Purdue vs Tennessee Odds, Props & Picks (Nov. 21)

• Both undefeated, #2 Purdue and #7 Tennessee meet in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday night
• The Boilermakers are a slight betting favorite against the Vols’ top-rated defense
• Below, see the Tennessee vs Purdue odds, player props, and picks for Tuesday’s game in Honolulu

The #2 Purdue Boilermakers (4-0, 1-0 neutral, 3-1 ATS) made a strong case for taking over as top team in the nation on Monday when they battled back to defeat Gonzaga (73-63) in the first round of the 2023 Maui Invitational. The road doesn’t get easier for Matt Painter’s team in the semifinals of the eight-team tournament as they face the #7 Tennessee Volunteers (4-0, 1-0 neutral, 3-1 ATS) on Tuesday at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu (8:00 pm ET).

Tennessee dispatched Syracuse with ease (73-57) and continues to boast the top-rated defense at KenPom. But oddsmakers give Purdue a slight edge, listing the Boilermakers as 3.5-point neutral-court favorites.

Purdue vs Tennessee Odds

Tennessee is a +130 underdog to win straight-up in Tuesday’s college basketball odds. The game total is just 134.5. Both teams are 2-2 over/under this year.

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Odds as of Nov. 21 on the FanDuel app.

Purdue is currently the second-favorite in the March Madness championship odds at +1217 on average, while Tennessee is tenth at +1950.

Purdue Pulls Off Comeback Against Ice-Cold Gonzaga

Yesterday, Edey’s Boilermakers trailed Gonzaga by as many as nine in the first half and found themselves down five at the break. But stifling defense – and some horrendous shooting from the Zags – allowed Purdue to grab an early second-half lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Edey finished with a team-high 25 points, including 9-10 from the free-throw line, 14 rebounds, and three blocks.

The reigning national player of the year is expected to repeat the feat, currently listed as a +200 favorite in the Wooden Award odds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdRiSujsUO0

Edey was helped at the offensive end yesterday by Braden Smith (13 points on 6-8 shooting plus six assists and five steals) and Lance Jones (13 points on 6-14 shooting). Gonzaga shot just 26-69 (37.5%) from the field and 6-32 (18.8%) from beyond the arc.

The win over Gonzaga was Purdue’s second straight over a top-50 opponent. They also earned a double-digit win over Xavier in West Lafayette last Monday (83-71), a win that looks all the more impressive after Xavier routed Saint Mary’s in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Knecht Adds Offensive Spark to Tennessee’s Top-Rated Defense

The top defensive team in the country last year (per KenPom), Tennessee has picked up where it left off, sitting first in defensive efficiency again this season. Starving for offense, head coach Rick Barnes struck gold on the transfer market in an effort to find a legit go-to scorer for his Vols. Northern Colorado standout Dalton Knecht is thriving in his first season in Knoxville, leading the Vols at 19.0 PPG while shooting 52% from the floor and 38.9% from three.

Fellow transfer Jordan Gainey (SC Upstate) has added valuable secondary scoring, as well (10.5 PPG, 42.1 3P%) while senior guard Josiah-Jordan James has increased his production (10.0 PPG to 12.3 PPG) in the early going.

James had a season-high 15 points plus a team-high 12 rebounds  in last night’s win over Syracuse, Tennessee’s fourth straight double-digit victory to begin the season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-tjOsSeQ_4

Last year’s Volunteers team would have been in trouble after falling in an early  19-11 hole, but Knecht led the team on a 9-1 run to end the half and Tennessee took a five-point lead into the break. Tennessee’s lead was never fewer than three in the second half.

Purdue vs Tennessee Prediction

Purdue’s second-half performance yesterday was impressive, but I still didn’t love what I saw from the Boilermakers overall. Gonzaga played them even on the boards (38-38) and, if they hadn’t gone cold in the second half, would have handed Purdue its first loss.

Methodical, suffocating Tennessee already owns one of the best wins of the season, an 80-70 victory in a true road game at Wisconsin. In 6’11, 240-pound junior Jonas Aidoo (8.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.3 BPG), they have a post player than can at least make Edey work. In Knecht and James, they have a significant edge in the backcourt over a Purdue team that returns much of the same roster that finished 276th in three-point percentage last season.

Purdue vs Tennessee picks:

• Tennessee +3.5 (-110)
• Knecht over 14.5 points (-115 on the DraftKings Sportsbook app)

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NCAAM betting record: 5-4 ATS