Purdue center Zach Edey is hard to miss — a statement that is true regardless of how you interpret it.
Edey is the unquestioned driving force for the 1-seed Boilermakers; he led the Big Ten this season with 22.1 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. For his efforts, he was named theSporting News Player of the Yearfor 2022-23.
He also commands whatever space he occupies, whether it be in a postgame media room or one of several courts Purdue is likely to play on in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. As one of the tallest players in the March Madness field, it's impossible for him not to.
The junior has used his tremendous size to terrific effect this season. Now, he'll be on display on the biggest stage in college basketball, which will add to his growing legend.
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Here's everything you need to know about Edey's height and where he stands among the tallest players not only in March Madness, but also all of Division I college basketball.
How tall is Zach Edey?
Per his Purdue player bio, Edey stands 7-4 and weighs 305 pounds. That makes him likely the biggest player in the March Madness field in terms of combined height and weight.
Edey owns the record for tallest player in Big Ten history, though he's not the tallest player in the history of the game. That distinction still belongs to 7-7 Paul Sturgess, who played at Florida Tech (2007-08) and Mountain State University (2009-11).
Nor is Edey is the tallest player in Division I basketball this season: Western Kentucky's Jamarion Sharp and Oral Roberts' Connor Vanover (another March Madness participant) both have listed heights of 7-5. Indeed, Edey is tied for third nationally in height with two other players: Naheem McLeod of Florida State and Matt Van Komen of Saint Mary's.
MORE: Print your 2023 March Madness bracket here
Tallest players in 2023 NCAA Tournament
Edey will be among the tallest players in the 2023 NCAA Tournament — but not the tallest. With Oral Roberts making March Madness as champion of the Summit League, that ensured Vanover, at 7-5, would be the tallest player in the field.
In all, 42 players with listed heights of at least 7 feet are in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Here's where Edey ranks among the tallest players:
| Player | Height | Weight | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connor Vanover | 7-5 | 227 | Oral Roberts |
| Zach Edey | 7-4 | 305 | Purdue |
| Matt Van Komen | 7-4 | 250 | Saint Mary's |
| Connor Kern | 7-3 | 280 | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Donovan Clingan | 7-2 | 265 | UConn |
| William Berg | 7-2 | 260 | Purdue |
| Mabor Majak | 7-2 | 245 | Missouri |
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Zach Edey stats
Edey has shown great improvement in his game this season, with career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game.
| Season | GP | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 28 | 14.6 | 8.7 | 4.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.1 |
| 2021-22 | 37 | 19.0 | 14.5 | 7.7 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| 2022-23 | 32 | 31.7 | 22.1 | 12.8 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 2.2 |
The 2022-23 Big Ten Player of the Year hashad 19 games with at least 20 points this season and seven with at least 30 points. He has 25 games with double-digit rebounds, including 22 againstMinnesota on Dec. 4, 2022. He also had 31 points in that game.
Moreover, he has 25 double-doubles this season, tied with St. John's Joel Soriano for most in Division I.
Zach Edey highlights
