The No. 15 Saint Peter’s Peacocks (21-11) meet the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers (29-7) Friday in the Sweet 16 of the East Region. Tip from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia is set for 7:09 p.m. ET (CBS). Below, we look at the Saint Peter’s vs. Purdue odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The Cinderella story of March Madness is still alive with the Peacocks trying to continue their run. Saint Peter’s took down No. 2 Kentucky in overtime and then No. 7 Murray State to get here.
It won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and finished the season 21-9-1 against the spread (ATS) and it has covered its two tournament games as underdogs in each. Saint Peter’s is 10-3 ATS as an underdog.
Purdue, which was given an at-large bid after losing to Iowa in the Big Ten Championship, has defeated No. 14 Yale and then No. 6 Texas, covering spreads of 16.5 and 3 points. The Boilermakers are 15-19-2 ATS on the season and will enter this matchup as heavy favorites.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Saint Peter’s vs. Purdue odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:32 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Saint Peter’s +600 (bet $100 to win $600) | Purdue -1000 (bet $1,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Saint Peter’s +12.5 (-107) | Purdue -12.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 134.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
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Saint Peter’s vs. Purdue odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Purdue 73, Saint Peter’s 59
Money line
PASS.
A -1000 money line in March is a hard pass. However, the size Purdue has should be too much for a significantly smaller Saint Peter’s team, so I also will not predict the Cinderella run to continue at +600.
Against the spread
LEAN to PURDUE -12.5 (-115).
The Boilermakers have the quintessential combination of the two teams that Saint Peter’s has faced. Murray State had pace and guard play while Kentucky had National POY candidate C Oscar Tshiebwe.
Purdue’s 7-foot-4 C Zach Edey and G Jayden Ivey are like nothing the Peacocks have faced this season, and F 6-foot-10 Trevion Williams has actually played an underrated yet vital role.
Purdue is a Big Ten-best 9-4 ATS in non-conference games, where Saint Peter’s is just 4-4 ATS. Basically, Purdue has been dominant when expected to be.
The combination of size, playmaking, and scoring should send Cinderella home and with the confidence Purdue has, having won both tournament games by double figures, it should be a relatively easy win.
Over/Under
LEAN to the UNDER 134.5 (-115).
This is my favorite bet in the game, and while I expect Purdue to win by a good margin, when factoring points in a game, tempo and pace are extremely important factors. Neither team pushes the pace.
Purdue ranks 236th in adjusted tempo. Saint Peter’s is in that ballpark as well, sitting 240th.
The under also plays to the Peacocks’ strength. Their defense ranks 29th in the nation per Kenpom’s adjusted defensive rating. Its offensive ranks 224th.
Lastly, the Peacocks face a major size disadvantage. Already 13-18 O/U this season, Saint Peter’s ranks 311th in 3-point field goals per game.
That weakness is going to be exposed, and it may struggle to score against a massive Purdue team.
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