CHICAGO − If anyone doubted the validity of Purdue's regular-season Big Ten championship, the Boilermakers doubled down.
After running through the league and winning the title by three games, Purdue (29-5) beat Rutgers, Ohio State and Penn State on consecutive days to add a Big Ten tournament championship.
Piloted again by Zach Edey and a cast of eight solid role players, Purdue stopped a monumental week for the Nittany Lions on championship Sunday with a 67-65 victory in the United Center, surviving a late rally.
With 3.3 seconds left, Penn State's inbounds pass from the right wing was tipped by Edey, causing a scramble that resulted in a traveling violation on the Nittany Lions. With 0.6 of a second left, Purdue heaved a pass to the 7-foot-4 Edey, who swatted it away as time expired.
It is Purdue's second Big Ten tournament championship, with the first coming in 2009.
Edey also added to his postseason haul of awards, garnering Tournament Most Valuable Player to package with his Big Ten Player of the Year award.
3 stars
Zach Edey, Purdue: The Boilermakers trailed 4-0 after Penn State opened with two straight shots. Then Edey scored. Then he scored again. And Purdue's unstoppable force was just that. Edey went 12 of 17 from the field, finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds.
David Jenkins Jr., Purdue: Jenkins continued his hot shooting in the first half Sunday, going 3-for-5 from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes, missing only on an attempt as the shot clock expired and on the final play of the first half. This week, Jenkins became the scoring punch Purdue needed off the bench, scoring 11 first-half points.
Purdue men's basketball: This third part is interchangeable and probably why the Boilermakers got just one player (Edey) on the Big Ten's first-, second- and third-teams. There's Edey. And there's a plethora of really good basketball players besides him. None consistently stand out, but at one time or another, all eight players aside from Edey in the rotation have stood out. Every player who saw the floor in the Big Ten Tournament championship - Edey, Jenkins, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Brandon Newman, Ethan Morton, Mason Gillis, Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn - had big moments in Sunday's victory.
Key moment
Penn State can get hot from the outside and with Jalen Pickett, has one of the most dynamic players in the Big Ten.
When the Nittany Lions pulled within 40-36 with 16 minutes to go, it felt like an opportunity.
Purdue slammed that door shut immediately, holding Penn State to five points over the net seven-plus minutes and expanding that lead back to 14.
Ethan Morton slid into the paint on a Seth Lundy drive and drew a charge with 8:21 to go. This is the stuff that gets Purdue coaches excited more than flashy passes or 3-point shooting. The United Center erupted as Morton pounded the floor with both hands in celebration after the charge.
Penn State was able to cut the lead to four with 1:55 to go, but the Boilermakers went back to old reliable, getting it down low to Edey, who turned and put in a shot off the glass. Purdue needed every bit of that separation.
Myles Dread hit a 3, then Penn State stole the ensuing inbounds pass and cut the deficit to 66-65. Loyer made 1 of 2 free throws with 6.4 seconds remaining.
Key stat
When Purdue struggled this season, it was plagued by turnovers.
Needing to elevate its level of play heading into the NCAA tournament, the Boilermakers were masterful in taking care of the basketball on Sunday.
Purdue turned the ball over just seven times. If there's one concern, its' that three of those came in the final minutes that kept Penn State in striking distance.
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