Peacocks are still strutting
St. Peter’s squeezes by Purdue to become 1st 15-seed in Elite Eight
Daryl Banks III scored the tying and go-ahead baskets that pushed 15th-seeded St. Peter’s to the brink of the Final Four, the tiny Peacocks thriving off a homecourt edge to beat thirdseeded Purdue 67-64 on Friday night in Philadelphia.
The Peacocks (22-11) became the first 15-seed to reach the Elite Eight, adding the Boilermakers to their NCAA Tournament string of upsets, and will face either UCLA or North Carolina in the East Region final Sunday.
St. Peter’s had the fans inside the packed Wells Fargo Center on its side from the opening tip and the arena went wild when Banks tied the game 57-57 on a turnaround jumper. He hit a driving layup with 2:17 left that made it 59-57.
The Peacocks kept their composure — hey, they’re used to these wins by now after knocking off No. 2-seed Kentucky and Murray State — and held off a Purdue team that gamely tried to bully them inside.
“What (are) they going to say now?” head coach Shaheen Holloway asked about his team’s doubters, a group whose numbers are dwindling.
St. Peter’s fans made the 93-mile ride south to help pack the arena and give the Peacocks more of an edge than they usually have at their bandbox known as Run Baby Run Arena.
Consider, just 434 fans were listed as the total attendance for St. Peter’s home opener this season against LIU.
Kansas 66, Providence 61:
Remy Martin scored a seasonhigh 23 points and the Jayhawks did their part as the only remaining No. 1 seed, holding Providence to 17 first-half points and holding off the Friars to reach the Elite Eight at Chicago’s United Center.
The Jayhawks (31-6) will face either Miami or Iowa State in the Midwest Region final Sunday.
Jalen Wilson added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Jayhawks, who are back in a region final for the first time since 2018, when they reached their 15th Final Four. Head coach Bill Self is seeking his fourth trip to the Final Four since arriving in 2003.
Al Durham scored 21 points for the Friars.
Justice stays at Santa Clara:
Forward Keshawn Justice announced he will return to the Broncos for a fifth season, an opportunity available to him because of the NCAA’s ruling that the 2020-21 season did not count against a player’s eligibility limits because of the pandemic.
Justice averaged 13 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season and also hit 42.3% of his shots from beyond the arc.