Saint Peter Peacocks stun Purdue

Amid pulling one of the most audacious upsets in NCAA tournament history, the most demonstrative celebration from Saint Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway didn't come in the postgame scrum or the locker room bracket advancement.

It came after a Saint Peter's possession that ultimately defined the Peacocks' historic upset on Friday night. As No. 15 Saint Peter's built toward the crescendo of an axis-shifting 67-64 victory over No. 3 Purdue, they held the Boilermakers to a shot-clock violation early in the second half.

Holloway celebrated with a fist pump so violent that he pirouetted on the sideline, the torque prompted by the adrenaline shot of joy that accompanies a perfect defensive possession. That twirl symbolized just how Saint Peter's authored a Sweet 16 upset that featured no star player or singular moment, but rather the collective will of 10 indomitable players who stared down NCAA tournament history and never blinked.

"That's who we are," Holloway told ESPN late Friday night. "That's what unites us. Not hitting a 3-pointer. That's what gets our team going. Once that happened, we have to get everyone excited about doing that. Then we get another one, and another one."

The Peacocks have been doing just that with NCAA tournament games, winning one after another after another. By outlasting Purdue in front of a frenetic crowd at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday night, they established a new historical standard for underdogs' success in the NCAA tournament. And they did it with a distinct defensive twist.

Saint Peter's became the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, channeling their unflinching coach. Holloway's resting sideline face is a snarl that seemingly demands effort and intensity.

Cinderella Saint Peter's upsets Purdue; North Carolina defeats UCLA; Miami moves on

The Sweet 16 rolled on with double the action on Friday. It was the first day of the women's Sweet 16. Top overall seed South Carolina is advancing to the Elite Eight after beating North Carolina, 69-61. Another No. 1 seed advanced: Stanford is headed to its third straight Elite Eight after a 72-66 win over Maryland .  

On the men's side, the Cinderella story continues for the Saint Peter's Peacocks, becoming the first 15th-seed to ever reach the Elite Eight. The lone remaining No. 1 seed, Kansas, also advanced with a win over Providence. 

Follow along for live updates and analysis from the USA TODAY Sports staff. 

ACC is no good, huh? Miami continues run to give league three Elite Eight teams

CHICAGO — In a battle between two double-digit seeds not expected to be here in the Sweet 16, a veteran-laden Miami (Fla.) team made enough plays down the stretch to put away a relentless Iowa State 70-56 on Friday to reach the Elite Eight in the men’s NCAA Tournament. 

It’s coach Jim Larrañaga’s first advancement past the Sweet 16 with Miami in 11 seasons. The Hurricanes (26-10) are now one win away from getting the seasoned coach back to the Final Four — where he memorably guided mid-major George Mason in 2006. With Miami’s hot shooting, alley-oop dunking and experienced roster thanks to the extra COVID year of eligibility, they’re seriously dangerous and have become the biggest surprise of this March Madness not named the Saint Peter’s Peacocks.

Due to a down year in the ACC regular season, Miami was a bubble team at the start of the month but did enough to comfortably hear its name called on Selection Sunday as a No. 10 seed. Now, with North Carolina upsetting UCLA on Friday and Duke advancing Thursday, the ACC has three teams still standing. 

Against an Iowa State squad that kept counter-punching, the Hurricanes rode the offense prowess of all-ACC guard Kameron McGusty, who had 27 points off four three-pointers. Jordan Miller chipped in 16 points, while Charlie Moore steered the ship with nine assists on the night. 

Creighton Upsets Iowa State in Round of 16

South Carolina, the top overall seed, also won, defeating North Carolina. Texas topped Ohio State in a game that came down to the final seconds. And Stanford had little trouble against Maryland.

Creighton took down a No. 6 seed, Colorado. It defeated second-seeded Iowa. Now it has become the rare No. 10 seed to reach the round of 8.

Creighton delivered its third consecutive upset by beating the No. 4 seed Iowa State, 76-68, on Friday night in the N.C.A.A. women’s tournament. The Bluejays will play South Carolina on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four.

Iowa State left path after path open for Creighton, and the Bluejays’ young, sharp offense moved right in. On defense, Creighton denied inside baskets for Iowa State.

This was already Creighton’s first trip to the round of 16 in program history. Creighton was one of two No. 10 seeds still in the field in the round of 16 after an upset win over second-seeded Iowa in the second round. The other No. 10 seed, South Dakota, plays No. 3 Michigan on Saturday in the Wichita region.

The Cyclones and Bluejays relied heavily on their outside shooters: Combined, the two teams attempted 50 3-pointers.

Creighton pulled away in the third quarter and led by as many as 13 points in the fourth. Guard Morgan Maly led the Bluejays with 21 points.

Ashley Joens, a senior guard for Iowa State who was a second team all-American, sat out much of the first half after committing two fouls. Emily Ryan instead led the Cyclones with 22 points.

The Bluejays let the clock run out and greeted a small but ecstatic group of Creighton fans, sealing their win with a ceremonial spritz of bubbles on the court.

“This team continues to amaze me,” Coach Jim Flanery said. “We’re so proud of how they’ve grown, what kind of fight they have and how they play for each other.”