PHILADELPHIA — Greetings, everyone, from the Wells Fargo Center here in Philly, where Purdue meets Saint Peter's with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line. Wait, is it a trip if you don't have to actually go anywhere?
Anyway, an interesting game for Purdue against this year's NCAA Tournament darling, as the Peacocks are trying to become the first No. 15 seed to ever make the Elite Eight.
Rarely is being on the wrong side of history a good thing, and that's the sort of infamy the Boilermakers would prefer to avoid today against a Saint Peter's team that has a lot going for it. I think they have a rising star of a coach whose paychecks are gonna double here in a few days, really good, thoughtful and intricate offense and very real toughness defensively.
That said, the second weekend is where Cinderellas go to die, for a lot of reasons, but one of the big ones being the wearing off of whatever lighting one has captured in a bottle, another being the fact you've put it all out there now. There are no surprises. You've shot your shot to get to this point and now Purdue knows your sets and all that.
Saint Peter's has momentum — or at least had momentum; we'll see how sustainable it is following a week of back-patting and NIL negotiations — but as I keep saying, momentum doesn't make Zach Edey any smaller or Jaden Ivey any less talented.
You have to like Purdue here, but you also have to recognize that Saint Peter's earned its place here, but there's a lot of reality to be dealt with for the Peacocks now.
Three more things ...
1. Defensive diligence. Saint Peter's really does run great stuff, especially for the second-most prominent Bergen Catholic High School alumnus in the building tonight, Doug Edert. You'll get dizzy watching the stuff they do with him. Purdue's got to be on top of things, aware, communicative and unflappable when they make plays. Purdue's trending really well defensively and wants that to continue.
2. Toughness. I'll tell you this about New Jersey. We are a tough, stubborn people, but also blissfully unaware. They'll play hard, they'll play physical and they'll probably keep doing it. Purdue will want to match it, especially at center, and especially with Mason Gillis, who could loom large again in this game.
3. Make shots. Oversimplification. Saint Peter's has been a great defensive team this season, but they're not playing the Fairfield Inn and Suites anymore. Purdue's unlike anything they've seen offensively, even Kentucky. They beat Kentucky, though, in part because Kellan Grady couldn't make threes.
Get Sasha Stefanovic going and Purdue optimizes offensively and gets some margin for error to play with.
That's what I've got.
Follow along here or on Twitter at @brianneubert and visit GoldandBlack.com this evening for full coverage.
Deep breaths, folks.
Anyway, an interesting game for Purdue against this year's NCAA Tournament darling, as the Peacocks are trying to become the first No. 15 seed to ever make the Elite Eight.
Rarely is being on the wrong side of history a good thing, and that's the sort of infamy the Boilermakers would prefer to avoid today against a Saint Peter's team that has a lot going for it. I think they have a rising star of a coach whose paychecks are gonna double here in a few days, really good, thoughtful and intricate offense and very real toughness defensively.
That said, the second weekend is where Cinderellas go to die, for a lot of reasons, but one of the big ones being the wearing off of whatever lighting one has captured in a bottle, another being the fact you've put it all out there now. There are no surprises. You've shot your shot to get to this point and now Purdue knows your sets and all that.
Saint Peter's has momentum — or at least had momentum; we'll see how sustainable it is following a week of back-patting and NIL negotiations — but as I keep saying, momentum doesn't make Zach Edey any smaller or Jaden Ivey any less talented.
You have to like Purdue here, but you also have to recognize that Saint Peter's earned its place here, but there's a lot of reality to be dealt with for the Peacocks now.
Three more things ...
1. Defensive diligence. Saint Peter's really does run great stuff, especially for the second-most prominent Bergen Catholic High School alumnus in the building tonight, Doug Edert. You'll get dizzy watching the stuff they do with him. Purdue's got to be on top of things, aware, communicative and unflappable when they make plays. Purdue's trending really well defensively and wants that to continue.
2. Toughness. I'll tell you this about New Jersey. We are a tough, stubborn people, but also blissfully unaware. They'll play hard, they'll play physical and they'll probably keep doing it. Purdue will want to match it, especially at center, and especially with Mason Gillis, who could loom large again in this game.
3. Make shots. Oversimplification. Saint Peter's has been a great defensive team this season, but they're not playing the Fairfield Inn and Suites anymore. Purdue's unlike anything they've seen offensively, even Kentucky. They beat Kentucky, though, in part because Kellan Grady couldn't make threes.
Get Sasha Stefanovic going and Purdue optimizes offensively and gets some margin for error to play with.
That's what I've got.
Follow along here or on Twitter at @brianneubert and visit GoldandBlack.com this evening for full coverage.
Deep breaths, folks.
