DETROIT -- Purdue will continue its pursuit of redemption as the No. 1 seed Boilermakers edged No. 2 seed Tennessee 72-66 in an Elite Eight battle Sunday to secure the program's first Final Four appearance since 1980. Zach Edey led the way with a career-high 40 points and 16 rebounds as Purdue withstood an offensive barrage of 37 points from Tennessee superstar guard Dalton Knecht.
With Tennessee trailing just 69-64 with under 40 seconds to play, Edey swatted a Knecht shot at the rim to help preserve the victory.
Nothing came easy for the Boilermakers in reaching this long-awaited plateau following last year's stunning loss to No. 16 seed FDU in the first round.
The Volunteers clawed back from a 54-46 deficit to tie the game at 58-58 with 5:42 remaining. But the Boilermakers struck back, as they often did in a tightly contested showdown. Lance Jones hit a 3-pointer from the right wing with 2:42 remaining to put the Boilermakers up 66-60. Tennessee never got it back to a one-possession game.
The Volunteers opened up a 32-21 lead in the first half with a 9-0 run capped by a pair of Knecht 3-pointers. But the Boilermakers promptly made a 13-0 run of their own and took a 36-34 lead into the break as Edey and his physicality began to wear down the Volunteers.
Edey tied former Navy star David Robinson's record by posting a fifth straight performance of 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game. The 7-foot-4 reigning Naismith Award winner proved too much for the Volunteers to handle as he became the sixth player in NCAA Tournament history, and first since Loyola-Marymount's Bo Kimble in 1990, to have at least 40 points and 15 rebounds in a game.
The game amounted to the second high-stakes March thriller played between the teams after the Boilermakers outlasted Tennessee 99-94 in the 2019 Sweet 16. Following the 2019 win over the Vols, Purdue's season ended with a heartbreaking Elite Eight loss to Virginia. This time, the Boilermakers are marching on to a national semifinal.
Painter gets Purdue over the hump
Boilermakers coach Matt Painter was considered one of the best coaches in the sport that had yet to reach the Final Four coming into this season. With the Boilermakers' monumental win over Tennessee to clinch their first appearance in the final weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 1980, Painter finally got over the hump at his alma mater. Less than a year after falling to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Purdue is on the cusp of the ultimate redemption story. Before last season's failure, the last No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was Virginia in 2018. The following season, the Cavaliers captured the national championship. Purdue will hope to write a similar script starting next weekend, but no matter what happens the rest of the way, Painter is finally out of the club of coaches that never reached the Final Four.
Edey vs. Knecht provides fireworks
The Elite Eight offered a dynamic scoring matchup with Edey and Knecht going shot for shot. The matchup didn't disappoint, as it was the first time players on opposing teams had 35 or more points since Wisconsin's Michael Finley scored 36 points and Missouri's Melvin Booker finished with 35 in 1994. Edey accomplished the feat by dominating inside and drawing fouls, while Knecht knocked down six 3-pointers. Knecht was the only Tennessee player to finish the game in double figures. Edey scored 55.6% (40 of 72) of Purdue's points, while Knecht scored 56.1% (37 of 66) of Tennessee's points. It's the first time that two opposing players scored at least half of their team's points in the same NCAA Tournament game.
Tennessee's Final Four drought continues
The Volunteers came up short again. Tennessee has 26 NCAA Tournament appearances without appearing in the Final Four, which ranks fourth most all-time behind BYU 's 31 appearances and 29 by Xavier and Missouri. Tennessee dropped to 0-6 all-time against No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament — tied for the fourth-worst mark in NCAA Tournament history. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes guided Texas to the Final Four in 2003 but hasn't reached the final weekend since. Tennessee will have to wait at least another season to get over the hump to its first Final Four in program history.
