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A March Madness miracle took place on Thursday evening in Indianapolis. Despite entering the evening as 18-point underdogs, the 15-seed in the East Region, the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, took down the 2-seed Kentucky Wildcats, 85-79, in an overtime thriller. The win marked the first time in school history that Saint Peter’s was able to punch its ticket to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The champions of the MAAC managed to keep things close all night, as they never seemed to be afraid of the blue blood from Lexington. The two teams went back-and-forth all evening, and with less than 90 seconds remaining, Doug Edert was able to get free and pull up from deep, giving the Peacocks a one-point lead. But Kentucky came down the floor and turned to Kellen Grady, who missed, got a second chance off of an Oscar Tshiebwe offensive rebound, and did not let it slip.
DOUG EDERT PUTS SAINT PETER’S BACK ON TOP
#MarchMadness | @PeacocksMBB pic.twitter.com/BmCSdiOJY3
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022
KELLAN GRADY 3 pic.twitter.com/0RGFjQoolw
— Alex
(@dbs408) March 18, 2022
St. Peter’s, down by one, did not lose its collective cool. The team ran its offense and got the ball into the hands of Edert, who threw up a floater that stayed in the air for about an hour and a half before the ball decided to go in.
OVERTIME.
Kentucky and Saint Peter’s is
pic.twitter.com/pAwb21AiKH
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 18, 2022
One Kentucky possession later and we got some free basketball, as the Wildcats were unable to get a particularly good look.
(15) SAINT PETER’S IS TAKING (2) KENTUCKY TO OVERTIME
#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/RpOVDa2EsT
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2022
Any time Kentucky looked like it was starting to get a little bit of breathing room, Saint Peter’s would compose itself and respond with a haymaker. A pair of free throws gave them a lead with 100 seconds remaining, at which point they were the beneficiaries of a turnover, went down the floor, and got a layup from Hassan Drame.
SAINT PETER’S BY 3 IN OT
Kentucky on the ropes to the 15-seed Peacocks
pic.twitter.com/i1ks1F1CPe
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 18, 2022
Kentucky was unable to score on the ensuing possession, but it looked like they caught a break, as the ball appeared to go out of bounds off of a Peacock. A review indicated that it actually touched off of the Wildcat, and after a pair of free throws TyTy Washington cracked the door open by canning a three.
KENTUCKY NOT DONE YET. pic.twitter.com/itzI29EV4C
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 18, 2022
Matthew Lee got fouled and nailed both free throws to make the Peacock lead four, Grady missed a three, Edert hauled in the rebound, and after some more free throws, the outcome became inevitable.
THE PEACOCKS HAVE DONE IT
15-SEED SAINT PETER’S TAKES DOWN 2-SEED KENTUCKY pic.twitter.com/tqS07tJD4O
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 18, 2022
With the win, Saint Peter’s became the second 15-seed in as many years to win a game in the first round after Oral Robert knocked off Ohio State in 2021. Daryl Banks III led the way with 27 points, while Edert pitched in with 20 off the bench.
Now, the Peacocks will wait to see if they will take on Murray State or San Francisco in the second round on Saturday.
