2022 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers vs. No. 15 St. Peter’s Peacocks
How to Watch:
- Date: Friday, March 25
- Time: 7:09 p.m. ET
- Location: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA
- TV: CBS
- Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 3 PUR | STAT | No. 15 SPC |
| Big Ten | Conference | MAAC |
| 29-7 | Record | 21-11 |
| 79.8 (15th) | Points Per Game | 66.9 (332nd) |
| 68.8 | Points Allowed Per Game | 61.8 |
| 0.6249 (12th) | RPI | 0.5471 (85th) |
| 30th | Strength of Schedule | 212th |
| At-Large Bid | Bid | Automatic Bid |
Can’t Miss Offer From Caesars
Purdue leaders:
- Jaden Ivey, G, SO: 17.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.2 APG, 46.2% FG
- Zach Edey, C, SO: 14.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 65.5% FG
St. Peter’s leaders:
- Daryl Banks III, G, JR: 11.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG
- KC Ndefo, F, SR: 10.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 2.7 BPG
Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
- PUR Moneyline: -1000
- SPC Moneyline: +650
- Spread: PUR -12.5
- Over/Under: 135
- ATS Record: PUR 14-20-2, SPC 21-9-1
- Over/Under Record: PUR 20-16, SPC 12-19
Odds courtesy of Draftkings. For the latest odds, click here.
The Pick:
- Before the first round, I pointed out that the Peacocks were the best team in the tournament against the spread during the regular season. I then proceeded to say, “I guess that’s something, but I’m not entirely sure that means it will carry over into the Big Dance.” Whoops.
- St. Peter’s has made it this far thanks to their defense, which is ranked 28th in the nation by KenPom’s metrics. In fact, as many have pointed out, it’s their interior defense in particular: opponents are shooting just 35.8% in the paint against the Peacocks despite the team being the 295th-tallest team in the nation, according to KenPom. Something has to give, right?
- The Boilermakers, with 7’4″ Zach Edey and 6’10” Trevion Williams might just be the team to break the spell. Williams had 22 and seven versus Texas, while Edey is one rebound away from having a double-double in both games.
- The Boilermakers have also shot 75.9% from the free-throw line this tournament, which means the Peacocks will need to stop the big men from scoring and also keep them off of the line, which is a tall order (pun intended).
- Ndefo was a revelation for the Peacocks with 17 points, ten rebounds, and six blocks in the win over Murray State, while Banks had 27 points on 5-8 from three against Kentucky, so this team can rely on a few players to get buckets if need be.
- This will be a very slow game, though, since the Boilermakers rank 236th in pace and the Peacocks rank 240th.
