Zach Edey: Underdog Purdue has nothing to lose vs. UConn - ESPN

GLENDALE, Ariz. — No. 1 seed Purdue spent five weeks as the top-ranked team in the Associated Press poll this season and never dipped lower than No. 4. Just twice during the regular season they were underdogs entering a game.

But the Boilermakers head into Monday night's men's title game as 6.5-point underdogs to No. 1 overall seed UConn, something star center Zach Edey says gives his team an opportunity to play loose.

«Everyone looks at us as the underdog,» Edey said. «So we don't have anything to lose.»

Purdue is chasing the first national title in school history while also attempting to the complete the full NCAA tournament emotional gauntlet — responding to a first-round loss to a No. 16 seed last year with a championship.

Part of the key to Purdue's success in this NCAA tournament, according to Edey, has been its intentionality in dictating the game to opponents. The Boilermakers have won their five NCAA tournament games by an average of 19.6 points.

«We're the hunters all tournament,» Edey said. «We haven't sat back and let teams attack us. We've been the aggressors most of the games.»

They'll face a UConn team that hasn't flinched the few times it has been challenged in this tournament, as the Huskies have won their past five games by an average of 25 points. UConn is 40 minutes from becoming the first back-to-back NCAA title winner since 2007, and that potential storyline has proved to be the dominant one in this tournament.

«This is the game where no one really expects much from us, and we're going to come out with that energy,» Edey said. «We believe in ourselves. We know what type of team we are. We know what type of guys we have. All the pressure is on them, so we're just going to come out and play loose.»

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