'He's a moose down there'

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Hope you get a chance today to spend time with family and friends — and of course watch a lot of hoops. We’re thankful you’re a subscriber to the Daily (and even more thankful to those who aren’t just free supporters).

Let's get to Wednesday’s games.

1. Winning’s a lot easier with Zach Edey around

Zach Edey rarely stopping working. He pushes, he maneuvers, he jostles throughout a game, all with one intent: score.

That’s why when he found himself gathering an offensive rebound and scoring the a crucial basket in the final 23 seconds of Purdue’s 78-75 win against Marquette in the Maui Invitational championship game, he wasn’t surprised.

“Braden [Smith] had to take a tough one at the end of the shot clock,” he said. “Even to kind of hit the rim with that type of shot is impressive. With good shooters, a lot of times you get those short bounces. He's a good shooter, obviously. The ball kind of came to me. I didn't try to get two hands on it, so I just tried to hit it at the rim and that worked.”

It was yet another monster game for the reigning NPOY, who was named tourney MVP after his 28-point, 15-point night, his third double-double this week. He’s the reason why Purdue boasts the nation’s most efficient scoring offense, and its best defense in a dozen years.

“He’s a horse. He’s a moose down there,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “You see a lot of the stuff that people do with the knees and the grabbing and the holding and doing all of that, like, what are they supposed to do?”

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