Saint Peter's vs. Purdue: Players to watch, keys, prediction in NCAA tournament

PHILADELPHIA - Breaking down Friday’s East Region Sweet 16 matchup between Saint Peter’s and Purdue at Wells Fargo Center:

Time: 7:09 p.m.

TV: CBS

Radio: WAZY (96.5)

Records: Saint Peter’s 22-11; Purdue 29-7

Rankings: Purdue No. 9 (AP, Coaches)

Betting line: Purdue favored by 12.5 points.

NCAA tournament seeds: Saint Peter’s No. 15; Purdue No. 3

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What’s next: Winner advances to Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup against either North Carolina or UCLA.

Series: Purdue leads 1-0. The Boilermakers defeated the Peacocks in the first round of the 2011 NCAA tournament in Chicago.

Ken Pom offensive efficiency ratings: Purdue No. 2; Saint Peter’s No. 226

Ken Pom defensive efficiency ratings: Purdue No. 89; Saint Peter’s No. 28

Offensive points per possession (last 3 games): Purdue 1.086; Saint Peter’s 1.037

Defensive points per possession (last 3 games): Purdue 0.975; Saint Peter’s 0.930

Saint Peter’s (MAAC/NCAA postseason): KC Ndefo (F, 6-7, Sr., 12.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg); Matthew Lee (G, 6-0, Jr., 8.8 ppg, 2.4 apg); Hassan Drame (F, 6-7, Jr., 6.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg); Clarence Rupert (F, 6-8, Fr., 3.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg); Daryl Banks III (G, 6-3, Jr., 12.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg)

Purdue (Big Ten/NCAA postseason): Mason Gillis (F, 6-6, So., 4.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg); Zach Edey (C, 7-4, So., 13.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg); Eric Hunter Jr. (G, 6-1, Jr., 8.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg); Jaden Ivey (G, 6-4, So., 19.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg); Sasha Stefanovic (G, 6-5, Sr., 4.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg).

5 PLAYERS TO WATCH

Jaden Ivey: With his skill set and talent, pretty sure the Peacocks haven’t faced an NBA lottery pick this season. This will be something different for Saint Peter’s defense, which has been solid down the stretch. Ivey has carved up Big Ten teams and whatever the Peacocks throw at the sophomore won’t be new. As long as Ivey plays under control and doesn’t force the action, this is a hard matchup for Saint Peter’s.

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Zach Edey: Another skilled player the Peacocks haven’t seen this season. Similar to Yale and Texas, it’s hard to prepare for a 7-foot-4, 300-pound man in the middle of the lane. If the Peacocks speed the game up, Edey might not be as effective and the Boilermakers will turn to Trevion Williams, who is another talent Saint Peter’s probably hasn’t seen.

Doug Edert: The reserve guard doesn’t start but certainly impacted the first two NCAA tournament games. So much he signed an NIL deal (Name, Image, Likeness) with Buffalo Wild Wings after last weekend's two wins. He scored 20 against Kentucky, including 8 of 8 at the line, and added 13 against Murray State. Drained a couple of 3-pointers in the first round that pushed the Peacocks over the top against the Wildcats. Averaging 14.2 points during the last five games to provide a big boost off the bench.

Sasha Stefanovic: The Boilermakers need their sharpshooter to find a level of consistency. In five postseason games, starting with the Big Ten tournament, Stefanovic is just 5 of 26 from 3-point range. That’s 19.2%. If Purdue is going to challenge for a Final Four berth this weekend, the senior is a key piece.

Daryl Banks III: Saint Peter’s top player offensively and is averaging 11.5 points for the season but has stepped up his game during the postseason. Scored 27 points against Kentucky, including five 3-pointers, contributing to the upset. Has scored in double figures 19 times with 14 of those performances coming against MAAC opponents.

4 KEYS

Turnovers: Take away the 17 turnovers against Iowa in the Big Ten title game, and the Boilermakers are averaging 10.8 in the conference and NCAA tournaments, a respectable number for this group. The Peacocks don’t force a lot of turnovers, but we’ve seen Purdue self-destruct.

Solving SP’s defense: Regarded as one of the top defensive teams in the country, allowing 62.3 points to rank among the top 25 nationally, the Boilermakers will need to be sharp on the offensive end. Only four opponents have shot 50% or better against the Peacocks, who have held eight of their last nine teams to under 70 points.

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Defense improving: Purdue has made strides on the defensive end and will need to show it in this game. Saint Peter’s scored 85 against Kentucky – granted it was in overtime – and put up 70 against Murray State, two of its better offensive performances of the season.

Taking the Peacocks seriously: For the Boilermakers to advance to the Elite Eight, they can’t overlook this No. 15 seed. Saint Peter’s beat Kentucky. How many Purdue players can say that? As long as the Boilermakers play with a purpose and don’t become lackadaisical, they’ll likely advance.

3 NUMBERS

30: The Boilermakers are seeking their 30th win, which would tie a program record.

64: Made free-throw differential in the last five games for Purdue.

304: Career blocked shots by KC Ndefo, the second-most among Division I players

2 QUESTIONS

► Can the Boilermakers continue their production at the free-throw line?

► How will the Peacocks deal with Edey and Williams?

1 PREDICTION

Certainly, Purdue is a heavy favorite to end Cinderella’s run in the NCAA tournament but can’t bring anything less than its best to the Sweet 16 matchup. Saint Peter’s earned its way to this spot and the Boilermakers won’t be overlooking Peacocks, who will try to make life as difficult as possible. That starts on the defensive end where they’ll try to increase the frustration level similar to what they did against Kentucky and Murray State. As long as Purdue stays patient and leans on its strengths the Elite Eight is next. Purdue 79, Saint Peter’s 62

Mike Carmin covers Purdue sports for the Journal & Courier. Email mcarmin@gannett.com and follow on Twitter and Instagram @carmin_jc

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: March Madness | Saint Peter's vs. Purdue basketball |Players to watch, keys, prediction NCAA tournament