Tennessee vs Purdue – Breakdown and Prediction

March 31, 2024

Tennessee vs Purdue: Midwest Region – Elite 8

The Tennessee Volunteers and the Purdue Boilermakers will face each other in the Midwest Region – Elite 8 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI.

Tennessee is going after their first-ever Final Four

The Tennessee Volunteers had a great second half to beat the Creighton Bluejays 82-75 in the Sweet 16. Previously, they beat Texas 62-58, which came after an 83-49 win over Saint Peter’s. Getting back to winning track was crucial for Tennessee after a 73-56 loss to Mississippi State in the SEC quarterfinal. Tennessee is 43rd in the nation, scoring 79.1 points per game, and is ranked in the top 10 in the assist/turnover ratio. Dalton Knecht is the best player on the team, with 21.2 points per game for the season.

Purdue is ranked third in the nation

The Purdue Boilermakers were brutal so far in the NCAA tournament. They are coming off a 80-68 Sweet 16 win over Gonzaga. Previously, they won 106-67 against Utah State and 78-50 against Grambling. The Boilermakers are second in the nation with 41% shooting from the three-point line, fourth with 3.9 blocks per game, and 11th with 83.8 points per game. Zach Edey has had an impressive season for Purdue, averaging 24.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.

Betting Trends

Purdue is 19-15-2 ATS for the season, 7-2-1 ATS on a neutral site and 15-14-2 ATS following a win. Tennessee is 18-16-1 ATS for the season, 3-5-0 ATS on a neutral site and 13-12-1 ATS following a win.

Prediction and Conclusion

Tennessee is having an epic season, and they are only one game away from making it to the first Final Four appearance in the school’s history. They were very confident in the previous round, with Knecht making it rain in every single game. Purdue has been considered one of the main favorites to win the national championship all season long, and that is the case at this point as well. This will be the fifth time these two teams play against each other, and two of those games have gone into overtime. This will be another tight one, but the boilermakers have that extra quality that will take them to a win by covering the -3.5-point spread.