Tennessee (27-8 | 14-4 SEC) vs. Purdue (32-4 | 17-3 Big 10)
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
Sunday, March 31st, 2024 | 1:20pm CT / 2:20pm ET
Detriot, MI | Little Caesars Arena | TV: CBS
Detriot, MI – The sixth-ranked, No. 2 seed Tennessee men’s basketball is primed for action in the program’s second-ever Elite Eight contest, facing third-ranked and No. 1 seed Purdue Sunday in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:20pm CT.
On CBS, fans can catch Sunday’s game between the Vols (27-8) and Boilermakers (32-4). Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Steve Lappas (analyst), and Evan Washburn (reporter) will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
Tennessee defeated No. 11-ranked, third-seeded Creighton, 82-75, Friday night to earn the second Elite Eight appearance in program history.
Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht scored a game-high 26 points for the Volunteers. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler posted 18 points and six assists, connecting on 3-of-6 shot attempts from 3-point range. Fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James was the third Volunteer in double figures, recording 15 points and corralled four rebounds in the victory.
The Matchup
This is Tennessee’s seventh meeting with Purdue, with the two sides splitting the first six. All seven have been in different locations, and this is the fifth in a row at a neutral site.
All three matchups between the Volunteers and Boilermakers in Rick Barnes‘ tenure have been decided by five or fewer points, with two going to overtime.
The two sides met earlier this season in Honolulu, with Purdue winning, 71-67, on 11/21/23 behind a co-career-high 27 points from sophomore guard Fletcher Loyer. Tennessee held an early nine- point lead, 20-11, and it was tied at 64 with under 2:30 left.
Purdue, in its ninth straight NCAA Tournament, is 32-4 (17-3 B1G) after winning its second Big Ten regular season title in a row.
The Boilermakers are led by senior center Zach Edey, the two- time reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, who ranks top-two in DI in PPG (24.6) and RPG (12.1 rpg).
UT is 4-1 this year against the other Elite Eight teams, with its lone setback against Purdue.
News and Notes
UT went 2-1 in the regular season versus Big Ten teams. It notched a home win over the Big Ten tournament champion, Illinois, and a road victory over the runner-up, Wisconsin. The Vols also logged a preseason exhibition road triumph at Michigan State.
Purdue will be the sixth team UT has played multiple times in the NCAA Tournament, joining Iowa (2-0), Louisiana (3-0), Louisville (0-2), Michigan (0-3) and Virginia (1-2). It will be the first team UT has met twice in the NCAA Tournament in Rick Barnes‘ tenure.
The Volunteers are 9-5 in the NCAA Tournament under Rick Barnes, who owns the most such wins by a UT head coach.
UT is 28-26 all-time in 26 NCAA Tournament trips, including 0-2 in fourth games, 0-1 in the Elite Eight, 8-3 as a No. 2 seed, 0-5 against No. 1 seeds and 1-0 in Michigan.
Tennessee is in the Elite Eight for the second time (2010) and is seeking its first Final Four berth.
The Volunteers are 15-4 in their last 19 games versus AP top-15 teams, dating back to 12/22/21.
Of the 17 non-Vols who made an All-America team from at least one of the four primary outlets, UT has faced 10 of them. Zach Edey will be the third it plays twice, joining Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves and Alabama’s Mark Sears.
Tennessee won the SEC regular season crown for the 11th time, notching its sixth outright title.
UT has 27 victories for the third time in the last six years (2018- 24) under Rick Barnes; it hit that tally twice before his 2015 arrival. UT has 170 wins in the last seven seasons (2017-24), co-eighth in DI, including fifth among teams at the Power Six level that full time.
Dalton Knecht, one of four Naismith Trophy finalists, has 743 points this season, second-most in a campaign in UT history and seventh-most in DI in 2023-24.
Santiago Vescovi snapped a 52-game starting streak in the Sweet 16 win over #11 Creighton, as he had the flu. It marked the first time in 2023-24 a UT starter missed a game and ended a 28- game stretch with UT having the same starting lineup each time.
Variety Of Victories
The Tennessee Volunteers have 27 wins thus far, their fifth time ever hitting that mark. Three of those campaigns have come in the last six years under Rick Barnes.
