LIVE BLOG: Follow Purdue’s NCAA Tournament game with Saint Peter’s in real time

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Purdue is standing in the way of a big Cinderella story, and it suits them just fine. The Boilermakers have their own goals and concerns, and that goes beyond St. Pierre on Friday as they march past. towards the Final Four,

Friday’s Eastern Regional semifinal will be played at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, home of the NBA 76ers. This is the first NCAA Tournament game the Boilermakers have played in Pennsylvania.

Welcome to our live blog, where we’ll bring you all the game news and views in real time, straight from the press. We will also add opinions and highlights, when available. The most recent articles are at the top.

ENJOY THE GAME!

7:30 p.m. — Saint Peter’s needs three points to have a chance in this game. They get their first game from forward Clarence Rupert, who had been doing ONE all year. He scored his first seven points.

7:25 p.m. — NCAA officiating guru John Adams speaks to tonight’s squad.

7:20 p.m. – Sasha Stefanovic lines up and opens three and nails it to give Purdue a 7-2 lead. That sound you heard was a huge collective sigh of relief from the collective Boilermakers fans. He struggled in the playoffs, so that first one was big.

7:15 p.m. – Purdue is first on the board with a jumper Jaden Ivey on their second possession. Zach Edey got a good touch at the low post on the first possession, but he was deflected from behind by Clarence Rupert.

7:10 p.m. — From Twitter: “Tom, when you say ‘straight from the press, what do you mean?’ Here’s the view.

7:05 p.m. — Purdue wears the white uniform tonight. St. Peter in dark blue.

6:55 p.m. – The officials for tonight are Chris Rastatter, Pat Driscoll, Brent Hampton. Presented without comment.

6:45 p.m. — For those of you watching at home, it’s a beautiful building. Definitely a good atmosphere for an NCAA regional tournament. Saw a lot of Purdue people in town all day.

6:40 p.m. — That’s a rare tune for a No. 15 seed. Saint Peter’s is just the 10th seed of 15 to win a match in the tournament and the third to advance to the second weekend. The other two both lost in that round. We wrote all about 15-seed paths earlier this week, in case you missed it. CLICK HERE

6:30 p.m. – Same starters as usual for Purdue, with Eric Hunter Jr, Jaden Ivey and Sasha Stefanovic at guard, and Mason Gillis and 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey up front.

6:20 p.m. — Purdue is the first game out of the blocks Friday night, and they get the CBS spotlight against Cinderella Saint Peter’s. Here’s all the info on how to watch, with plenty of great pre-game tidbits. CLICK HERE

6:15 p.m. – A nice gesture from Purdue, in honor of Navy Captain Matthew Tomkiewicz of Fort Wayne, who was killed in the line of duty last week.

Purdue Basketball Related Stories

• HOW TO WATCH: Purdue begins action Friday night, the first of four regional semifinal games. Here’s how to watch, with game times and TV info, starting lineups, bios and more. CLICK HERE
• PHOTO GALLERY: The Purdue Boilermakers arrived safely in Philadelphia and spent part of Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center, site of this weekend’s NCAA East Regional tournament. Purdue will play Friday night against the 15th seed, Saint Peter’s, the Cinderella of the tournament. Here is our photo gallery of the practice and their media session. CLICK HERE
• THE PURDUE EXPERIENCE ALSO HELPS BETWEEN GAMES: It’s one thing to have enough playoff experience to get through tense NCAA games, but it’s another to bridge the gap between week one and week two and keep improving. For Purdue seniors, they’ve learned the routine, which should help Friday night against Saint Peter’s. CLICK HERE
• ZACH EDEY GIVES PURDUE A BENEFIT: Second-year center Zach Edey, at 7-foot-4, 295 pounds, gave Purdue one of the most unique offsets in the country. He kept his game simple throughout the season, and his contributions made a big difference as the team climbed to the Sweet 16 against Saint Peter’s. CLICK HERE
• PURDUE HEAVY FAVORITE ON SAINT PETER’S: The biggest favorite in the regional semis is No. 3 seed Purdue, who takes on Cinderella in the big dance, the Peacocks of Saint Peter. Here’s the opening points spread and some amazing data on Saint Peter’s and their best performance in the country by number this season. They are on a real radiator. CLICK HERE
• STORY OF NO. 15 NCAA TOURNAMENT SEEDS: For only the third time in NCAA Tournament history, a No. 15 seed has advanced to the regional semifinals. Saint Peter’s, a small Jesuit school in Jersey City, NJ, knocked out Kentucky Blue Bloods and Murray State, 31 wins, last week and now has a date with Purdue on Friday in Philadelphia. Cinderella stories are cute, but they usually don’t last long. A No. 15 seed never won a game in the second week of the tournament. CLICK HERE
• 4 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SAINT-PIERRE: Here are four news nuggets on Saint Peter’s, Purdue’s opponent Friday night in the regional semifinals of the NCAA East tournament in Philadelphia. CLICK HERE