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Tennessee vs Purdue: 3 biggest storylines for Sweet 16 matchup

By Connor Hope

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 21: Matt Haarms #32 and Ryan Cline #14 of the Purdue Boilermakers react late in the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at XL Center on March 21, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 21: Matt Haarms #32 and Ryan Cline #14 of the Purdue Boilermakers react late in the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at XL Center on March 21, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 29: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers and Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the bench during the second half of the game between the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 29, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won 96-53. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

Will Purdue finally break through after 18 years without an Elite Eight appearance? Or will Tennessee preserve its shot at a Final Four run?

There are four 2 vs 3 matchups in this year’s Sweet 16, but none is a tighter spread than the Thursday matchup between Tennessee and Purdue. The Volunteers come in as 1.5 point favorites over the Boilermakers, with many people even viewing Purdue as the favorite to win behind Carsen Edwards impressive performance.

In the first weekend, Purdue took care of business with big wins over Old Dominion and Villanova. Tennessee, on the other hand, had a surprisingly close win Colgate before narrowly escaping a historic comeback at the hands of Iowa. With Purdue playing its best basketball of the year, and Tennessee playing some of its worst, this game could be closer than it would have been earlier in the season.

As with every Sweet 16 matchup, there is a lot of star power between these two teams. Carsen Edwards has been playing like a man possessed all season for the Boilermakers, while the Vols’ Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams have been one of the best duos in all of college basketball.

There is a ton that can be said about this matchup, from the talent, to the coaches, to the lack of deep runs for either team in recent years. In the end, however, this game has the promise to be one of the best battles of the Sweet 16.

Let’s take a look at the top three storylines heading into this game.

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