Zach Edey will return home as the #4 Purdue Boilermakers take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in a regular season showdown between the Big Ten and SEC in Toronto, Canada.

For Purdue, the trip north will be a special testament to its program-defining big man, and another high-powered test in the non-conference ahead of conference play. Purdue moved up to #1 in the country after defeating Gonzaga, Tennessee, and Marquette, all ranked in the top-11 at the time of the game, in the Maui Invitational.

It won't be the final test for Purdue. While the Boilers only have two games in a two week span, the games are not for the weak of heart. Purdue takes on Alabama and then will play semi-host to the now #1 team in the country, Arizona, as part of the Indy Classic in Indianapolis on December 16th.

Purdue did lose its first Big Ten game of the season, on the road to Northwestern, before responding with a route of Iowa on Monday in Mackey Arena to move them to 8-1 on the season.

Alabama hasn't had as much success to start the season, losing to one Big Ten season already, Ohio State, and Clemson at home. Its best win the of the season is aneutral floor against Oregon on November 25th.

Alabama is going to have plenty of chances to pick up quality wins with its next three games. Alabama will take on Purdue on Saturday and then travel to play Creighton on the road on December 16th. Then four days later it will take on the same #1 Arizona Wildcats as Purdue on December 20th for a 'semi-away' game.

At this point, Zach Edey's road to college basketball is probably well known. The 2023 National Player of the Year in college basketball didn't even pick up a basketball until after middle school. He was a baseball pitcher, a hockey player, he loved those sports and he didn't think basketball was for him. Even though, as someone who would soon reach 7 feet and 4 inches, the message was pretty clear.

"The world was telling him he should play basketball," Zach Edey's coach Matt Painter said Thursday ahead of Purdue's trip to Toronto to take on Alabama. "The world was right."

But the story is good enough to be made up. A late comer to basketball, Edey had a lot of catching up to do, but much like how he plays on the court now, he wasn't going to just casually stroll onto the court and let his height do the work. He knew that if he was going to play basketball and reach the heights - no pun intended - that he planned on, he would be going to an American school to play for an American college.

So the Toronto native and his family decided to upheave his whole life, moving to Florida to play for IMG Academy in high school. IMG Academy is a process plant for high school talent, churning out NCAA athletes and charging a big price to do so.

When Painter first saw Edey, he noticed what everyone notices. The same thing that fellow Boiler, Mason Gillis noticed the first time he saw him.

"Biggest person I've ever seen," Gillis told me about his first impression of Edey.

Edey hasn't gotten any smaller. When Painter first saw him at IMG, he saw a kid with huge size and obvious skill, someone despite his size, disappeared when he was on the court. But Painter saw just enough potential, a hint at what he could be.

But to see this? Gillis said it aptly, he didn't see this: National Player of the Year, Big Ten Player of the Year, and historic college great. No one did, not even Edey himself Gillis guessed.

Ethan Morton, fellow senior, echoed those sentiments. His first thoughts on Edey were, "Definitely thought he was a long-term project," he told me with a chuckle.

If Edey was a project, he's already become the biggest success story of this century in college basketball. From someone who didn't know how to pass as a true freshman, Edey has become college basketball's most unstoppable force. That was last year, when he swept the national awards.

Then he came back, and this game happened.

"Gonna be a lot of fun," Zach Edey said about playing in front of family and friends in Toronto. "I have a lot of family members that I haven't really played in front of."

Zach Edey perfectly encapsulated his own story when describing the only time he's played a real game in Canada - it was as part of the Team Canada team.

Edey, who didn't pick up a basketball in time to play middle school or high school games in the country, returned before he was done with college, to play for his own National Team.

There's just three teams with a more efficient offense than Purdue according to Kenpom, and Alabama is one of them. The Roll Tide have the second best offense in the country, combining great shot selection with even better shot-making for a Nate Oats squad that's been put together with a lot of talent, home grown and transferred.

At the top of that, Mark Sears, who is one of the most dynamic scoring guards in the country. He's a do everything guard for Oates, capable of grabbing his own rebound and getting into transition, scoring in the half court, getting to the hoop, and knocking down three-pointers.

Sears is averaging nearly 20 points a game while shooting 57% from the floor, and 51.5% from three. He's the best scorer Purdue has played this season.

Aaron Estrada, Sears back court mate, might be the second best. Estrada, a transfer from Hofstra who sat out the game against Purdue last season, is one of the best portal additions in the country. He's shooting just under 45% from three and has scored 16.4 points a game. The lefty is a scorer that attacks the hoop and knocks down threes on and off the ball.

But everyone shoots the ball well for Alabama. Oates has 8 players that have made 7 threes or more on the season.

Alabama is shooting 40.9% from three as a team. That's the tenth best mark of the season. Alabama has been nearly as good inside the paint, making 56.8% of its attempts inside the arc. Those looks come from Bama's consistent pressure off the dribble, using the thread of its shot, and athleticism to get inside the paint.

"Both of their bigs are very athletic and long," Matt Painter said of Alabama. Both those bigs will be available against Purdue after Nick Pringle was announced returned from his one game suspension where he missed Alabama's last contest against Arkansas State.

Pringle has been an exceptionally efficient scorer for Alabama, scoring on 17 of 21 shots, all two-pointers, to go along with Jarin Stevenson who is 13 of 18 from two, and Mohamed Wague who is just under 70% from the floor.

Those three bigs all offer an interesting challenge for a Purdue team that has the size to match up, but how will Edey deal with all Alabama's quickness at the big spot? Alabama's bigs are great as roll men, getting into the paint, and finishing and drawing fouls when they're delivered the ball on the move. ITs something Purdue has struggled with at times. Edey playing in space is still not his biggest strength and Alabama's guards are all challenging enough with their shot making that Edey might not be able to settle into a drop against them.

If he doesn't, will Alabama's guards and quick moving big be able to use that extra paint in the space? This will be one of Purdue's biggest questions defensively.

At the other end, Alabama's post defensive has shown problematic.

Clemson beat Alabama by consistently going to its post threat, PJ Hall. Hall had 21 points and his ability to play out of the post opened up good looks for the rest of the offense.

Zach Edey is obviously the best post option in the country and has a considerable strength, weight, and length advantage on everyone on the Alabama roster. Will the athleticism and speed around the post be on point and will Oates defense be connective in a way that will create turnovers?

Alabama has not shown that kind of defensive prowess on the season, and has only forced turnovers at a 17.4% clip to start the season, 203th best mark in the country.

The other option is Alabama tries to live with Edey scoring, trying to ball deny the guards, and force turnovers there while getting into a pace game that Purdue looks better at handling this season with the addition of Lance Jones and maturation of Braden Smith.

Will Purdue get sucked into a speed war with Bama? And can it keep up?

It will be a fascinating match up on who can control the game and play the way they want.