For the second time in as many games, Purdue basketball will see a familiar foe in the NCAA Tournament as the Boilermakers are set to take on Tennessee Sunday at 2:20 p.m. in the Elite Eight.
Purdue ran away from Gonzaga, 80-68, while the second seeded Volunteers defeated Creighton, 82-75. The two teams met in Maui last November in a game that featured 52 fouls and 78 free throw attempts as the Boilermakers won 71-67.
Big second half lifted Vols past Creighton
For the second time in program history, Tennessee is in the Elite Eight after turning back Creighton with a combination of toughness, smothering defense and an offense led by its star, Dalton Knecht.
As has been the case all season, Knecht led the Volunteers, scoring 26 points for Tennessee (27-8), while Josiah-Jordan James added 15 points for the Vols. Tennessee, however, was without senior guard Santiago Vescovi, who was out with the flu. His status for the Purdue game was unknown.
After a tight first half, the Volunteers blew the game wide open early in the second half with an 18-0 run that helped Tennessee pull away.
It was a foul fest the last time these two teams played
The last time Purdue basketball played Tennessee, it was a horrid game when it came to fouls, as both teams were whistled for a combined 52 fouls.
In that game, Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer tied a career high with 27 points. Knecht scored 16 points for the Vols, who also got 15 points from Jordan Gainey.
Tennessee was able to tie the game at 64-64 with just over three minutes to play, but Purdue shut the Vols down the rest of the way.
Both teams were able to generate points at the free throw line, as Purdue basketball was 29-of-48, while Tennessee was 21-of-30. The Vols scored 13 points at the free throw line in the first 12 minutes of the second half
Purdue basketball big man Zach Edey managed to dominate the paint, scoring 23 points and recording 10 rebounds, while also battling foul trouble of his own.
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