Not many players can win a tip-off against Purdue basketball giant Zach Edey. Samford University, Purdue’s season-opening opponent Monday, did not even bother to try.
The 7’4″ Edey stood opposite 5’7.5″ Samford player Dallas Graziani for the first tip-off of the season at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
You can guess who won the jump ball.
7’4” Zach Edey vs. 5’7” Dallas Graziani for the opening tip is just cruel
pic.twitter.com/MdNOTHiXce— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) November 6, 2023
The David vs. Goliath matchup was not set up by surprise. The official X account of the Samford men’s basketball team had been posting a week-long series showing Graziani’s preparation for the jump ball against Edey.
And now in the final episode, @dallas_graziani is ready 👊#BuckyBall | #AllforSAMford pic.twitter.com/Gw9aHZRpY3
— Samford Men's Basketball (@SamfordMBB) November 5, 2023
No amount of training can make up for a nearly 2-foot size difference between players. Graziani was not even able to jump yet before Edey tapped the basketball to a Purdue guard Braden Smith.
Perhaps Samford got the idea of making Graziani do the jump ball from the Golden State Warriors. 2-time NBA MVP Steph Curry hilariously tried to out-leap 7’4″ San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama for a preseason tip-off (video here).
Samford’s failed jump ball was a sign of things to come for the rest of the game. The Boilermakers punished the Bulldogs in the 98-45 win to open the season.
