If you’re not watching tonight’s Virginia-Purdue Elite Eight contest, you’re missing an all-time NCAA Tournament performance. The No. 1-seeded Cavaliers are leading the No. 3-seeded Boilermakers, though Carsen Edwards has been the best player on the floor. As of writing, Edwards has scored 30 points on 10 of 17 shooting, including 8 (!) three pointers on 15 attempts. No one else on Purdue has more than six points. It’s ridiculous. 5th straight NCAA Tourney game with 25+ pts for Carsen Edwards – tied for 3rd longest streak ever with Steph Curry, Glen Rice and Gail Goodrich. — Dave Revsine (@BTNDaveRevsine) March 31, 2019 Go ahead and be a March Madness legend, Carsen Edwards. Incredible. — Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) March 31, 2019 Every Carsen Edwards shot right now. pic.twitter.com/ln5lZuDPCT — Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) March 31, 2019 His seventh 3-pointer of the game was his best. It appeared to even garner a thumbs-up from his opponent. Check it out: Here’s a closer look: Looks like Kyle Guy gave a little smirk and thumbs up to Edwards during their 3 point battle…gotta love it!! 👍🏼👌🏼 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/JalaRdDJb0 — Jace Coppoc (@JCoppoc2) March 31, 2019 Guy might’ve just been signaling a play to his teammates, but we’re going to believe that it was a thumbs-up to Edwards, because that’s a lot cooler. The finish of Virginia-Purdue can be seen on TBS.<doc-sep>The NCAA Tournament gives every player a big stage to showcase their skill set and prove they can be a significant contributor at the next level. Look no further than Purdue Boilermakers point guard Carsen Edwards as a prime example. After scoring the most points in a tournament game since 2004, many have wondered how much he’s helped his stock (assuming he chooses to forego his senior year and declare for the 2019 NBA Draft). He tested the waters last season and worked out with seven teams (the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs) before he deciding to return to Purdue for his junior season. He reportedly drew praise from NBA executives at the Nike Skills Academy back in August 2018. He currently ranks No. 39 overall in our latest aggregate mock draft, and he’s been projected to go somewhere early in the second round since last June and earlier this month, we included Edwards as one of the top sharpshooters to watch in the NCAA Tournament. During the regular season, the point guard led the Big 10 in points per game and points scored from beyond the arc. Here is what draft expert Jeremy Woo, who has compared him to San Antonio’s Patty Mills, said about the two-time Wooden Award Finalist (via Sports Illustrated): “He’s strong and explosive and can really make tough shots in tight spaces from the outside. Edwards should be afforded the room to consistently get his jumper off in spite of his height. His potential as a microwave scorer can’t be discounted.” Nearly half of all his field goal attempts came from NBA three-point distance during the regular season, per The Stepien. According to Synergy Sports, he currently leads everyone in the NCAA Tournament with 15 made three-pointers. Edwards is also putting up scoring numbers in the tourney not seen since Stephen Curry. Purdue gets the win in OT and is moving on to the Elite 8. Carsen Edwards becomes the first player with 4 straight 25-point games in the NCAA Tournament since Stephen Curry had 5 straight games in 2007-08. pic.twitter.com/OwYMIiTqAy — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 29, 2019 As a crafty point guard, the majority of his offense comes from the pick-and-roll. He put up 71 points from jump shots off pick-and-roll action during the regular season, which ranked Top-25 among all D1 players. But catch-and-shoot ability also makes him attractive as an NBA prospect. Edwards ranked Top-5 among all D1 players in total points scored off the catch during the regular season. The 21-year-old is currently averaging 1.46 points per possession when spotting up during the tournament, which ranks Top-5 (minimum: 10 opportunities) among players in March Madness. Also, he has a penchant for coming off screens, which is how he scored 3.4 points per game during the regular season. That mark ranked Top-10 among all D1 players. Only two players (Wofford’s Nathan Hoover and Belmont’s Dylan Windler) scored more points per game than Edwards (3.7) on this play type during the tournament. "He gets into a very good rhythm off the dribble."<doc-sep>
Photo : Kevin C. Cox ( Getty ) An ecstatic Elite Eight duel between Virginia and Purdue on Saturday night ended in Boilermaker heartbreak. Despite the superhuman efforts of junior guard Carsen Edwards, who tried with all his might to drag Purdue to the Final Four, the Cavaliers came out with an improbable 80-75 victory. Edwards’s performance calls to mind no one but Steph Curry or Buddy Hield. He scored more than half of his team’s points (42 total) on 14-of-25 shooting, including a dazzling 10 three-pointers. Here’s the wildest one of all—a bank shot with just over a minute to play that put his team up 69-67. Virginia did just enough to survive regulation. After Edwards made that trey, the ’Hoos eventually found themselves down three with the ball with 15 seconds left. The Boilermakers intentionally fouled Ty Jerome with five seconds to go, but Virginia was somehow able to execute the highly unlikely “make the first, miss the second, get the rebound and score” play. It was Mamadi Diakite who managed a tap-out, Kihei Clark who chased the ball down beyond halfcourt, Diakite who nailed the desperate putback to force OT, and then everyone on Virginia who went nuts in celebration. The teams traded leads with less than a minute to go in the extra period, but the game was decided, unfortunately, on a couple of Edwards mistakes. Down 76-75 with seven seconds remaining, Edwards missed a three, and with one last chance after Kyle Guy made a pair of free throws, his errant pass essentially ended Purdue’s hopes. This is Virginia’s first Final Four since 1984. They’ll play either Auburn or Kentucky in a week.