UNDATED (AP) – Saint Peter’s has made history in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Peacocks are the first No. 15 team ever to advance to the regional finals following their 67-64 win over Purdue. Daryl Banks III scored the tying and go-ahead baskets over the final three minutes, helping Saint Peter’s to continue what is now an unprecedented run. Banks led the Peacocks with 14 points, Clarence Rupert scored 11 and Doug Edert had 10. Jaden Ivey buried an NBA-distance 3 with 8 seconds left that pulled Purdue within 65-64 and momentarily stifled the crowd. But Edert then swished two free throws to seal the win. Trevion Williams had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Boilermakers.
Kansas remains the lone No. 1 seed remaining in a tournament of wild upsets. Remy Martin came off the bench to score a season-high 23 points for the Jayhawks in a 66-61 victory over Providence. The Jayhawks allowed the Friars to shoot just 20% in the first half while holding them to 17 points. Jalen Wilson added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Jayhawks, who are back in a regional final for the first time since reaching their 15th Final Four in 2018.
North Carolina and Miami also reached the Elite Eight. North Carolina moved within a victory of its 21st Final Four as Caleb Love hit game-tying and go-ahead 3-pointers 37 seconds apart to send the Tar Heels past the UCLA Bruins, 73-66. The sophomore finished with a career-high 30 points, including six 3s and two game-clinching free throws with 7.8 seconds left. Love scored 27 of Carolina’s 45 points in the second half, including one stretch of 10 straight.
The Bruins fell two wins short of their 20th Final Four appearance, getting 16 points from Jules Bernard and 15 from Tyger Campbell. Kameron McGusty scored 27 points and Miami advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time by stifling Iowa State, 70-56. Jordan Miller added 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting as No. 10 seed Miami more than held its own in a matchup of two of the tourney’s most suffocating defenses. The 11th-seeded Cyclones shot 32% from the field in the second half and finished with 18 turnovers. Coach Jim Larranaga is one victory away from taking a second team to the Final Four, 16 years after doing it with George Mason. (Photo: AP)