Tennessee had 24 regular season triumphs, tying the 1999-2000 season for the third-most in program history. It won 28 in 2007-08 and 27 in 2018-19. Two of UT’s top four marks all-time are under Barnes.
The Vols finished with eight true road wins this season, matching 2017-18 and 1999-2000 for the program’s second-highest total ever. Only the 2007- 08 team logged more, totaling nine.
UT’s 14 SEC victories put them in a five-way tie for their fourth-most ever. It claimed 16 such decisions in 1976-77, as well as 15 in both 2018-19 and 1966-67.
Top-Tier Triumphs
Tennessee is 22-21 (.512) against top-15 teams in Rick Barnes‘ tenure, including 15-4 (.789) in its last 19 such games. It is 13-12 (.520) versus top-10 foes, 9-7 (.562) against top-five opponents and 4-4 (.500) versus top-three teams.
The Vols won 12 straight home games against AP top-25 foes from 1/30/21 to 2/28/24. That is an SEC record, per CBS Sports, and is the longest in DI since Kansas had 17 straight from 1/11/14 to 2/13/17. Nine of those victories were versus top-15 foes, with five against the top 10 and three over top-five teams.
Racking Up Ranked Victories
In the past four years (2020-24), Tennessee leads all SEC teams with 21 AP top-25 wins, good for six more than any other SEC program (Alabama has 16) and the fifth-most in the country.
In that same four-year span, UT also leads the SEC in wins over teams in the AP top 20, top 15, top 10 and top five (tied). Its 20 top-20 wins rank co- third nationally alongside Texas, while its 17 top-15 victories match Baylor for second-most. Its eight top-10 triumphs sit co-sixth alongside Connecticut, North Carolina, Purdue and Texas, while its five top- five wins match Alabama, Arizona, Gonzaga and Michigan State for the most in the nation.
The eight AP top-10 triumphs during that time are: #1 Alabama (2/15/23), #3 Kansas (11/25/22), #3 Auburn (2/26/22), #4 Kentucky (2/15/22), #5 Kentucky (3/12/22), #6 Arizona (12/22/21), #10 Texas (1/28/23) and at #10 Kentucky (2/3/24).
Over the last four seasons (2020-24), UT has played 37 games against AP top-25 foes, the most in the league, posting a 22-15 (.595) ledger. The Vols are the only SEC team, regardless of number of games, with a winning record against ranked teams in that span. Auburn is a a distant second at .478 (11-12).
Tennessee (37), Alabama (35) and Arkansas (34) are the only SEC teams to play over 30 ranked foes since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
Winning Ways
Over the last seven seasons, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Tennessee paces all SEC programs in total victories (171), winning percentage (.725) and postseason victories (18). In that span, UT has three SEC titles, winning the regular season in 2018 and 2024, as well as the tournament in 2022.
In that same seven-year stretch, the Vols are one of only two SEC schools with an overall winning percentage of over .700, alongside Auburn (.723).
In SEC play over the same seven-year period, Tennessee (86-39; .688) is second in the league, behind Kentucky (87-38; .696), in both victories and winning percentage. Only Auburn (81-45; .643) and Alabama (78-48; .619) have even 70-plus wins.
Over just the last three seasons (2021-24), UT owns a 79-27 (.745) overall record. That is good for the most victories and the best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span. Auburn ranks second at 76-27 (.738) during that time.
INAM: “It’s Not About Me”
The Volunteers have posted 20-plus assists 11 times this season. They have reached 25-plus thrice, with a high of 28 against Vanderbilt (2/17/24).
Last season, Tennessee placed second nationally, per KenPom, with a 66.2 percent assist rate. It also logged a 64.9 percent mark in SEC play.
Poll Presence
Tennessee has played 202 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in Rick Barnes‘ tenure, posting a stellar 151-51 (.748) record. Over 66.5 percent of the Volunteers’ games since Barnes arrived in 2015- 16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll.
UT is 130-46 (.739) while ranked in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 99-33 (.750) while in the top 15, 79-24 (.767) while in the top 10, 35-11 (.761) while in the top five, 17-2 (.895) while in the top three and 7-1 (.875) while at No. 1.
The Tennessee Vols are 28-21 (.571) in top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 22-14 (.611) with both teams in the top 20, 13-8 (.619) with both in the top 15, and 7-5 (.583) with both in the top 10.
