Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter reveals keys to beating NC ...

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Purdue basketball players discuss team culture leading Final Four run

Purdue’s culture is a big part of its success. Hear what players say about it.

Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter has revealed the secret to winning its Final Four game against North Carolina State.

OK, so it may not be that much of a secret, but here's what he told Andy Katz coming into Saturday night's matchup.

"Don't turn the basketball over," Painter said. "They've done a great job of not turning the ball over themselves."

Purdue has committed 9 turnovers in two of their NCAA Tournament games, and 10 in the other two (a 9.5 average). NC State committed just 5 in its Elite 8 win over Duke, and has averaged 8.3 in four games.

"(D.J.) Horne and (D.J.) Burns lead that charge," Painter said. "Their roles are very defined, so I've told my team, 'You're not playing a team that's 26-14. You're playing a team that's 9-0.'"

Scouting report: Purdue basketball vs NC State key matchups in Final Four

The Wolfpack won on five straight days in the ACC Tournament to earn an NCAA Tournament berth, and they beat Texas A&M, Oakland, Marquette and Duke in March Madness. Horne has averaged 17 points in the NCAA Tournament, including 10-of-27 (37%) 3-point shooting. Burns has an 18.3-point scoring average in March Madness, including games of 29 and 24 points.

"It's going to be important for us to dominate the glass, and also take care of the ball. That's easier said than done."

The Boilermakers are +19 in rebounding per game in the tournament. N.C. State is +4.3.

Matt Painter on Zach Edey's improvement

The coach reveals the keys to his senior center and two-time national player of the year.

"This is his seventh year of organized basketball," Painter said, adding that his seventh year of organized basketball came at age 12. "He's improving his body. He's improving his game. He's improving his knowledge. We got better around him, and that makes him better, too. It increases the value of each other, and that's what a good team is."

How Purdue changed from last season to this year

"We added some athleticism," Painter said. "We added some quickness. We added some skill. I changed my rotation to a more offensive (thrust). I just think Zach's value and Braden Smith's value, brings us more value, it lets us run more stuff. ... It gives us more spacing. If they want to overhelp, it gives the threat of us knocking down those 3s."

The Boilermakers have hit 40.6% of their 3-pointers this season, the No. 2 percentage in the nation.