I said at the start of the NCAA Tournament that the Sweet 16 would be the only hurdle for Tennessee Basketball to reach the Final Four. After the way Friday’s matchup between the Houston Cougars and Purdue Boilermakers played out, the Vols are in even better shape.
Just after UT coasted to an easy win over the Kentucky Wildcats in its biggest hurdle round, Houston got locked in a dogfight with Purdue. A game littered with too many fouls that turned into the exact slugfest you would expect with their styles of play saw Houston win 62-60 off a last-second shot.
This had everything for Tennessee Basketball to get an advantage Sunday. Not only did it happen after the Vols win, but it was such a back and forth fight that Houston is bound to be much more tired in the Elite Eight matchup. Then there’s just the fact that Houston won.
Barnes is 0-2 against Matt Painter at Purdue in March Madness, and with this regional being in Indianapolis, Purdue was likely to have more fans at the game. However, against Houston, it’s almost certain the Vols will have more fans at Lucas Oil Stadium.
So the Vols are better-rested and have home-court advantage in the Elite Eight.
Add to all of this the fact that Tennessee Basketball matched up well with either team, and there is plenty of reason for them to be excited. Remember, the Vols have only lost two games all year to teams outside of the top 100 in possessions per game or adjusted tempo rankings per KenPom.
Both were on the road at the buzzer to two Sweet 16 teams, the Ole Miss Rebels and Auburn Tigers.
Most notably, they are undefeated against anybody outside of the top 150 in either tempo category, and Houston and Purdue were both outside of the top 300 in them. In fact, they have been relatively dominant in those games. The UCLA Bruins in the Round of 32 gave them a tougher fight than anybody who fits that bill.
Kentucky was a threat because of the tempo they run, but Tennessee Basketball was able to dictate the flow of the game, and the lack of defense that came with that from Mark Pope’s team resulted in them not having to exert a lot of energy. Now, the Vols have a game built for them to play.
Perhaps Houston and Kelvin Sampson do what the Vols do but just better. However, nobody has been able to outplay the Vols with that style all season, and it’s not like they weren’t tested with the grind of an SEC schedule. Add in how the Sweet 16 played out, and UT is in great shape.
