Saint Peter’s Upsets Purdue, Becomes 1st No. 15 Seed to Advance to Elite Eight | Bleacher Report

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Cinderella is still at the ball, as Saint Peter’s has become the lowest seed in history to reach the Elite Eight after a 67-64 win over Purdue in the 2022 NCAA men’s basketball tournament on Friday. 

The Peacocks became just the 10th No. 15 seed in tournament history to beat a No. 2 seed when they beat Kentucky in the first round last week. They advanced to the second weekend with a victory over Murray State in the second round. 

Purdue becomes the second top-three seed in the East Region that has been stunned by Saint Peter’s. The Boilermakers cruised through the first weekend with wins over Yale and Texas to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. 

The Peacocks had a very balanced attack when they had the ball. Daryl Banks III set the pace with 14 points. Clarence Rupert was the only other starter scored in double-figures (11). 

After Purdue took a 57-55 lead late in the second half, Banks had two crucial buckets on back-to-back possessions to put his team back on top. 

Hassan Drame had a huge offensive rebound with one minute remaining that allowed St. Peter’s to run more time off the clock. Matthew Lee made two huge free throws after being fouled to extend the lead to 63-59 with 41 seconds left to play. 

Jaden Ivey had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but his three-pointer hit off the front of the rim to send St. Peter’s on to the Elite Eight.  

Notable Game Stats

• Daryl Banks III (St. Peter’s): 14 points (6-of-14 FG), 3 rebounds
• Clarence Rupert (St. Peter’s): 11 points (5-of-8 FG), 3 rebounds, 3 steals
• Trevion Williams (Purdue): 16 points (7-of-15 FG), 8 rebounds
• Sasha Stefanovic (Purdue): 11 points (4-of-8 FG), 4 rebounds

What’s Next?

Saint Peter’s will play the North Carolina-UCLA winner in the East Regional final on Sunday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. 

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