  We investigate a particle system which is a discrete and deterministic
approximation of the one-dimensional Keller-Segel equation with a logarithmic
potential. The particle system is derived from the gradient flow of the
homogeneous free energy written in Lagrangian coordinates. We focus on the
description of the blow-up of the particle system, namely: the number of
particles involved in the first aggregate, and the limiting profile of the
rescaled system. We exhibit basins of stability for which the number of
particles is critical, and we prove a weak rigidity result concerning the
rescaled dynamics. This work is complemented with a detailed analysis of the
case where only three particles interact.
