12 offensive rebounds. It had a 12-0 second chance points lead, but Smith didn't want another chance.

He wanted that three to fall. Bizarrely, Smith ended up with the ball and Grambling scrambled around him, shattered to the shooters around him, the big man inside, and Smith was left alone. He had already knocked down three threes to this point, but Purdue had just a little over a minute left in the half and the score was too close for comfort.

Smith, the co-leader of this team now, the heartbeat of its offense, could feel the need for a basket to go in. It just rattled out.

But Smith isn't alone this season. His running mate, his fellow sophomore guard, has also grown and Fletcher Loyer finishes the half with his second three and a lay up at the half off a curl on a strong take to the basket. Smith has 8 points, 4 assists, and Loyer 8 points and 2 rebounds. It's enough to go with Edey's dominant 16 and 12 in the first half.

It pulls Purdue just away from Grambling, 36-27 going into half.

Lance Jones was just up ahead of Fletcher Loyer in transition. Loyer had the ball. the defender had a choice to make and went for Loyer. Loyer tossed it left to an open Smith in transition.

The Lance Jones from the regular season shoots that shot every time. Then after the game, Matt Painter would talk about how Jones is at his best in transition, not settling, and attacking the basket. Painter loves when Jones does that.

He loved what Jones did tonight. Jones didn't settle for a jumper, but drove, drawing a foul at the rim.

Jones would again choose to not shoot in transition with advantage to start the second half. Two passes later, the ball would find Zach Edey alone at the basket, a two hand dunk in his immediate future.

For good karma, Jones would get a third chance in transition and when he did shoot this one, it went in. His first basket of the game.