Grambling State coach Donte' Jackson ready to throw 'whatever' at Zach Edey, Purdue
Grambling State basketball coach Donte' Jackson did not celebrate his team's First Four victory for long before taking aim at his next opponent: Purdue.
The Tigers defeated Montana State, 88-81, in overtime in Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday to clinch a spot in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and earned a date with No. 1 seed Purdue (29-4, 17-3) at 7:25 p.m. ET on Friday in Indianapolis.
In an interview with CBS's Jon Rothstein, Jackson said his team is getting to work immediately following the first NCAA Tournament win for the program to prepare for player of the year candidate Zach Edey and the Boilermakers.
Edey averaged 24.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for Purdue. Jackson knows he'll present a challenge.
"We have to get to the room, pack up, figure it out, start our film," Jackson said. "And just figure out how we can throw the whole house, the kitchen, the whatever at Zach Edey. We [have to] figure it out. Coach [Matt] Painter is one of the best coaches in the country, nothing but a lot of respect for him.
"We'll let the chips fall where they may. They didn't expect us to win this one."
CBS's Seth Davis likes Grambling State vs. Purdue
Last season the Boilermakers were upset as a No. 1 seed in the first round by Fairleigh Dickinson. CBS analyst Seth Davis — who has already predicted two double-digit seed upsets — said Grambling State is a team that could potentially pull off an upset.
"Purdue is better at facing teams that look and play like them," Davis said postgame. "Obviously, no one else has a Zach Edey. ... To me, Grambling State almost looks like a better version — I hate to say it out loud — of FDU. They are bigger, they are stronger, they are more aggressive. Whether or not they are able to shoot the ball when they play them on Friday is going to be the big question."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Grambling State basketball will face Zach Edey, Purdue in first round
