NCAA Tournament - Why DJ Burns Jr. vs. Zach Edey will be the Final Four's best showdown | College Basketball Enquirer
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel and Ross Dellenger are joined by Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated to discuss the highly anticipated matchup between Zach Edey and DJ Burns Jr. Hear the full conversation on the “College Basketball Enquirer” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
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DAN WETZEL: We do have a classic center match-up, though, in DJ Burns Junior, great American, and Zach Edey, great Canadian, as you pointed out the other day. When was the last time you saw an old school pivot, Pat? I mean, we're going to see some [? Mike ?] and drills and stuff like here. Like, this is-- what is happening? Is this a Ewing-Olajuwon kind of thing or Sampsos-Ewing? I don't-- what is happening, Pat?
PAT FORDE: Yeah, this is like Greg Oden-Joakim Noah or Greg Oden-Al Horford, like, in '07. I'm trying to think. We've probably had some since then I'm not thinking of, but I mean, we're going back. Frank Kaminsky against Karl Towns, 2015 Semifinal was kind of that way.
But even then, like, both those guys could step out and run things through them at a higher point on the court. This is true, like, paint collision city, and I think it's going to be fascinating because I can see advantages, really, for both guys. I mean, Edey can just shoot, and rebound, and pass over anyone. He is 7' 4" and he holds the ball high. He's been so well drilled and he has learned so well to use his height.
And DJ Burns is 6' 9", and frankly, doesn't elevate. So, he's not going to get up, and like, alter shots or anything like that, but he might be the only guy in America who can move 300-pound Zach Edey off a spot that he wants to get to. So, where can Edey catch the ball and then operate, and then can Edey move around and do what he does to get Burns in foul trouble?
At the other end, Burns has a way of getting the shots he wants. And Edey is an effective defensive player, but he's never had, I don't think, to guard somebody who could put this much stress on him in terms of post moves. So, the one thing we know, there's going to be massive complaining about the officiating.
And everybody's going to say Zach Edey's getting all the calls. The fact is, he earns almost all the calls he gets. But there's going to be more attention paid and more heat and hot air, I think, expended on who's getting the calls in the pivot than we've seen in quite a long time.