March Madness: Edey, McCain, Clingan on all-tournament team for 2024 NCAA Tournament

Jared McCain - Duke Blue Devils

McCain is a freshman who is a microwave. The guard can get unbelievably hot where it is almost impossible for him to miss. Like any three point shooter when the shots are not falling it is hard for McCain to score a lot of points. Duke was happy to see that their star freshman was feeling it for the majority of the tournament. The guard was playing at a different level in the NCAA tournament and was a giant reason that the Blue Devils made the Elite Eight.

McCain averaged 21 points per game and had two thirty point games in the tournament. He was also able to make 16 threes including 8 in one game. Duke did lose to NC State in the Elite Eight but it was not because of McCain he scored 32 points and was doing all he could do to keep the Dukies alive. He was a lot of fun to watch and he dominated from beyond the three point line the whole tournament. 

Zach Edey - Purdue Boilermakers (MVP)

The back to back National Player of the Year, the first one since Ralph Sampson in the early 80’s. He came into the NCAA Tournament as the top player in the game and is going to leave the NCAA Tournament as the best player in the tournament. The 7’4” Canadian big man is the most valuable player in the tournament and surprisingly he has taken his game to another level. The level he is playing at is a level that we have not seen from the star for an extended period of time and his play is what has gotten Purdue to be the National Runner Up and allowed them to make their first final four since 1979-1980. Edey is the most important player in the country. The Boilers would not have half the success they have had over the last few seasons if not for him.

Edey averaged 30 points per game to go along with 15 rebounds and just under 2 blocks per game. He tallied a 21 rebound game, a 40 point game, and has not left the floor. Edey is arguably the greatest player that this generation has ever seen in college. He has dominated almost everyone he has played and was impossible to stop in the NCAA tournament. Everyone tried to push him out of the paint, double-team him, single coverage with athletic guards. Nothing worked, the big man took his game to the next level and carried Purdue into the National Final. The Boilermakers had a fantastic team around him but he changed things for them and allowed the other players to have an off night so they could still win comfortably.

In the Finals though, UConn took away everything that Purdue wanted to do, and even though Edey got his points they got nothing from anyone else and it was too much to overcome. Edey will be missed in college basketball but will be remembered in the annals of the game forever.