The Tennessee Volunteers and the Purdue Boilermakers meet Sunday in NCAA Tournament Elite Eight college basketball action from Little Caesars Arena. Here’s a Tennessee vs Purdue prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for the game. We will examine:
- The Purdue recent form and player performance
- The Tennessee recent form and player performance
- Recent betting trends and streaks involving Purdue
- Recent betting trends and streaks involving Tennessee
- Recent betting trends in games played between Tennessee and Purdue
- A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Tennessee vs Purdue game
Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview
Tennessee had one three-game losing streak early in the year (against Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina). After that the Volunteers didn’t lose consecutive games until Kentucky and Mississippi State in early March. So far in the National Tournament, Tennessee has taken out Saint Peter’s, Texas and Creighton in their first three outings.
In the Sweet 16 matchup versus Creighton on Friday, the Volunteers faced a one-point deficit going into the second half 35-34. Tennessee turned on the gas from there and hit a 48-40 run for an 82-75 win in the end. Dalton Knecht was the team’s top scorer on 24 points with six rebounds and five assists.
Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview
Over on the Purdue side, they’ve stayed remarkably consistent this year and haven’t lost consecutive games. The Boilermakers managed to beat Michigan State in the conference tournament before falling in overtime to Wisconsin 76-75. Since then it’s been wins over Grambling, Utah State and Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament.
Matched up against Gonzaga in their Friday game, the Boilermakers were up 40-36 in the locker room. Purdue hit a 40-32 advantage the rest of the way and dispatched the Bulldogs 80-68. Zach Edey was tops with a double-double on 27 points and 14 rebounds. Braden Smith doubled as well with 14 points and 15 assists.
Purdue Boilermakers Team Facts
- Purdue has won each of its last 16 day games against non-Conference opponents.
- Each of Purdue’s last four day games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 153+ points.
- Purdue has won the first half in each of its last six games against non-Conference opponents.
Tennessee Volunteers Team Facts
- Tennessee has won each of its last nine games against non-Conference opponents.
- Each of Tennessee’s last nine games against Top 5 AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 142 or fewer points.
- Tennessee has won the first half in each of its last 10 Sunday games against non-Conference opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- Purdue ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for three-point percentage this season (41.1%).
- Purdue ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for rebound percentage this season (57.9%).
- Tennessee ranks 3rd among Division 1 teams for opponent field goal percentage this season (38.5%).
- Tennessee ranks 10th among Division 1 teams for assist to turnover ratio this season (1.67).
Tennessee vs Purdue Prediction
I’ll probably stay with Purdue in this one. The Boilermakers played well against a good Gonzaga team in their last outing, hitting a nice 57.1 percent from the field. Purdue shot 45 percent from 3-point range (9-of-20), posted 24 team assists and had a 32-25 rebounding edge in a nice overall effort. The Boilermakers have scored 75 or more points in nine of the last 10 games.
As for Tennessee, they didn’t shoot spectacularly against Creighton (41.8 percent), however the team excelled in just about every other area. The Volunteers made 15 of 18 (83.3 percent) from the line and had 36 rebounds with just four turnovers. Tennessee allowed just 107 combined points in their first two games of the national tournament, so Purdue will likely need to push the issue on offense in order to keep the pace here. We should have a fun matchup and a close game, and I like the Boilermakers to pull it off in the end. The winner of this game will take on NC State or Duke in the next round.