Vols defeat Saint Peter’s to open NCAA Tournament

Tennessee defeats Saint Peter’s to open NCAA Tournament.

No.  2 seed Tennessee (25-8, 14-4 SEC) defeated  No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s (19-14, 12-8 MAAC), 83-49, in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Vols led, 46-20, at halftime and never trailed in the contest.

The win ended Tennessee’s two-game losing streak. It was also Rick Barnes’ 200th victory as the Vols’ head coach.

Tennessee, one of eight SEC teams to make the NCAA Tournament, was the only team to win on Thursday. South Carolina, Mississippi State and Kentucky all lost.

Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M and Alabama will all play on Friday.

Dalton Knecht led the Vols with 23 points against Saint Peter’s. He also totaled eight rebounds and one assist, while Jonas Aidoo recorded 15 points, six rebounds, three blocks and one assist.

Zakai Zeigler recorded 11 points and 10 assists for Tennessee.

Latrell Reid led the Peacocks with 17 points.

Tennessee will next play Saturday against Texas in the second-round.

PHOTOS: Tennessee defeats Saint Peter’s in NCAA Tournament

PHOTOS: Tennessee basketball defeats Saint Peter’s in NCAA Tournament

No. 2 seed Tennessee (25-8, 14-4 SEC) defeated No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s (19-14, 12-8 MAAC), 83-49, on Thursday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The contest was in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee advances to play in the second-round against Texas. The Longhorns defeated Colorado State, 56-44, on Thursday in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee led Saint Peter’s, 46-20, at halftime.

Dalton Knecht led all scorers with 23 points. He also totaled eight rebounds and one assist. Jonas Aidoo scored 15 points for the Vols.

Below are photos of Tennessee’s win against Saint Peter’s in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament.

Tipoff time details for Tennessee-Saint Peter’s in NCAA Tournament

Tipoff time details for the Tennessee-Saint Peter’s game in the NCAA Tournament.

No. 2 seed Tennessee (24-8, 14-4 SEC) will open NCAA Tournament play on Thursday.

The Vols will play No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s (19-13, 12-8 MAAC) at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Tipoff between Tennessee and the Peacocks is slated for 9:20 p.m. EDT and will be televised by TNT.

Tennessee won the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship outright and lost in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals to Mississippi State.

The Vols had SEC regular-season home games against Alabama (W, 91-71), Auburn (W, 92-84), Florida (W, 85-66), Kentucky (L, 85-81), LSU (W, 88-68), Ole Miss (W, 90-64), South Carolina (L, 63-59), Texas A&M (W, 86-51) and Vanderbilt (W, 88-53).

Tennessee’s regular-season road schedule in SEC play consisted of games at Alabama (W, 81-74), Arkansas (W, 92-63), Georgia (W, 85-79), Kentucky (W, 103-92), Mississippi State (L, 77-72), Missouri (W, 72-67), South Carolina (W, 66-59), Texas A&M (L, 85-69) and Vanderbilt (W, 75-62).

Opinion: The beauty of March Madness is defined by underdogs

What is it about March Madness that gets fans hooked?

Every year in March, millions of fans are glued to their televisions and find themselves rooting for teams they have never heard of. Rooting for those teams as if they had followed them their whole lives.

This year, there were 20,056,273 brackets made on ESPN despite a 1-in-120 billion chance of a perfect bracket. What is it about March Madness that gets fans hooked?

The truth is that we all love an underdog story. People pull for Cinderella every tournament as they hope and pray the clock doesn’t strike midnight for those schools. Let me throw some teams at you: [autotag]Lehigh[/autotag], [autotag]Saint Peter’s[/autotag], [autotag]Oral Roberts[/autotag], [autotag]Florida Gulf Coast[/autotag], [autotag]UMBC[/autotag], and this year [autotag]Princeton[/autotag] and [autotag]Fairleigh Dickinson[/autotag].

These teams are a combined 15-15 in the NCAA Tournament since 2010. That doesn’t sound bad, but since 2010, there have been 868 tournament games in total. These seven teams make up only 0.03% of games in that time. The closest any of these teams have gotten to a national championship was Saint Peter’s, who went all the way to the Elite Eight last year. Princeton has a chance to tie that feat if it can beat Creighton this week.

What is it about the March Madness format that makes it so special? Why doesn’t that format work in other sports? I think it’s because the games are one-offs. The format doesn’t work in baseball and softball because the underdogs have to win a three-game series. It doesn’t work in football because there is too much parity.

This would be like lining Akron up against Georgia in college football. It wouldn’t work even in a one-off. It would be a cupcake game. They would lose by at least 28.

The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. The “one shining moment” that endures the test of time. You may not know who these teams are when they enter the tournament, but you’ll never forget their magical run in March.

That is the beauty of March Madness.

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Saint Peter’s shared a final huddle after the remarkable tourney run came to an end

What a ride.

The Saint Peter’s Peacocks made men’s NCAA tournament history, capturing the attention of the college hoops world as they became the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight.

But that run would come to an end on Sunday with North Carolina’s 69-49 win to set up a Final Four meeting with rival Duke.

