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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Five extra minutes ended an 18-year dearth.
No. 3 seed Purdue men's basketball advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for the first time under head coach Matt Painter and for the first time since 2000 with a 99-94 overtime win over No. 2 seed Tennessee on Thursday at the KFC Yum! Center.
It was one for the ages. An instant classic.
The Boilermakers (26-9) outscored the Volunteers 17-12 in overtime after Carsen Edwards forced it by making two of three free throws with 1.7 seconds left in regulation. Edwards was fouled attempting what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer from the right corner in front of Purdue's bench.
"The first option wasn't there," Edwards said. "At that point, I was just trying to get open and trying to get the ball. Then he fouled me, and I was struggling from the line all game. Being able to hit the last two was just a blessing. It gave us some more time to play."
Purdue will play No. 1 seed Virginia (32-3) on Saturday at 8:49 p.m. ET in the South Regional final, looking for the program's first trip to the Final Four since 1980. The game will be televised by TBS. Virginia edged Oregon 53-49 on Thursday.
"Man, that was obviously a great game," Painter said. "I am proud of our guys. Carsen knocked down the two free throws, and our guys were resilient and played hard. They did such a good job of competing in overtime."
In the extra session, Edwards scored six points, and Purdue made 11 of 17 free throws while leading throughout.
With 16:19 remaining in the game, Purdue boasted a 51-33 lead and appeared ready to turn March Madness into March Manhandling. But Tennessee (31-6), ranked sixth nationally in the final Associated Press poll, went on a 32-14 run over the next eight minutes to tie the score at 65-apiece.
"They're a good team," Painter said. "If you watch Tennessee on film, they have unbelievable runs. They are athletic and talented and can shoot the basketball."
The Volunteers ultimately took a three-point lead at 70-67 when Ryan Cline went to work. The senior drained three straight 3-pointers, and Purdue went ahead 76-75 with 2:46 to go.
Then, with his team trailing 80-77 with 37 seconds left, Cline buried another bomb to tie it again.
"There were times I just knew I was going to shoot it," Cline said. "So my teammates did a really good job of getting me open and giving me an opportunity."
Grant Williams put Tennessee up 82-80 on a dunk with eight seconds remaining. Edwards' drive to the basket with four seconds to go was blocked, but Purdue retained possession and gave Edwards a chance to win it when he was fouled.
Edwards (29) and Cline (career-high 27) combined for 56 points. Cline was 10 of 13 from the field, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range. He also had four assists and no turnovers in 29 minutes while battling foul trouble and ultimately fouling out in overtime. Edwards played all 45 minutes and now has been on the court for 124 of 125 possible minutes in the NCAA Tournament. He made 8 of 22 shots from the field, including 5 of 14 from long range, and 8 of 14 from the line.
For the second straight game, Purdue made 15 3-pointers. They shot 48.4 percent from long range and 54 percent overall from the field (34 of 63) to offset 48.5 percent free-throw shooting (16 of 33). The Boilermakers outrebounded the Volunteers 43-38 and committed just eight turnovers.
After shooting 35.7 percent in the first half, the Volunteers made 20 of 30 second-half shots, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range to finish 12 of 24. They, too, struggled from the line, making 14 of 28.
"It's an odd box score," Painter said. "Both teams basically shot 50 percent from 3 and 50 percent from the free throw line. Normally, people that can make that many 3s are going to make their free throws."
Tennessee's only lead in the first half was 3-0. The game was tied at 13 before Purdue went on a 10-0 run - getting five points from both Edwards and Aaron Wheeler - to forge ahead 23-13 midway through the first half. A Wheeler dunk capped the spurt and came after the Volunteers' Admiral Schofield missed a dunk to noticeably turn the tide.
The Boilermakers went on to lead by as many as 15 points at 40-25 with two and a half minutes left and took a 40-28 advantage into the locker room at intermission.
Purdue also made it to the Elite Eight in 1969, 1980 and 1994.
"We haven't been able to get over the hump, per se," Cline said. "But for the first time getting back to the Elite Eight since 2000, I'm happy for my guys and happy for coach Painter. A lot of people counted us out early in the year. We're just going out and playing free."
