After 44 years, the Purdue faithful will finally see their team back in the Final Four. The Boilermakers are re-writing their narrative in real time, one year after suffering an embarrassing first-round loss to No. 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. No. 1-seeded Purdue fended off the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers 72-66 in an instant classic Elite Eight matchup.
Each team’s superstar showed out, with Purdue’s Zach Edey scoring a career-high 40 points, to go with a game-high 16 rebounds. Dalton Knecht was also dominant for the Volunteers, registering 37 points on 14-of-31 shooting. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome Matt Painter’s squad, as Purdue will now either face Duke or North Carolina State.
Zach Edey Continues to Spearhead the Purdue Offense
Edey simply willed the team to victory, imposing his will on the Volunteer defense inside. With Tennessee significantly outpacing Purdue in the three-point department, the Boilermakers desperately needed Edey to keep applying pressure. The 7-foot-4, 300-pound center answered the call, shooting 13-0f-21 from the field, good for a 61.9-percent clip. He also went 14-of-22 from the charity stripe, as Tennessee couldn’t consistently defend him without fouling.
However, Edey didn’t only impact the game offensively. With 33 seconds left and Purdue up five, the senior swatted away Knecht’s driving layup, all but sealing the victory. With Edey’s size, strength, and stamina on their side, the Boilermakers have a decent chance to take home a National Championship.
Dalton Knecht Didn’t Get Enough Support From Tennessee Teammates
The Volunteers didn’t have any players score in double-digits other than Knecht. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler was the team’s second-leading scorer, registering nine points on just 3-of-12 shooting. If just one other Tennessee player had gotten hot, the team could’ve easily won this game. However, it just wasn’t meant to be, as there seemed to be a lid on the rim for anyone not named Knecht.
Starting guards Jonas Aidoo and Jahmai Mashack were especially cold, combining for just two points. Once Knecht missed a pair of of open three-point looks down the stretch, the Volunteers essentially lost all hope.
General Outlook for Purdue and Tennessee
Purdue will face the winner of tonight’s NC State-Duke game on April 6th. The Final Four clash will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Boilermakers are currently playing some of their best basketball in the Matt Painter era, as they’ve won every Tournament game by at least two possessions.
Tennessee has a murkier future. This will be Knecht’s last game in a Volunteer uniform, so the team will have to completely revamp their system going forward. Furthermore, Rick Barnes’ squad has just the 82nd-ranked incoming recruiting class, via 247 Sports. As a result, getting back to the Elite Eight anytime soon may be a tough hill to climb for this SEC program.
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Joshua is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. He started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper. When he’s not watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or writing a screenplay.
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