Purdue vs. Tennessee Bracket Prediction: March Madness Sweet 16 Odds
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Charlie Grant
Purdue hopes Carsen Edwards can carry the school to its first Elite Eight appearance since 2000 while Tennessee’s Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield are setting out to outmuscle another Big Ten opponent.
Purdue (3) vs. Tennessee (2) NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The Boilermakers blew by Villanova and Old Dominion with relative ease in their first two games of the Tournament. Purdue is one of the few teams still alive in the Big Dance with a perfect 2-0 mark against the spread from the first weekend.
Matt Painter’s squad is 16-3 straight up and 12-7 against the number over its last 19 games overall. The Boilermakers are short underdogs against Tennessee – which is a spot they haven’t been in often this season. They’ve caught points from the oddsmakers on the spread in just four games. Purdue is 1-3 SU and 2-2 ATS as an underdog this season.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is coming off a near catastrophe in its Round of 32 matchup. The Volunteers blew a 21-point second half lead against Iowa and needed an overtime session to save themselves from a legendary choke job.
The Vols failed to cover in both of their first two games of the NCAA Tournament. They’re now 4-9 against the number in their last 13 games overall.
Sports Interaction lists both Tennessee and Purdue at +1700 to win the Big Dance outright while Tennessee is priced at +333 to win the South Region with Purdue at +350.
Purdue Boilermakers
Carsen Edwards is coming off one of his finest games in his three-year career with Purdue basketball. The junior guard scored 42 points on 12-for-21 shooting from the field, and he’s the top scorer in the Tournament with 68 points in two games.
He’s doing the majority of his damage from above the break. He’s made 13 of his 28 attempts from deep over his last two contests including 9-for-16 against Villanova.
Blowing out the beasts of the Big East and defending national champions is no small feat. Villanova’s 26-point loss was the most lopsided tournament loss for a defending champ since Michigan got ran off the court by Loyola-Marymount in the second round in 1990.
Tennessee Volunteers
The Big Ten has received a lot of love from college basketball analysts for its non-conference performances during the regular season, and now for its showing in the first weekend of the Tournament.
Bettors shouldn’t sleep on the SEC though. Four of the 16 teams still dancing come from the Southeastern Conference. Kentucky, Auburn and LSU all join the Vols in the Sweet 16.
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