Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee Vols' offensive struggles in one area of the floor doomed them vs. Purdue

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Craig Smith | Last updated Apr 1, 2024 5:12 PM ET

I can already hear some fingers typing in frustration. The Vols lost because of Zach Edey and the officiating, period.

Yes, Edey was dominant. He tallied 40 points and 15 rebounds in Purdue's 72-66 win over Tennessee on Sunday in the Elite Eight. Or, there's also a very strong argument that Zach Edey got a whole lot of favorable treatment from the officials that influenced the game unfairly.

Or both, which is most likely accurate. Regardless, the 7'4" center is ultimately what did Tennessee in on the defensive end for the Volunteers.

However, there were also plenty of self-inflicted wounds on the offensive end of the floor that ultimately kept Tennessee from matching the massive center's offensive output when UT had the ball.

A large portion of Tennessee's misses from inside the arc came from around the area called the "elbow", or the corner of the free throw line. Most shots were closer in than the free throw line.

Outside of the foul disparity this is where the game was lost for Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/0IAQL0xsEc
— Jordan Moore (@jordanmoore_21) April 1, 2024

Tennessee simply couldn't buy a basket when they needed it from this area of the floor. Jonas Aidoo (0 for 4 from the field) missed some of those shots, as did Dalton Knecht among his 31 attempts. Zakai Zeigler was 3 for 12, which was best illustrated when he misfired on floaters inside the free throw line after driving from the perimeter.

Several of these attempts were open looks, but unfortunately, as announcer Tim Brando has always said, the iron was unkind on Sunday on those particular shots. Had a handful more of those dropped, we very well could be talking about a different result on Monday. That, and if the Vols had shot better than 64% from the free throw line (when they were actually given the chance to get there by the officials).

As such, it's another unfortunate case of "what if" for Tennessee in the tournament, even though this particular team still deserves a ton of credit for their 40 minutes of fight on Sunday afternoon, as well as their inspiring play all season.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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