DETROIT — Tennessee men's basketball is on the cusp of program history.

The 2-seed Vols cleared the Sweet 16 hurdle Friday night against Creighton, punching their ticket to the Elite Eight for just the second time ever. Now, a match up with 1-seed Purdue at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday is all that stands between them and their first Final Four.

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Tennessee, which leaned on its defense to outlast Texas in the Round of 32, was balanced in its 82-75 win over Creighton. The difference was an 18-0 run in the second half, headlined by Dalton Knecht who finished with a game-high 26 points while Zakai Zeigler scored 19 and Josiah-Jordan James totaled 17.

The Vols' defense came up big again after the Bluejays cut their deficit to three in the last three minutes. Jahmai Mashack, who moved into the starting five because Santiago Vescovi was out with the flu, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked two shots and had two steals.

Tennessee will need both to keep its season going.

The Boilermakers dominated 11-seed Gonzaga down the stretch in their Sweet 16 game on Friday behind 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, who tallied 27 points and 14 rebounds.

The reigning Naismith Player of the Year averages more than 24 points and 12 rebounds per game. He caused fits for Tennessee bigs Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka in the previous meeting between the two teams at the Maui Invitational in Honolulu back in November.

The two combined for just two rebounds and both players fouled out in a 71-67 loss. The Vols will need establish an inside game while staying out of foul trouble.

Defending the perimeter will be a challenge, too. Three Purdue starting guards average double figures, including Braden Smith who scored 12.3 points per game. He scored 14 on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range vs. Gonzaga.

Who: 2-seed Tennessee (27-8) vs. 1-seed Purdue (32-4)

When: Sunday, March 31 | 2:20 p.m. ET

Where: Little Caesars Arena | Detroit

TV: CBS (Andrew Catalon, play-by-play; Steve Lappas, analyst; Evan Washburn, reporter)

KenPom Projection: Purdue 76, Tennessee 73

Series: Purdue leads, 4-2

POINTS PER GAME:

Purdue 83.4, Tennessee 79.5

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE:

Purdue 48.4%, Tennessee 44.4%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE:

Purdue 40.8%, Tennessee 34.2%

ASSISTS:

Purdue 18.4, Tennessee 16.8

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: How Vols' veterans changed approach after last clash with Purdue

REBOUNDS:

Purdue 40.4, Tennessee 38.8

BLOCKS:

Tennessee 4.7, Purdue 3.8

STEALS:

Tennessee 7.9, Purdue 5.7

-- Tennessee and Purdue are meeting for the seventh time. The Boilermakers have won four of the previous six games, including in the 2019 Sweet 16. All five meetings during the Rick Barnes era have been decided by five points or less.

-- Tennessee faced three Big Ten teams during the regular season, winning two over Wisconsin on the road and Illinois at home. The Vols lost to Purdue at the Maui Invitational in Honolulu.

-- Tennessee is in the middle of one of its best NCAA Tournament runs in program history. The Vols were last in the Elite Eight in 2010, which previously marked Tennessee's only appearance. Barnes is 9-5 in NCAA Tournament games, the most wins by a coach in school history.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Jahmai Mashack steps into starting role, helps Vols basketball make history

-- Tennessee has faced 10 of the 17 players that made the All-America team this season, including Zach Edey. Sunday will mark the second time the Vols have played Edey and the third time they've had to play an All-American, including Kentucky guard Antonio Reeves and Alabama guard Mark Sears.

-- Tennessee has played four of the eight teams in the Elite Eight this season and hold a 4-1 record against them. The Vols beat Alabama twice as well as Illinois and NC State in non-conference play.

-- Purdue is in the NCAA Tournament for a ninth-straight season. The Boilermakers have won the Big Ten regular season title in back-to-back seasons and have won their previous three tournament games by an average of 23 points.

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