The No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers will take on the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Sunday. This Midwest Regional final will take place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit with tipoff set for 2:20 p.m. ET on CBS.
Tennessee is looking to clinch the program’s very first Final Four berth with a win here. Meanwhile, Purdue is seeking its first Final Four appearance since 1980. This is a rematch of their battle in the Maui Invitational semifinals on November 21, a 71-67 victory for Purdue.
2024 March Madness picks
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Purdue best bet
Tennessee (27-8) downed No. 3 Creighton in a 82-75 victory on Friday, advancing to just its second Elite Eight appearance in program history. The turning point of this game came early in the second half when the Vols broke off an 18-0 run to establish a large lead on the Bluejays. Creighton did managed to battle its way back to within three late, but the Volunteers still managed to shut the door. Dalton Knecht stepped up with 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the win.
UT has had one of the best defenses in the entire country all season long and that’s been on display as it has held two of its tournament opponents to under 37% shooting. What has been somewhat of a surprise has been the Vols’ effectiveness from downtown as they buried 11 threes in both their first-round matchup against Saint Peter’s and their Sweet 16 tilt against Creighton. That’s an effective tool to have if they want to steer clear of Zach Edey in the paint and this is a chance for their leading scorer Knecht to go off.
Purdue (32-4) was able to pull away from No. 5 Gonzaga in an 80-68 victory on Friday, advancing to its first Elite Eight appearance since 2000. This was only a six-point game midway through the second half before a 10-0 gave them a big enough cushion to coast to another double-digit win. Zach Edey continued his string of dominant performances in the tournament, putting up 27 points and 14 rebounds in the win. Braden Smith also came away with a double-double, putting up 14 points and 15 rebounds.
The Boilermakers have been excellent through the NCAA Tournament and they’ve predictably been dominant in three different categories. They are +55 in rebounds, +42 in assists, and +56 in points in the paint. The focus on Edey has allowed them to get shooters like Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith open on the perimeter for open looks and that explains why they are leading the nation in three-point shooting at 41%.
Betting lines
Sunday odds
Spread: Purdue -3
Over/Under: 148
Moneyline: Purdue -166, Tennessee +140
Opening odds
Spread: Purdue -2.5
Over/Under: 148.5
Moneyline: Purdue -155, Tennessee +130
All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best bet: Purdue -3
Purdue has been hellbent on proving itself after recent NCAA Tournament failures and has looked every the part of a No. 1 seed so far. Edey has been the MVP of the tournament and his mere presence has altered each of their tourney games. While Tennessee should make this a close, competitive game, I’ll defer to the Boilermakers and predict them covering and moving on to the Final Four.