The top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers are aiming for a spot in the Final Four after defeating second-ranked Tennessee 72-66 on Sunday afternoon with 40 points from Zach Eady.
This Elite 8 contest saw each team’s star players on full display as Eady and volunteer Dalton Knecht traded buckets throughout the game.
But while Knecht scored 37 points on 14-of-31 shooting (including 6-of-12 from the 3-point area), Eadie went 12-of-21 from the free-throw line. He surpassed that by scoring 40 points on 14-of-22 shooting.
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Purdue University player Zach Eady shoots the ball against University of Tennessee’s Jonas Aidoo during the second half of the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on March 31, 2024. (right). (Gregory Shams/Getty Images)
Eady’s free throw with 4:42 left in the game made it 59-58, and he continued to get clutch buckets, making two more free throws to put the Boilermakers up by three points.
But Knecht was doing everything he could to regain the lead with his own free throws.
After Eadie’s dunk made it 63-60, Purdue’s Lance Jones, who had only seven points in the game, hit the game’s only 3-pointer with 2:43 left to cut the deficit to six.
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This was the bucket Purdue needed to pull away from Tennessee, and they held it as the clock hit zero.
Looking at the stat sheet, Eadie had his usual double-double and grabbed 16 rebounds. He also recorded one steal, one assist, and one block.
Tennessee’s Josiah Jordan-James (left) and Dalton celebrate a basket against Purdue during the second half of the Elite 8 round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on March 31, 2024.・Knecht player. (Gregory Shams/Getty Images)
Fletcher Royer also had 14 points, four assists and three rebounds for Purdue.
Knecht’s 31 shots accounted for half of Tennessee’s shots, but the rest of the field struggled from the field. Zakai Zeigler went just 3-for-12 with nine points, eight assists, and four rebounds.
As a team, Tennessee shot 38.7 percent from the field, while Purdue shot 45.3 percent from the field.
After a shocking first-round game against Farleigh Dickinson University, which defeated the top-seeded Boilermakers as a No. 16 seed last season, Purdue has won the previous three games by double digits. He defeated his opponent with great force.
Purdue’s Zach Eady takes a shot against Tennessee during the Elite 8 round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 31, 2024 in Detroit. (Jay LaPreet/NCAA Photo/NCAA Photo via Getty Images)
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Purdue is currently waiting for the winner of No. 4 Duke and No. 11 North Carolina State to be its Final Four opponent.
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