• Purdue Quotes / Purdue Locker Room Quotes / Tennessee Quotes
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Five extra minutes ended an 18-year dearth.
No. 3 seed Purdue men's basketball advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for the first time under head coach Matt Painter and for the first time since 2000 with a 99-94 overtime win over No. 2 seed Tennessee on Thursday at the KFC Yum! Center.
It was one for the ages. An instant classic.
The Boilermakers (26-9) outscored the Volunteers 17-12 in overtime after Carsen Edwards forced it by making two of three free throws with 1.7 seconds left in regulation. Edwards was fouled attempting what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer from the right corner in front of Purdue's bench.
"The first option wasn't there," Edwards said. "At that point, I was just trying to get open and trying to get the ball. Then he fouled me, and I was struggling from the line all game. Being able to hit the last two was just a blessing. It gave us some more time to play."
Purdue will play No. 1 seed Virginia (32-3) on Saturday at 8:49 p.m. ET in the South Regional final, looking for the program's first trip to the Final Four since 1980. The game will be televised by TBS. Virginia edged Oregon 53-49 on Thursday.
"Man, that was obviously a great game," Painter said. "I am proud of our guys. Carsen knocked down the two free throws, and our guys were resilient and played hard. They did such a good job of competing in overtime."
In the extra session, Edwards scored six points, and Purdue made 11 of 17 free throws while leading throughout.
With 16:19 remaining in the game, Purdue boasted a 51-33 lead and appeared ready to turn March Madness into March Manhandling. But Tennessee (31-6), ranked sixth nationally in the final Associated Press poll, went on a 32-14 run over the next eight minutes to tie the score at 65-apiece.
"They're a good team," Painter said. "If you watch Tennessee on film, they have unbelievable runs. They are athletic and talented and can shoot the basketball."
The Volunteers ultimately took a three-point lead at 70-67 when Ryan Cline went to work. The senior drained three straight 3-pointers, and Purdue went ahead 76-75 with 2:46 to go.
Then, with his team trailing 80-77 with 37 seconds left, Cline buried another bomb to tie it again.
"There were times I just knew I was going to shoot it," Cline said. "So my teammates did a really good job of getting me open and giving me an opportunity."
Grant Williams put Tennessee up 82-80 on a dunk with eight seconds remaining. Edwards' drive to the basket with four seconds to go was blocked, but Purdue retained possession and gave Edwards a chance to win it when he was fouled.
Edwards (29) and Cline (career-high 27) combined for 56 points. Cline was 10 of 13 from the field, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range. He also had four assists and no turnovers in 29 minutes while battling foul trouble and ultimately fouling out in overtime. Edwards played all 45 minutes and now has been on the court for 124 of 125 possible minutes in the NCAA Tournament. He made 8 of 22 shots from the field, including 5 of 14 from long range, and 8 of 14 from the line.
For the second straight game, Purdue made 15 3-pointers. They shot 48.4 percent from long range and 54 percent overall from the field (34 of 63) to offset 48.5 percent free-throw shooting (16 of 33). The Boilermakers outrebounded the Volunteers 43-38 and committed just eight turnovers.
After shooting 35.7 percent in the first half, the Volunteers made 20 of 30 second-half shots, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range to finish 12 of 24. They, too, struggled from the line, making 14 of 28.
"It's an odd box score," Painter said. "Both teams basically shot 50 percent from 3 and 50 percent from the free throw line. Normally, people that can make that many 3s are going to make their free throws."
Tennessee's only lead in the first half was 3-0. The game was tied at 13 before Purdue went on a 10-0 run - getting five points from both Edwards and Aaron Wheeler - to forge ahead 23-13 midway through the first half. A Wheeler dunk capped the spurt and came after the Volunteers' Admiral Schofield missed a dunk to noticeably turn the tide.
The Boilermakers went on to lead by as many as 15 points at 40-25 with two and a half minutes left and took a 40-28 advantage into the locker room at intermission.
Purdue also made it to the Elite Eight in 1969, 1980 and 1994.
"We haven't been able to get over the hump, per se," Cline said. "But for the first time getting back to the Elite Eight since 2000, I'm happy for my guys and happy for coach Painter. A lot of people counted us out early in the year. We're just going out and playing free."