Throughout the entire tournament, though, the tremendous chemistry amongst the Saint Peter’s team and head coach Shaheen Holloway was undeniable. But that team mentality didn’t go away in defeat.

Right as the game went final, the Saint Peter’s team shared a final huddle with Holloway. It was a great moment where he let the players reflect on what they had accomplished — wins over Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue.

Sports fans also had plenty of respect for the Peacocks’ historic run.

Paolo Banchero wisely declines to say if he’d rather play UNC or Saint Peter’s in the Final Four after Duke advances

Banchero wasn’t going to walk into this trap. Not again.

Paolo Banchero has already shown so much growth this March.

The likely NBA lottery pick has been on fire in the NCAA tournament, averaging 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds through four games and leading his Duke Blue Devils back to the Final Four in Coach K’s last season.

He’s also showing growth in his media savviness, too.

In the moments after Duke (-4.5) defeated Arkansas, 78-69, in the Elite Eight, Banchero was asked on the broadcast if he’d rather play Saint Peter’s or bitter rival North Carolina when the Final Four kicks off next Saturday in New Orleans.

Banchero took a breath, collected his thoughts and thoroughly called out the trap he was walking into before punting on the question.

Faced with a similar question during the ACC Tournament on March 11, Banchero called out UNC, saying he hoped Duke would get to face the Tar Heels again.

That didn’t end up happening and the Blue Devils would go onto lose to Virginia Tech in the conference tournament final. This time around he’s just enjoying the moment—and avoiding giving his next opponents any additional motivation.

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North Carolina vs Saint Peter’s Prediction, Game Preview: NCAA Tournament Elite 8

North Carolina vs Saint Peter’s prediction, NCAA Tournament Elite 8 game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Sunday

North Carolina vs Saint Peter’s prediction: NCAA Tournament Elite 8 pick and college basketball game preview.


North Carolina vs Saint Peter’s Game Preview, How To Watch

Date: Sunday, March 27
Game Time: 5:05 pm
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
How To Watch: CBS
Records: North Carolina (8 seed, 27-9)
Saint Peter’s (15 seed, 22-11)
Region: East

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NCAA Tournament Schedule, Predictions, Game Previews

North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Saint Peter’s Peacocks: March Madness Elite Eight live stream, TV channel, start time, odds

Watch as the No. 8 seed North Carolina Tar Heels (27-9) and No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks (22-11) will face off for a spot in the NCAA Tournament Final Four on Sunday at Wells Fargo Center, starting at 5:05 PM on CBS. North Carolina defeated …

Watch as the No. 8 seed North Carolina Tar Heels (27-9) and No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks (22-11) will face off for a spot in the NCAA Tournament Final Four on Sunday at Wells Fargo Center, starting at 5:05 PM on CBS.

North Carolina defeated UCLA 73-66 on the road in its most recent game. Its top performers were Caleb Love (30 PTS, 45.8 FG%, 6-13 from 3PT) and Armando Bacot (14 PTS, 15 REB, 60 FG%).

Saint Peter’s won on the road over Purdue, 67-64, in its most recent game. Its top performers were Daryl Banks III (14 PTS, 42.9 FG%) and Clarence Rupert (11 PTS, 3 STL, 2 BLK, 62.5 FG%).

Here’s everything you need to prepare for Sunday’s college hoops action.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Saint Peter’s Peacocks

  • Game Day: Sunday, March 27, 2022
  • Game Time: 5:05 PM ET
  • Live Stream: Hulu (Watch March Madness on Hulu!)

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Saint Peter’s guard Doug Edert explained in a hilarious interview why he’s never eaten a sandwich

Doug Edert might be the pickiest eater of all time.

Saint Peter’s made history with their 67-64 win over Purdue on Friday night as they became the first No. 15 seed in NCAA tournament history to make it to the Elite Eight.

It’s been a wild week for the Peacocks, who have become the Cinderella team that we’ve all fallen in love with. They’ve beaten Kentucky, Murray State, and now Purdue and will play the winner of tonight’s UNC-UCLA game on Sunday with a spot in the Final Four up for grabs.

Wild!

I didn’t know anything about this team just a few days ago and now I know that junior guard Doug Edert might be one of the pickiest eaters of all time. For real. Check out this hilarious video in which he explains to Jeremy Schapp why he has never eaten a sandwich in his life:

Not one sandwich in his life!?

He turned down a chicken parm after a bite!?

How does one live like that!?

Twitter had reactions:

Saint Peter’s made NCAA history with another stunning upset and hoops fans were in awe

Saint Peter’s did it again!

Saint Peter’s has become the underdog that everybody has come to love in the past week of the NCAA tournament and that love will only continue to grow after what the Peacocks did Friday night in Philadelphia – they upset No. 3 Purdue to become the first No. 15 seed in history to advance to the Elite Eight.

Wow.

Saint Peter’s took a four-point lead in the final minute of a back-and-forth game against the Boilermakers and were able to hold on for the 67-64 victory.

They will play the winner of tonight’s North Carolina-UCLA game on Sunday.

It’s been a wild week for the small school, which you can get to know right here.

Here’s the final seconds of the game:

This postgame interview was awesome:

Fans had reactions: