by MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports WriterUtah State forward Great Osobor dunks against Fresno State during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Mountain West Conference tournament, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. Utah State center Isaac Johnson already senses what he'll be facing Sunday against Zach Edey.
“Pretty much all my energy just went into defense. It was not my best offensive game of the year because all of my energy went into defense,” Johnson said Saturday as he recalled that prep contest. “If that's what it takes again, we have a team of guys who can step up. So we'll just do our best.”Last year's national player of the year had several reasons for returning this year — winning a national championship, fine-tuning his overall game and improving his NBA draft stock.
With No. 1 seed Purdue one win away from breaking the school's single-season mark for victories and a trip to Detroit for next weekend's Midwest Region semifinals, Edey looks and sounds like a man on a mission. Edey's experience, as well as his size and talent, certainly makes slowing him down a real challenge.
The danger is Edey also is a proficient passer, and Purdue has Division I's second-best 3-point shooting team at 40.7%.