- No. 2-ranked Purdue improved to 5-0 with a 71-67 win over No. 7-ranked Tennessee in the 2023 Maui Invitational semifinals.
- Purdue will appear in the Maui Invitational championship game for the first time since its first appearances in 1999 (lost to No. 4 North Carolina, 90-75).
- The Boilermakers are at least 5-0 for the third straight year (8-0 in 2021-22; 13-0 in 2022-23; 5-0 in 2023-24).
- Purdue has now won 29 straight regular-season games against non-conference foes – the longest streak in the country by 12 games (UConn – 17). The streak is the third-longest streak over the last 10 years (31 by Villanova from 2015-18; 30 by Baylor from 2019-21).
- Purdue has won 19 straight games in the month of November, the second-longest streak in the country behind Arizona (26). Eight of the 19 wins have come against teams ranked in the KenPom top-30.
- Purdue has won seven straight Feast Week games, all seven against teams ranked in the KenPom top 20.
- Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Purdue is 63-14 overall – the fourth-most wins in the country (Houston – 71; Kansas - 66, Arizona – 66). Among Big Ten teams, Iowa (48) and Wisconsin (47) are next on the list.
- The win was Purdue's 35th against a top-25 team since the start of the 2016-17 season, tied for the fifth-most wins nationally.
- Among teams that have played a top-50 scheduled according to KenPom, Purdue is the only undefeated team. Purdue is the only team in America with three top-30 wins and two top-10 wins.
- Purdue is now 18-4 in games played as the No. 2 team in the country, having won six straight games.
- Purdue's 48 free throw attempts were the having 49 against TCU on Dec. 16, 1995.
- Zach Edey recorded his 43rd career double-double with a 23-point, 10-rebound performance in just 26 foul-plagued minutes. He also notched his 56th straight double-figure scoring game, now tied with Glenn Robinson for the third-longest streak in school history (Rick Mount – 72; Joe Barry Carroll – 57). Edey surpassed Vince Edwards for 16th on the career scoring list (1,643 points).
- Edey is the first player since Kevin Durant (2006-07) to have at least 110 points, 50 rebounds and 15 blocks in the first five games of a season.
- Fletcher Loyer tied a career high with 27 points and set a new career best with six rebounds.
HONOLULU -- Fletcher Loyer scored 27 points, Zach Edey had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds and No. 2 Purdue escaped with a 71-67 win over No. 7 Tennessee in the Maui Invitational semifinals on Tuesday.
The Boilermakers (5-0) separated in the final minutes with a game-closing 10-6 run to deny the Volunteers (4-1).
The teams were whistled for a combined 52 personal fouls and Tennessee coach Rick Barnes drew a technical foul in the first half. Subsequently, there were 78 free throws attempted; Purdue shot 29 of 48 from the line, while Tennessee went 21 of 30.
Loyer shot 7 of 18 from the field and 10 of 11 from the free-throw line. Edey made 7 of 10 field goals, but missed his first six free throws and finished 9 of 17.
The Boilermakers shot 19 of 54 from the field (35.2%), while the Volunteers were 19 of 57 (33.3%).
After he scored 13 points in the first half to help give the Volunteers a 31-30 halftime lead, Tennessee's Dalton Knecht was held to just three points after the break. Jordan Gainey scored all of his 15 points in the second half.
Purdue held a 44-31 rebounding advantage.
BIG PICTURE
Tennessee, which was picked by SEC media to win the league, was seeking its second premier regular-season tournament title in as many years. It defeated Kansas for the Battle 4 Atlantis championship last season. The Volunteers had won their last five games against AP Top 5 teams over the last two years.
Purdue returns all five starters from a year ago, including Edey, the reigning AP National Player of the Year. The Boilermakers will be playing their third ranked team in as many days in Wednesday's championship game. They were coming off of a 73-63 win over No. 11 Gonzaga on Monday.