Breakdown: Purdue's NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Peter's

PHILADELPHIA — Purdue's season ended Friday night in Philly, on the wrong end of history, as Saint Peter's became the first No. 15 seed to ever reach the Elite Eight, thanks to a 67-64 upset win over the Big Ten's last man standing.

And so ends a Boilermaker season that can be described as unfulfilling, as the team that got Purdue atop the national rankings for the first time ever also fell one game short of a Big Ten title, one game short of a Big Ten Tournament title and exited the NCAA Tournament earlier than hoped.

Jaden Ivey's long three to tie the game at the buzzer missed and Purdue's season concluded.

Our breakdown.

PDF: Purdue-Saint Peter's statistics

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All along this season, there have been these land mines underfoot for Purdue, ready to undo the Boilermakers at any time. They've had to be diligent to sidestep them, and at times they've sustained success.

Other times, bam!

Topping that list: Turnovers.

This talented Purdue team's fatal flaw has always been valuing possessions. This issue demonstrably cost Purdue a Big Ten title, demonstrably cost Purdue a Big Ten Tournament title and just demonstrably ended the Boilermakers' season.

Fifteen turnovers were the difference in this game, same as such issues were the difference in so many of Purdue's Big Ten regular season losses and certainly the Big Ten Tournament title game loss to Iowa.

Jaden Ivey, in what was almost certainly his final game at Purdue, committed six turnovers, and Zach Edey five.

Saint Peter's should be credited for playing excellent defense.

Excellent defense.

The Peacocks stymied Ivey (4-of-12, nine points, six turnovers) and generally handled Purdue's interior game well, aside from a couple of dominant bursts from Trevion Williams (16 points) in his final college game. Edey's 11 points came at the cost of those five turnovers.

Purdue — for virtually the whole season the most efficient offense in college basketball, per KenPom — shot just 43 percent, made just 5-of-21 from three and didn't score for more than five minutes to open the second half. A team that has lived by the three and died by the three perished by it, going 1-for-12 in the second half, the lone make being Ivey's with eight seconds left, the shot that gave Purdue a chance at the end.

"They were physical with us from the jump," guard Eric Hunter said of Purdue's offensive difficulties. "They tried to take stuff away and take us out of our actions and just really be aggressive with us on the perimeter."

But while the Peacocks deserve credit, the turnover matter is an all-too-familiar one for Purdue.

"One of the first things I talked about to our guys today going out (on the floor) was passing and catching," Coach Matt Painter said. "Think about that. 'We've got to do a good job passing and catching.' ... We've got teams in our league that play (defense) like that all the time, so it's not like we've never seen that. Once again, don't take anything away from them. They did it. They did the work. They're the ones that affected us. We've had those turnovers (all year), and it rears its ugly head again."

Once again, it's the possessions column that jumps off the box score following a Purdue loss, allowing Saint Peter's to win despite making less than 39 percent of its shots, and without making a field goal in the final two minutes of a game that was tied with three minutes left.

Purdue shot 79 free throws through its first two NCAA Tournament games, but against Saint Peter's, just 15. The Peacocks drew six more attempts and outscored the Boilermakers at the stripe by a half dozen.

With six minutes to play, Sasha Stefanovic bumped Doug Edert on the catch. He made both bonus free throws. Twenty-five seconds or so later, Ethan Morton committed an off-ball foul, but Purdue got away with it after Edert missed the one-and-one. At 4:02, Stefanovic fouled Edert shooting a three and he made all three. At 1:43, Hassan Drame was fouled on a rebound and made both.

Then, worst of all: After Purdue, down two, got a stop with 42 seconds to play, Drame beat Purdue to the rebound of Daryl Banks' miss and Matthew Lee wound up at the foul line after Mason Gillis fouled him diving for a loose ball.

Fifteen of the final 22 Saint Peter's points came at the foul line.

"They still could have won the game if we don't foul because they've got to be able to make those plays (offensively)," Painter said. "But that's Purdue beating Purdue right there. Those are the things you'd like to have back because you out-rebound somebody, but you turn the ball over too much.

"You take care of that basketball and you don't foul, we're a lot happier at this press conference."

This was probably as close a game start to finish as Purdue has played this season, neither team ever leading by more than six points.

That's what Purdue led by in the final seconds of the first half, before giving up a bucket at the buzzer, then middling badly to open the second half.

Purdue was 0-for-7 from the floor with four turnovers before Painter called a timeout and Ivey scored at 14:13 — five minutes and 47 seconds into the half.

"They beat us like they beat the other two teams," Painter said of prior Saint Peter's upsets of Kentucky and Murray State. "They had a strong will, grimy, tough, into you, and Shaheen Holloway has done an unbelievable job there at Saint Peter's. Hats off to those guys and good luck to those guys."

Sasha Stefanovic broke out of his postseason shooting slump to make three of four threes during the first half, but Purdue's shooting went totally sideways after halftime, sort of the opposite of how the Texas game played out in Milwaukee.

"Those are things you're going to replay in your mind all the time," Stefanovic said. "What if I made a couple more? But it is what it is."

A really disappointing way for Purdue's promising, but ultimately unfulfilling, season to end, but this was no fluke, and this was no Cinderella magic. This was what Purdue's been all season — turnover prone and perilously vulnerable to beating itself.

Things seemed to be setting up well for the Boilermakers, but this team had flaws all season and they came to bear at the worst time.

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