Tennessee basketball season shouldn't be remembered for way Purdue, Zach Edey ended it | Adams
Tennessee basketball came up just short in its run for the first Final Four in school history Sunday.
Don’t blame the Vols for the 72-66 defeat at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Blame Purdue’s 7-foot-4 All-American center Zach Edey. Who doesn’t come up short against him?
Edey was just too much to handle in the Midwest Regional final. That’s nothing new.
Second-seeded Tennessee (27-9) fell in line with all the previous Purdue opponents who were overmatched – often ridiculously so – against Edey, who isn’t just big. He again demonstrated a soft shooting touch and the ability to play through contact while sitting out only 33 seconds of the game.
No matter how much the Vols pushed, bumped, and fouled, they too often couldn’t keep Edey from setting up shop within striking distance of the basket.
Tobe Awaka was the most effective defender against Edey but paid a price. He drew his fourth foul with 14:01 to play and fouled out with 4:42 left. Jonas Aidoo, UT’s 6-11 starting post player, frequently looked helpless again Edey and didn’t add anything offensively, either. J. P. Estrella, who subbed for Awaka, was more successful in making Edey uncomfortable.
You could question coach Rick Barnes’ strategy for choosing to single-cover Edey. But it worked for the most part. The No. 1 seeded Boilermakers (33-4) had averaged 88 points in breezing to three consecutive tournament victories by double-figure margins. While Edey scored a career-high 40 points against Tennessee, Purdue struggled terribly from the perimeter.
The Boilermakers entered the game making 41% of their 3-pointers. They made only three of 15 3-point tries against Tennessee.
UT's offensive difficulties figured prominently in the outcome. See if this sounds familiar: Dalton Knecht didn’t have enough help.
Never mind how much of a force Edey was. Purdue had trouble shaking the Vols – mainly because of Knecht, the SEC Player of the Year. The Boilermakers had almost as much trouble defending him as UT did against Edey. Knecht scored 37 points and made six of 12 3-point attempts.
His last drive for points ended badly, though. With Purdue up by four points, Edey blocked Knecht’s shot in the last 40 seconds.
Knecht had little choice but to take on Edey. His supporting cast had wilted by then. No other Vol scored in double figures. Take away Knecht’s shooting, and Tennessee was 10-for-31 from the field.
Despite UT’s offensive shortcomings, Purdue didn’t firmly gain the upper hand until the last four minutes. And there was a stretch in the first half when the Vols looked as though they were Final Four bound.
The Vols broke open a tight game with a 15-2 surge to take a 32-21 lead. Surprisingly, eight of their points came with Knecht on the bench. But Purdue responded with a 15-2 run of its own on the way to a 36-34 halftime lead.
The Tennessee season will be remembered for how it ended, just as its 2009-10 season was remembered for a one-point loss to Michigan State in the Elite Eight. But the season also should be remembered for the 27 victories, an SEC regular-season championship, and the program advancing this far in the tournament for only the second time.
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And you shouldn't lump this loss with Tennessee’s other recent NCAA Tournament exits. The defeat wasn’t akin to tournament defeats to lower seeds like Florida Atlantic, Michigan, Oregon State and Loyola Chicago.
This time, they were on the verge of an upset against one of the nation’s premier teams and against the most dominant player in college basketball. They also were agonizingly close to making school history.
But Edey wouldn’t let them.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knonews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball season shouldn't be remembered for way Purdue
