2022 NCAA Men's Tournament Top Moments: Saint Peter's upsets Purdue
The 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 concluded on Friday with four outstanding games, including a historic upset.
Tipping things off, 15-seed Saint Peter’s had a full-circle moment after taking down No. 3 Purdue in a last-second thriller on National Peacock Day, becoming the first No. 15 seed to make it to the Elite Eight.
The last time the Peacocks were in the NCAA Tournament was 11 years ago, where they lost to Purdue.
Elsewhere, top-seeded Kansas defeated No. 4 Providence and made a little history in the process.
No. 8 North Carolina followed that with an impressive 73-66 win over No. 4 UCLA behind 30 points from Caleb Love. With the victory, North Carolina has now knocked out two 2021 Final Four teams in back-to-back games.
No. 10-seed Miami (FL) closed out the night with a 70-56 victory over No. 11 Iowa State. With the victory, the Hurricanes are headed to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
Saint Peter's, Kansas, UNC and Miami (FL) will join 2-seeds Villanova and Duke, No. 4 Arkansas and No. 5 Houston in the Elite Eight.
Here are the top moments from Friday's Sweet 16 games.
No. 10 Miami 70, No. 11 Iowa State 56
Boom-shaka-laka
Miami jumped out to an early lead, but Iowa State came storming back with plays like this poster slam from George Conditt.
This was TOUGH
Izaiah Brockington closed out the half with a must-see take to the basket, showing off his exceptional strength and athleticism. Can you say … TOUGH!
Taking over
Miami senior Kameron McGusty was not going to let his college career come to an end on Friday night. The Hurricanes' guard began to take over late in the game, including these back-to-back buckets to increase Miami's lead.
Miami would hold on to win and punch its ticket to the Elite Eight. The Hurricanes will face Kansas on Sunday.
No. 8 North Carolina 73, No. 4 UCLA 66
At the buzzer!
Jamie Jaquez backed his defender down, pump fakes and hits the shot to beat the shot clock.
Put it on a poster
North Carolina's Brady Manek threw down a huge putback slam, bringing the Tar Heels within two points.
The steal and the flush
These two teams went back and forth early in the second half. Jaquez took things into his own hands on this play, stripping the ball not once, but twice, and throwing down a breakaway dunk.
All you need is LOVE
Have yourself a game, Caleb Love! The talented guard caught fire in this contest, including this deep 3-pointer to give UNC the lead.
It's raining 3s
Manek has been outstanding throughout this entire NCAA Tournament. He came up huge with this 3-pointer to once again put the Tar Heels on top.
Love is all around
With the game tied late in the second half, Love drained a deep 3-pointer to give UNC the lead. The Tar Heels hung on to win and punch their ticket to the Elite Eight.
No. 15 Saint Peter’s 67, No. 3 Purdue 64
Edey slam
Purdue center Zach Edey slammed it home early for the Boilermakers, as both teams came out hot.
Purdue jumped out to a quick 9-7 lead — Edey with four, Sasha Stefanovic with a triple and Jaden Ivey with a basket.
Battling early
On the other side, all of Saint Peter's first seven points were from forward Clarence Rupert, including this tough 3-pointer:
Letting it fly
Saint Peter's continued to heat up as the game went on, keeping things close.
Purdue led by one point, 15-14, midway through the first half.
Downtown Doug
Saint Peter's guard Doug Edert drained a huge 3-pointer as the Peacocks knotted things up at 17.
Bankin' It
Serious question: Did Daryl Banks just fly?
The Peacocks guard came up with a huge dunk to give Saint Peter's the lead.
Neck-and-neck
Tied up at 27, Purdue was shooting 9 of 9 from the field, with Stefanovic 3 of 4 from deep for nine points.
The Boilermakers ended the half on a 14-6 run, however, the Peacocks had a few tricks up their sleeves:
Anyone's game
Eight turnovers also helped keep Saint Peter's in the game. Purdue held a 33-29 lead at the break.
Lucky seven
The Peacocks went on a 7-0 run early in the second half to regain the lead, 35-33.
Crazy Eights
St. Peter's started the second half on an 8-0 run, but Purdue countered with an 8-0 run of its own to take a 41-37 lead near the midway mark.
Lee for 3
Peacocks guard Matthew Lee tied it back up for Saint Peter's with a huge 3 to keep things competitive.
Peacocks apply pressure
Saint Peter's forward Fousseyni Drame sunk a 3-point jumper to give the Peacocks the edge, 50-49.
Down to the wire
In the end, the Peacocks came out victorious, snagging their 10th consecutive win to advance to the Elite Eight.
No. 1 Kansas 66, No. 4 Providence 61
Big Buckets
It was a battle early between these two squads, and Kansas wasted no time showing why it's a No. 1 seed.
Denied!
Jayhawks guard Remy Martin went on a 7-0 run early in the first half to give Kansas a quick 11-4 lead.
Providence made a play at the basket to try and close the gap, but Mitch Lightfoot wasn't having it.
Swatted!
Friars forward Justin Minaya returned the favor with a denial of his own.
Jayhawks pull ahead
Kansas held a 26-17 lead over Providence at halftime. Martin led all scorers with 13 points.
Providence Punch
The Jayhawks opened the scoring in the second half, but the Friars went on a 6-0 run to cut Kansas' lead to 36-29.
Escape Hatch
Friars forward Ed Croswell went on a 7-0 run in the second half to keep Providence in it.
Raining 3s
Meanwhile, Noah Horchler drained back-to-back 3s to make it a one-point game at the midway mark.
No quit
Martin continued to be the star of Kansas' show as the minutes ticked down.
Agbaji slams it home
Jayhawks guard Ochai Agbaji caught some serious air on his way to the basket, as Kansas started to pull away late in the frame and seal the deal to advance.