Sweet 16: Purdue vs. Saint Peter’s 3/25/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Purdue Boilermakers and Saint Peter’s Peacocks clash Friday in an NCAA tournament sweet 16 matchup in college basketball action from the Wells Fargo Center.

The Saint Peter’s Peacocks come into the sweet 16 after their 70-60 win over Murray State in the Second Round. KC Ndefo led the way for the Peacocks with 17 points on 5 of 10 shooting with 10 rebounds and 3 assists for the double-double while Doug Edert added 13 points as the only other double-digit scorer for Saint Peter’s up to this point in the season. Matthew Lee had 9 points with a team-high 4 assists as well in the win for Saint Peter’s.

The Purdue Boilermakers will try to add to their Second Round victory over Texas by a final score of 81-71 last time out. Trevion Williams led the way with 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting with 7 rebounds while Jaden Ivey had 18 points on 4 of 7 shooting with a pair of threes, an 8 of 9 mark from the foul line and 3 assists. Eric Hunter Jr. and Zach Edey each had 11 points to cap off the scoring in double figures for the Boilers in the winning effort with Edey logging a team-high 10 rebounds for the double-double.

Saint Peter’s is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a winning record and 4-0 ATS

I get the case to be made for either side in this one, but although Purdue is rightfully favored, I am not hopping off of the Saint Peter’s train. This just feels like one of those teams of destiny if you will, and while I’m not sure it’s sustainable, I’m not sure I’m ready for it to end. We’ve already seen the Peacocks stifle the likes of Kentucky and Murray State and I think the Peacocks are in a position to hold their own against Purdue. Granted, defending the likes of Zach Edey and Trevion Williams will be a task, but the Peacocks have Ndefo who can battle in the paint and I think this one’s going to be close once again. Give me the Peacocks and the points.