A disrespectful nickname for Zach Edey trended on X Sunday during the Purdue Boilermakers’ 72-66 win over the Tennessee Volunteers in the finals of the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament.
Edey scored 40 points and grabbed 16 rebounds while leading his Boilermakers to the Final Four. Edey and Purdue capitalized on a big foul discrepancy as well. Tennessee was called for 25 fouls compared to 12 for Purdue.
Edey attempted 22 free throws, which was double the amount Tennessee attempted as a team (11). The big foul discrepancy, plus Edey’s style of play, led people to disrespectfully call him “Foul Ming.”
Foul Ming got handed another one. Can’t win when it’s 8 vs 5. I’ll still stand behind my team to the end. One heck of a season and I’m excited to see where the team and program go from here. #VFL #GBO🍊
— Randy Smith (@randy_smith13) March 31, 2024
Calling Zach Edey “Foul Ming” is genuinely one of the craziest but funniest things I’ve ever seen on this app.
— 🐤 (@stressedhawkeye) March 31, 2024
Foul Ming is hilarious. His college game may not translate. 7’4 ain’t what it used to be. You don’t play with foul impunity in the NBA. Dude will foul out of his first 100 games. #Edey
— Will° 🪬 (@spinning_will) March 31, 2024
They got Zach Edey trending calling him foul Ming 💀
— C i t y (@City_903) March 31, 2024
The nickname is due to a combination of Edey’s style and looks. Some feel Edey gets away with fouls and receiving the benefit of foul calls. Some also feel Edey resembles Yao Ming, who is Chinese and was a 7-foot-6 center. Edey is half-Chinese and stands 7-foot-4.
Call him whatever you want, but Edey has Purdue in the Final Four. The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year has been dominant during March Madness this year.
