The first 15-seed to ever advance to the Elite Eight in NCAA tournament history was Saint Peter's. (0:41)
The most significant celebration from Saint Peter's coach was not in the locker room or the postgame scrum.
The Peacocks' historic upset on Friday night was defined by Saint Peter's possession. The Boilermakers were held to a shot-clock violation early in the second half as Saint Peter's built toward a 67-64 victory.
He pirouetted on the sideline when he celebrated with a fist pump that was so violent that he could barely walk. The collective will of 10 players who stared down NCAA tournament history and never blinked is what led to Saint Peter's authoring a Sweet 16 upset that featured no star player or singular moment.
That's who we are, and that's what makes us special. Not hitting a shot. That is what gets our team going. We have to get everyone excited about it. We get another one and another.
The Peacocks have won every game they have played in the NCAA tournament. They established a new historical standard for success in the NCAA tournament when they defeated Purdue in front of a frenetic crowd at Wells Fargo Arena. They did it with a defensive twist.
The first No. 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament was Saint Peter's. The resting sideline face of Holloway is a snarl that demands effort and intensity.
The improbability of Saint Peter's victory in historical context is that no team ranked 13 or 14 and only two of them advanced to the Elite Eight.
Saint Peter's was a double-digit favorite against Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament, making them the only team to win two games as double-digit favorites. They were 8-point favorites against Murray State.
Over the course of eight decades, hundreds of teams and thousands of NCAA tournament games, Saint Peter's run has reset the standard for upset runs.
Peacocks guard Doug Edert scored seven of his 10 points from the free throw line and said that they were making history.
The next possible historical marker is Sunday against North Carolina, which beat UCLA on Friday. The Peacocks will not be intimidated by the latest gaudy logo in the tournament.
The Boilermakers players were in a state of shock after the loss. As the final staff members of Saint Peter walked onto the team bus in the cold Philadelphia night, the center of the Boilermaker team was alone in the parking lot.
This was the fourth Sweet 16 for the program in five years, and it marked the last Final Four for the program. It marked another missed opportunity. The reactions of the Boilermakers players after the game came through.
The Boilermakers missed their first 10 3-pointers in the second half, turned the ball over 15 times and went nearly five minutes without scoring a field goal.
The senior center of Purdue said he was still in shock.
"My mind is blank right now, like, like, I don't know what to say," said the senior.
Matt Painter said that it eats at him.
These guys won 29 games and then you feel terrible.
Saint Peter's had three players in double figures, led by Banks with 14 points. The Peacocks went 10 deep, with forward Clarence Rupert scoring both 11 points and absorbing post body blows from the 7-foot-4 Edey and the 255-pound Williams.
The turning point came when the Peacocks switched to a 2-3 zone. Edert drew a foul off a double screen and converted three free throws to pull Saint Peter's within one.
On the next possession, the zone seemed to flummox the Boilermakers, but they still managed a Williams free throw. The Boilermakers offense fell apart. They didn't have a field goal until the 25-second mark, and that came on a putback by Mason Gillis.
Along the way, there was a defensive possession that ended with a feeble 3-point attempt by Jaden Ivey as the shot clock expired. Ivey was just 4-for-12 for nine points.
Saint Peter's was able to race ahead because of the adjustment thatHolloway made. In the second half, Saint Peter's went 17-for-18 from the free throw line.
Saint Peter's athletic director Rachelle Paul said that a No. 15 seed that wins a game would get rattled.
Paul pointed out that Saint Peter's has become America's team almost overnight, and it doesn't appear that it wants to give up that spot.
The attention and credit to his players has been ignored by him, as he declined to make an opening statement in the news conference after the game. In the second round of the NCAA tournament, as a member of the Seton Hall team, he suffered an ankle injury and was unable to play in the Sweet 16 game.
After being asked about the rebound of his tournament opportunity 22 years later, he paused for a second and replied to his players.
A bunch of kids that no one really wanted and thought they couldn't play. This is amazing. I am happy for them.
On Sunday, there is a chance to make history.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
