The No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers and the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers square off in an Elite Eight showdown on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. ET. Purdue is a 3.5-point favorite in the latest Tennessee vs. Purdue via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 147.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Tennessee vs. Purdue picks or NCAA Tournament predictions, you need to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine college basketball expert Bruce Marshall. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page.)

For years Vegas-based Bruce Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famed sports betting newsletter. With a background in play-by-play work and sports information while in college, Bruce joined TGS in 1981 when hired by the legendary Mort Olshan and served as executive editor for many years. Marshall now supplies his unique and colorful brand of football and basketball analysis to SportsLine members. Marshall heads into the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on a 49-32-1 college basketball run that has netted $100 followers $1,390. Anyone who has followed him is WAY UP!

Marshall knows senior center Zach Edey has been a beast. In three NCAA Tournament games this year, he has 80 points, 49 rebounds and six assists. He has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in four consecutive NCAA Tournament games, the second-longest streak in NCAA history, just behind David Robinson's five games. For the season, he is averaging 24.6 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.1 assists.

He is also aware the Volunteers have been led by senior guard Dalton Knecht, who is coming off a 26-point, six-rebound, five-assist and two-steal performance in the win over Creighton on Friday. He nearly had a double-double in the 62-58 win over seventh-seeded Texas in the second round. In that game, he scored 18 points, while grabbing nine boards. The transfer from Northern Colorado, who is in his first year with Tennessee, started 35 games and averaged 21.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.4 minutes.

For Sunday, Marshall has set his sights on Tennessee vs. Purdue in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. We can tell you he is leaning Over on the point total, and he has also isolated an X-factor that makes one side a must-back! 

Who wins Tennessee vs. Purdue, and what critical X-factor makes one side hit hard? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from the expert who's 49-32 on college basketball picks!