Regardless, we feel like the most favorable line in this game is the Under. It almost feels like a coin flip of who will come out on top and advance to the Maui Invitational championship game. In short, this is going to be a slow-paced bloodbath between two of the best teams in the nation. As a matter of fact, they have the first-ranked defense (adjusted defensive efficiency) per KenPom after their game on Monday night. The Volunteers held the Orange to just 35% shooting from the floor and 30% shooting from deep, highlighting their prowess on the defensive end of the floor. Meanwhile, Tennessee pulled away late in the second half against Syracuse. With this win against Gonzaga, the Boilermakers jumped over Houston for the top spot in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin, holding the third-highest adjusted offensive efficiency and the fifth-highest adjusted defensive efficiency in the nation. Purdue held the ‘Zags to 37.7% shooting from the field and 18.8% from behind the arc, which are impressive numbers against such a high-octane offense. Purdue didn’t have the kind of offensive outing that it had in its first few games however, it made up for its lack of shooting by locking up defensively. It might have been a slow first half for Purdue in its first game of the Maui Invitational against Gonzaga, but the Boilermakers wasted no time dropping the hammer in the second half, outscoring the Bulldogs by a score of 43-28.
