Big Ten Tournament: Purdue edges Penn State 67-65 to win title

Zach Edey’s 30 points propelled Purdue to its first Big Ten title victory since 2009 and a No. 1 seed in March Madness tournament play.

When the Big Ten Tournament began Wednesday night in Chicago, Penn State was only on bubble-watchers’ radar.

Four days later, the entire college basketball community watches its every move. Illinois, Northwestern, and Indiana sat in the Nittany Lions’ way, and they conquered, becoming the conference’s lowest seed to reach Sunday’s title game against the regular season champion Purdue Boilermakers.

As has been the case all postseason thus far, the championship game had a David vs. Goliath-type feel. Purdue, led by Big Ten Player of the Year Zach Edey and a host of characters in Caleb Furst, David Jenkins Jr., and Fletcher Loyer, was too much to handle for a tournament-bound Nittany Lions squad, prevailing 67-65. Edey led all scorers with 30 points, proving once again that he is a potential NBA prospect to watch out for.

Penn State struggled to get going, as it had one double-digit scorer who was productive, Seth Lundy. To make matters worse, Penn State shot 11-for-24 from the field in the first half, a far cry from its performances against Indiana and Illinois, where both games saw the Nittany Lions go on big runs to preserve leads and win.

Purdue’s stars slowed the game down to a pace unfamiliar to the Nittany Lions in their four-day span. A Mason Gillis three-pointer late in regulation nearly ended all hope of a late-game Nittany Lions comeback before a Myles Dread scoring spree gave the Blue and White life and a chance to win. But a travel call sealed the deal for the Boilermakers and their championship triumph.

After Penn State opened the scoring with four-straight points, Purdue grabbed the lead permanently behind the presence of Edey and Jenkins Jr., who accounted for 26 of Purdue’s 35 first-half points. The Boilermakers took a 35-27 lead into the halftime break, closing the frame with 18 points in the paint compared to just 12 for PSU.

The Boilermakers, simply put, were the better ball club. Midway through the second half, Purdue increased its lead to 11, 49-38, at the 11:31 mark as part of a 6-0 run and a nearly four-minute scoring drought from Penn State. The Nittany Lions shot only 30% from the field, while the Boilermakers made six difference-making threes in the win.

While the three-headed monster of Andrew Funk, Jalen Pickett, and Lundy had been the story of Penn State’s run to the Big Ten tournament title game, it was the exact opposite Sunday afternoon. The trio was held to only 38 points.

What lies ahead for Purdue and Penn State entering the NCAA Tournament?

The Purdue victory showed just how strong the Big Ten league has been. The first five tournament games saw the lower seed win. Penn State, a No. 10 seed, was no exception, as it was its first Sunday appearance since 2011, when they would fall to Ohio State.

As for Purdue, it was its second title win and its first since 2009. It will enter NCAA Tournament play as a No. 1 seed in the East Region and face a play-in team (either No. 16 Texas Southern or No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson) in Columbus, OH.

Penn State, meanwhile, will play as a No. 10 seed against No. 7 Texas A&M as part of the Midwest Region in Des Moines, IA.