A wild start to March Madness continued in Indianapolis as No. 2 seed Kentucky got upset in shocking fashion by No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s.
The upsets have been coming fast and furious in March Madness but the biggest shocker of the day just happened in Indianapolis. Kentucky, the No. 2 seed in the East Region and a trendy pick to win the national championship, is out of the NCAA Tournament after falling to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s 85-79 in overtime.
Smothering defense made the difference for the Peacocks, who allowed Oscar Tshiebwe to go for 30 points but held the rest of the Wildcats to a combined 49 points. Kentucky’s guards were a disaster as TyTy Washington (2-of-10 from the floor), Kellan Grady (1-of-9) and Davion Mintz (3-of-7) combined for 23 points.
Saint Peter’s was also extremely efficient on the offensive end as guards Daryl Banks III and Doug Edert combined for 47 points on 14-of-26 shooting, including a combined seven three-pointers. The win from the Peacocks was the first by a MAAC school since 2004 and blew up brackets across the country. It also marked the second consecutive year that a 15-seed knocked off a 2 after Ohio State fell to Oral Roberts last year.
College basketball media reacts to Kentucky’s loss to Saint Peter’s
What a win for St. Peter's and Shaheen Holloway. Few guys are as universally respected in NYC/NJ as him. That's the biggest win for a local team in I don't know how long. Incredible.
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) March 18, 2022
Feel bad for Big Blue Nation. One of the great fan bases in all of sports. UK's guards were pretty bad the last few weeks. Wheeler had six turnovers, TyTy shot 2 for 10, Grady was 1 for 7 from 3. Can't win in March with that.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 18, 2022
Calipari after Kentucky got upset by Saint Peters pic.twitter.com/dG7fAKQH6J
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) March 18, 2022
We all thought the MAAC auto bid would be a dangerous upset threat.
— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) March 18, 2022
We just thought that would be Iona, not Saint Peter’s 😂
Saint Peter’s is the toughest job in the MAAC. The Peacocks just pulled one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tourney history by beating Kentucky in OT.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 18, 2022
Give Shaheen Holloway whatever the hell job he wants after this run.
OKKKKKK! pic.twitter.com/eZS24PdtMn
— Saint Peter’s Athletics (@SPUAthletics) March 18, 2022
March Madness bracket update for Saint Peter’s
The Peacocks have now earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament win and will face the winner of the 7-10 matchup between Murray State and San Francisco in the Round of 32 on Saturday. The Kentucky loss is a boon for the Racers, who are one of the nation’s most dangerous teams and now have a much more manageable path to the Sweet 16 if they can hold off the Dons.
The sky is also the limit for Saint Peter’s, which can now dream of following in the footsteps of Oral Roberts and becoming the second straight 15-seed to advance to the Sweet 16.
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