The Tennessee Volunteers take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Tennessee Purdue prediction and pick. Find how to watch Tennessee Purdue.

The Maui Invitational is not being played in its normal venue this year due to the fires which destroyed so much of Maui earlier this year. The event, in 2023, is being held in Honolulu in the University of Hawaii's home building, the Stan Sheriff Center. That part of the Maui Invitational is different. What isn't different is that this Thanksgiving week tournament — part of what college basketball fans know as “Feast Week” — regularly attracts elite programs and creates some fantastic early-season matchups. We certainly have two heavyweight battles in the Maui semifinals on Tuesday in Hawaii.

This is the first of the two semifinals, in addition to the day's earlier consolation games on the slate. Number seven Tennessee takes on second-ranked Purdue. Tennessee beat Syracuse in the opening round of the tournament on Monday, and Purdue handled Gonzaga in its first game.

These teams met in the 2019 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. They met in a South Regional semifinal in Louisville. Purdue won a thriller to make the Elite Eight and come close to its first Final Four since 1980. The Boilermakers fell short, however, and are still searching for that elusive return to the Final Four.

Tennessee, denied a trip to the Final Four by Purdue four years ago, has since continued to fall short of its first-ever Final Four appearance. The Vols had a great chance last season but fell to ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic in the Sweet 16. They are on a mission to take that next step, much as Purdue is. It's a battle of equals in the first Maui semifinal.

Here are the Tennessee-Purdue College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Tennessee-Purdue Odds

Tennessee Volunteers: +3.5 (-120)

Purdue Boilermakers: -3.5 (-102)

Over: 134.5 (-104)

Under: 134.5 (-118)

How To Watch Tennessee vs Purdue

Time: 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT

TV: ESPN

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Tennessee Could Cover the Spread

The Vols often bog down on offense. That has been their recurring problem under head coach Rick Barnes. They just don't score enough at tournament time, and they don't score often enough in the biggest games of the SEC season. Tennessee hasn't won an outright SEC title since 2008, and it has shared the SEC title only once in that same timeframe. This season, the Vols might have that clutch scorer who prevents the team from suffering a crippling drought. Dalton Knecht has shown that he can give this team a bucket in big moments. He scored early and often in the Monday win over Syracuse. This is the new X-factor in the equation which coach Rick Barnes hasn't previously had.

Purdue's guards, who struggled memorably in the Boilermakers' loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, are still not hitting 3-pointers at the rate they need to. Purdue very rarely made 3-pointers in the Monday win over Gonzaga. Tennessee can pounce on this limitation and limit Purdue's scoring output.

Why Purdue Could Cover the Spread

The Boilermakers' guards might struggle, but Tennessee's guards weren't particularly effective against Syracuse on Monday. Tennessee missed bunches of layups and did not get consistent scoring aside from Dalton Knecht. If Purdue can take away Knecht, it has a good chance of stopping the Vols' offense.

Purdue also has the best player on the floor, Zach Edey. The big man is the top center in the country and one of the best players in the United States at any position. He came back to make a Final Four and win a national championship. He is one of those “we have him and you don't” players who makes an enormous difference on the court. He's the best reason to take Purdue.

Final Tennessee-Purdue Prediction & Pick

The presence of Zach Edey is hard to ignore on a general level, and it is especially hard to ignore in this game. Take Purdue.

Final Tennessee-Purdue Prediction & Pick: Purdue -3.5