The Midwest Region's top seeds battle it out for the right to go to the Final Four as Tennessee faces Purdue on Sunday, and we have you covered with our Tennessee vs. Purdue Elite Eight picks and best bet.
Second-seed Tennessee is set to make its first Elite Eight appearance since 2010, and the Volunteers will be greeted by the No. 1-seed Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue, on the other hand, is making its sixth Elite Eight appearance.
The game is set to tip off at 2:20 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Following a rough start to their Sweet 16 affair, Tennessee turned the tables on Creighton, ripping off a 26-6 run to take a 16-point halftime lead. Tennessee is trying to become the first team ever to win the national title after losing its first conference-tournament affair.
On the other hand, Purdue rebounded well from last year's first-rou nd disappointment. The Boilermakers have dominated in this year's tournament, managing a combined 79-point margin of victory to this point.
As part of our March Madness predictions, here are our best Tennessee vs. Purdue picks and best bets (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Tennessee (2) vs. Purdue (1) game info
- When: Sunday, March 31
- Tip-off: 2:20 p.m. ET
- Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Mich.
- How to watch: CBS
- Favorite: Purdue -3 (odds via Caesars)
Tennessee vs. Purdue odds
Tennessee vs. Purdue prediction
Best odds: -110 via Caesars, DraftKings
For the second consecutive game, the Boilermakers are facing an opponent they also met in Maui in late November. They beat Gonzaga and Tennessee by a combined 14 points on consecutive nights in college basketball's premier early-season tournament. Purdue made the necessary adjustments to trim its turnovers down from 13 to nine between the first two meetings against Gonzaga, and we expect it to do the same after turning the ball over 16 times in a four-point win over Tennessee.
The great advantage Purdue has over the rest of the teams in the country is the mammoth Zach Edey, who can tie David Robinson's record in this game with five consecutive 20-plus point and 10-plus rebound games in the NCAA Tournament (over the past 50 years).
Edey had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the first matchup and lived at the free-throw line, though he made just nine of his 17 attempts. He is too much for the combination of Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Akawa to handle inside, and Purdue has shot 45% or better from 3-point range in its last two games, in large part because of the defensive attention Edey commands. The Boilermakers shredded two solid defenses (Utah State and Gonzaga) for 1.43 and 1.36 points per possession, respectively, and Bart Torvik has them as the second-best offense in terms of adjusted offensive efficiency behind UConn.
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Tennessee vs. Purdue spread & Over/Under analysis
Purdue opened as low as 2.5-point favorites at Caesars but has since climbed to -3, the same line found at DraftKings and bet365 (though bet365 is juiced to -115 to back the favorites). FanDuel and BetMGM offer -105 odds for a slightly higher spread of -3.5. Early spread wagers are nearly 4/1 (79/21 split) in favor of Purdue. The previous three meetings between these teams, dating back to 2017, have been decided by five or fewer points.
Any line movement on the total thus far has gone toward the Over. Caesars and BetMGM are up from opening numbers of 147.5 to 148 and 148.5, respectively. FanDuel has remained firm at its opening number of 147.5, while DraftKings and bet365 have not moved off of 148 as of early Saturday morning. The early betting splits support the movement towards the Over, as it has received 68% of wagers to this point. Each of Tennessee's last nine games against AP top-5 opponents has produced 142 or fewer points.
Tennessee-Purdue prediction made Saturday at 6:45 a.m. ET.
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- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
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Related pages
- Best Live Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)