Purdue's Zach Edey makes his case as college basketball's most dominant player

WEST LAFAYETTE - Never underestimate the motivational power of Chick-Fil-A.

Purdue assistant coach Brandon Brantley said there'd be some fine dining - at least in a college student's mind - waiting if Zach Edey was able to pull down 20 rebounds against Minnesota.

So, Edey pulled down 22, a number so remarkable it topped Minnesota's team total (21).

Edey doesn't need the allure of chicken sandwiches to put on impressive performances.

He's now made it routine, becoming the most dominant big man in college basketball.

Maybe, dare we say, the most dominant player in all of college basketball.

Edey rose to the top of NCAA men's Division I basketball in rebounds per game (12.8), but also ranks in the top five in scoring and added a career-high 31 points in Sunday's 89-70 dispatching of the Golden Gophers in Purdue's Big Ten opener that improved the Boilers to 8-0.

MORE:Purdue basketball cruises past Minnesota in Big Ten opener

"Obviously, it’s very impressive," said Purdue freshman guard Fletcher Loyer, whose 20 points and eight assists were overshadowed by Edey's performance. "I don’t think anyone else in the country can do that, so really, him coming out each and every night and doing that is pretty impressive. I hope everyone sees that."

Yes, Edey is 7-foot-4.

He should be able to rebound and score inside.

But if you think what he's doing - only St. John's center Joel Soriano has more double-doubles than Edey's six this season - is simply a product of being tall, you've not been paying attention.

"He’s put in a lot of time with the Canadian national team," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "He’s put in a lot of individual time here and it’s a breath of fresh air."

Edey is a byproduct of the work he's put in to become a superstar college basketball player.

Does it help being 7-4?

Of course it does, but enough 7-footers have come through Purdue to tell you that can also be a hindrance.

Foul calls are more likely to come your way, but Edey, now a junior, has learned to play with control and poise. He draws fouls and manages to keep himself on the floor without drawing many of his own.

Minnesota tried to guard Edey one-on-one and Golden Gophers coach Ben Johnson basically ran out of options to throw at the Toronto native.

"I don’t there’s a team in the country that has an answer for him," Johnson said.

Consider double teaming Edey, perhaps?

"Well we’ve seen that movie before," Johnson said. "All the sudden he just picks you apart with the pass and they shoot it so well and you’re giving up 3s versus 2s. ... Even if you do a good job with your double, he’s getting his average. He’s that good. And they run enough good stuff to get him touches."

The season-opener, a paltry 12 points to go with 17 rebounds against Milwaukee was perhaps a sign of things to come. Same when Edey backed it up with 30 points and 14 rebounds in the second game against Austin Peay.

Yeah, but it's Milwaukee and Austin Peay, right?

But then he put up similar stat lines against Marquette, West Virginia, Gonzaga, Duke, Florida State and now Minnesota.

Edey is averaging 23.3 points per game and has scored 20 or more in all but that season-opening win over Milwaukee, becoming the face of a team that came from outside the top 25 to No. 5 in the country within a matter of weeks.

His shots weren't falling Sunday in Mackey Arena, hard to believe when you see he scored a career-high 31 points. He was 11 of 23 and made just 1 of 6 to open the game. But he also made 9 of 10 free throws. He got Minnesota in foul trouble and he dominated on the glass.

He remained aggressive. He trusted his game and the work he's put in.

Edey kept shooting, kept rebounding, kept proving he's more than just a stiff big man who gets by because he's taller than everybody else.

If you didn't believe it before, Edey made sure with a rim rattling dunk over Minnesota's Pharrel Payne.

"Attack the rim aggressively. Try to finish over the rim," Edey said. "A lot of times when you go with that mentality, you get fouls, you get layups, you get those easy dunks. Just try to finish around the rim."

Redshirt freshman Trey Kaufman-Renn could celebrate the moment.

For once, it was somebody else taking the brunt of Edey.

"I have to guard him every day in practice," Kaufman-Renn said. "I am just glad somebody else is guarding him."

The irony of Edey's stat line is it came on Terry Dischinger day.

Purdue handed out bobbleheads to fans of the two-time All-American, who would go on to become an NBA all-star and Rookie of the Year.

The last Boilermaker to have a performance as absurd as Edey's on Sunday? It was Terry Dischinger, who also did it against Minnesota with 46 points and 22 rebounds on Feb. 24, 1962, but likely didn't have Chick-fil-A dangled as a carrot.

"He is just playing with confidence," Painter said of Edey. "Anybody who has been as consistent as he has so far this season, that is going to build confidence. It’s going to make you want the basketball more and make you want to be aggressive."

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Zach Edey makes his case as college basketball's most dominant player