DJ Burns and Zach Edey brought it when Purdue took on NC State in the Final Four. And the ferocity between the two stars was evident from the jump, with both men battling throughout the entire game. Additionally, Burns and Edey were spotted at various points in the contest throwing some light verbal jabs at one another. However, with 13:47 remaining in the first half, chatted with Edey during a dead ball and appeared to make the Boilermakers star laugh, showing that it was all love between them. Once the play resumed, it was strictly business between the two stars, especially with a spot in the national championship game on the line. In the end, it was the 7-foot-4 Edey and Purdue who walked away victorious, turning a six-point first-half lead into a 13-point win, 63-50. As the two teams were in the handshake line, Edey and Burns took an extra moment and shared a brief word, with only the two men being able to hear what they said. After the game, Edey spoke to about facing up against Burns and what the two. "Yeah, he's a great player, he made some tough shots," Edey explained to Wolfson. "They had a heck of a run here, he's a big part of it. We knew we really had to focus on him, gameplan and do some stuff to make him uncomfortable and I think he did a good
Job sticking to that gameplan today." When asked what the two men were speaking about throughout the game, Edey remained coy. "I'll just keep that between us," he continued. "But he's a good guy." Once the interview was done, Wolfson's commentary partners noted the immense height difference between Edey and their partner. "Tracy, we just ordered you a ladder," Ian Eagle deadpanned. Additionally, Burns also spoke to reporters about how it felt to attempt to defend Edey and his immense height. "No sir, I think I didn't do as good of a job in the first half, keeping him from getting to that right hand and he's a tall guy," Burns "If you let him get to his spot, he's going to make shots and we cleaned it up but it was a little too late." Edey 20 points on 9-of-14
shooting from the field, with 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 40 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Burns finished with eight points on 4-of-10 shooting to go along with four assists, one rebound and one block in 27 minutes. Purdue's with
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal as the former was walking to the locker room and showed off his size, making the 7-foot-1 four-time champion look small. With one game left, Edey said he and Purdue are focused on winning the championship, the Boilermakers' first in program history. "It's the one we've been talking about all year, it's what I've been talking about for four years now," Edey continued. "Whoever comes out of this next game is gonna be a great team but we're gonna lock in our game plan and execute."