There are plenty of things to talk about the Tennessee Volunteers’ soul-crushing loss to the Purdue Boilermakers. There’s the fact that nobody aside from Dalton Knect was able to connect offensively, forcing the team to keep on feeding him the rock.
However, there’s also the issue of them being unable to stop Zach Edey from doing whatever he wanted on the floor. The 7’4″ giant, who will likely be a lottery selection in the 2024 NBA Draft, was simply unstoppable. The fact that he could have scored 50 if he wanted to is a terrifying thought to consider.
Tennessee fans are feeling anything but fear toward the behemoth center, though. They believe that the game was actually rigged against their team and didn’t shy away from blasting everything and everyone on social media.
Tennessee Volunteers fans call out everyone after team’s brutal loss to Purdue
In their anger, livid Tennessee fans dissected almost every possession Edey had and tried to find faults on the senior’s game.
One fan accused Edey of getting preferential treatment due to the fact that he could have built a house with the time he was inside the paint:
Watch this, Edey is in the point for about 9 seconds, pushes Aidoo, and then gets a weak foul call on Aidoo. If y’all can’t see by now that refs need to be investigated and/or completely re structured by now, idk what to tell you#MarchMadness #elite8 #tennessee #purdue pic.twitter.com/7Lsji3fVjt
— Eckzile (@eckzile_) March 31, 2024
Another fan called out on the favorable calls Edey was getting from the officials:
Getting reports that Zac Edey has been whistled for a foul against Tennessee. We expect a full NCAA investigation into this unprecedented development. pic.twitter.com/RF3AZ6ll7Y
— Kevin Scarbinsky (@KevinScarbinsky) March 31, 2024
One called out on the lack of whistles blown on this obvious no-call:
ZaCh eDEY wItH zErO fOULs
Elbow to the jaw. No call. Instead….Tennessee is called for a foul.
Just let the guy do whatever he wants I suppose. https://t.co/aRWGWkggjE pic.twitter.com/pW51M5XmVC
— Volstradamus (@ClosetVol) March 31, 2024
Another keeps on harking about the lack of calls his Volunteers are getting while Edey is getting all the love:
Tennessee guards blowing up Purdue’s back court bad and late Edey whistles bailing Purdue out big time
— Mister Hot Balls (Plural) ☄️☄️ (@MisterHotBalls) March 31, 2024
This fan just wore his heart on his sleeves with this post:
So these officials are gonna just let Edey keep hip checking on the high ball screens. People don’t realize how dirty of a play that is #Vols #NCAAMarchMadness
— Scott Williamson (@swilliamson74) March 31, 2024
Did the Purdue Boilermakers play rough against the Tennessee Volunteers?
It’s almost impossible to tell if the refs were actually paid off by the Boilermakers to sell the game to them. It’s unlikely that such things would happen with the crackdown the NCAA is currently having toward fixing game results.
However, what’s clear is that the Volunteers didn’t step up to the plate when Purdue were doing their thing. They can say whatever they want about Zach Edey, but they cannot deny that their own team failed to live up to the challenge.
They will have to be satisfied with the results and hope their team bounces back next year.
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