March Madness: 5 reasons Vols could lose to Purdue in Sweet 16

3. A slower pace favors Purdue. 

It’s true that the Purdue Boilermakers struggle a bit with up-tempo basketball, which is why they lost to the Minnesota Golden Gophers twice. However, the Villanova Wildcats like to run tempo, and Purdue dominated that game in the second round of March Madness.

Matt Painter has the guards to be able to run it. Meanwhile, although the Vols have more quality depth than Purdue, more overall players are in the rotation with Purdue, so Painter could do just enough to keep up if Tennessee and Rick Barnes turn up the tempo.

But what’s noted is the fact that the Vols and the Boilermakers both run at similar tempos according to KenPom stats. Medium tempo makes it a wash. The Vols benefit from a slow tempo defensively but like to get out in transition offensively.

Then there’s what happens to them if things slow down when they are on offense. As we said, UT likes to score in transition or run a medium tempo. If Purdue starts slowing things down, they have a tendency to go to sleep. That’s why they often allow teams to come back.

This is where the Vols become far too reliant on iso plays and aren’t looking for Grant Williams the way they need to. It takes them completely out of their rhythm. Combine that with the fact that Purdue could thrive in a slow-paced game, and they’ll want to slow things down as much as possible. Since they also have the athletes to keep up in a fast-paced game, it gives them a surprise advantage as a team that can adapt but dominates when you play their game.