NCAAB Picks: Purdue vs. Tennessee Basketball Odds – Nov 23rd, 2009: The 2009 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam tournament finalizes with a terrific matchup between two teams destined to meet in the title game from the beginning. Tonight, 7th ranked (3-0) Purdue Boilermakers [-2] square off against No.10 (4-0) Tennessee Volunteers [+2] beginning at 8:30 PM ET (5:30 PM PT) live from the Virgin Islands Sport & Fitness Center in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

These teams have met twice in the past (1980 & 1981), with the home team winning each time. They both got off to fast starts this season, but both teams struggled against unranked opponents before reaching the championship game.

For the Boilermakers, they opened the season with a 74-63 victory over South Dakota State. In spite of the win, head coach Matt Painter wasn’t too happy at all with his team’s effort, sating they needed to “play a lot smarter.”

“When we fell behind it was a good opportunity for us to show some poise and keep fighting,” Painter said of his win against St. Joseph. “The key was our defense; (Chris) Kramer caused havoc and made it hard for them to get into their offense.”

For the Volunteers, they also got off to a blistering start, winning each of their first two games by an average of 52 points. Tennessee kept their momentum going crushing East Carolina 105-66. However, nothing came easy in the semis, as the Vols escaped with a 57-53 win over DePaul. “I’m going to give our defense credit tonight,” said coach Bruce Pearl after the win. “You win games with defense and rebounding.”

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