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Purdue center Zach Edey Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

A Zach Edey-Donovan Clingan NCAA title clash would be epic

By David Kull | Last updated 4/5/24

If it were ever possible for an unstoppable force and an immovable object to coexist, it would take place Monday night in Glendale, Ariz., in the form of Purdue's Zach Edey and UConn's Donovan Clingan.

The two biggest men remaining in the NCAA Tournament could collide in the championship game at State Farm Stadium if Purdue and UConn are able to defeat NC State and Alabama, respectively, in Saturday’s national semifinal games.

A meeting between the two No. 1 seeds would set up an epic big-man battle of seismic proportions – the most dominant offensive player in the tournament, the 7-foot-4 Edey, against the most dominant defensive player, the 7-foot-2 Clingan.

While its popularity wouldn’t rival any matchup involving Caitlin Clark on the women’s side, Edey vs. Clingan is easily the most anticipated individual matchup in the men’s tournament.

It would also be the most titanic clash of seven-footers in a national title game since a pair of Hall of Famers in Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing and Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon went head-to-head in 1984, with Ewing’s Hoyas coming out on top.

Edey, who just won his second straight National Player of the Year award, led the nation in scoring (25.0 points per game) and was second in rebounding (12.2 per game) this season, yet the senior has far surpassed those numbers in leading the Boilermakers to the Final Four for the first time since 1980.

Across Purdue’s four tournament victories, Edey has elevated his game to average 30 points and 16.3 rebounds per contest.

ZACH EDEY HAS SCORED THE LAST 14 FOR PURDUE

TAKE. OVER. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/RzgcPjwOjs
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 31, 2024

He’ll run into some interference Saturday when he goes up against NC State and its own man in the middle, DJ Burns Jr., the massive 6-foot-9, 275-pounder who has led the upstart Wolfpack with his talent, physicality and exuberance.

But if Edey and the favored Boilermakers can turn back NC State, he could find himself tipping off against Clingan, whose intimidating presence in the paint has UConn on the cusp of playing for its second straight national championship.

Clingan’s per-game numbers (12.9 points, 7.5 rebounds) look rather ordinary compared to Edey’s, but there is no denying the sophomore’s impact on the Huskies, who have now won 10 straight tournament games, with their four wins this year coming by an average of nearly 28 points.

Before getting to Edey, however, Clingan must first contend with Alabama and 6-foot-11 big man Glenn Nelson, whose best game came in the Crimson Tide’s Sweet 16 upset of No. 1 North Carolina, when he put up 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.

No UConn player – including first-team All-American guard Tristan Newton – has been more of a difference-maker in the tournament than Clingan, who is playing the best basketball of his life (15.8 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 blocks per tournament game) at the right time for both his team and his future.

DONOVAN CLINGAN IS ON FIRE #MarchMadness @UConnMBB pic.twitter.com/dPcKzvvrUn
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2024

While there is no guarantee Clingan will turn pro, his stock has been rising in the eyes of NBA scouts with every performance. ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft has Clingan going No. 3 overall to the Charlotte Hornets. It also projects Edey off the board at No. 13 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers.

A title-game duel between Edey and Clingan, the two odds-on favorites to be named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, could go a long way toward determining their final draft position in relation to one another. Even better, it would likely be the first of many matchups between the two in the years to come at the NBA level.

And if all goes as planned for Purdue and UConn in the semifinal games, the total solar eclipse won’t be the only phenomenon to look forward to Monday.

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