By Brenda June Temple
CHARLOTTE, NC. – The Saint Peter’s Men’s Basketball team returns to the “Big Dance” Thursday night at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The No. 15-seeded Peacocks square off against No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers in round one of the 2024 NCAA March Madness Tournament. The game is scheduled for a 9:20 PM tip-off and will be on TNT.
Bashir Mason
In his second year at the helm, Saint Peter’s Head Coach Bashir Mason led the Peacocks to their second NCAA Tournament berth in the last three years. Before the season, Mason and the coaching staff overturned the roster and brought in eight new players. On Tuesday, Mason was named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award, presented annually to the top minority head coach in Division I college basketball.
Defensive Culture
Saint Peter’s is ranked 12th in the nation in scoring defense. The Peacocks have held opponents to 63.4 points per game this season. In the 2024 MAAC Tournament, SPU’s opponents scored an average of 57 points per game.
Corey Washington
The SPU sophomore had a breakout season for the Peacocks. Washington led the team in scoring and rebounding with 16.5 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. The 6-6 forward scored 20+ points in 10 games and tallied four double-doubles. Washington was named to the All-MAAC First Team. The last Saint Peter’s Men’s Basketball player to make the All-MAAC First Team was KC Ndefo for the 2021-22 season.
Latrell Reid
Reid was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. The SPU senior averaged 11.4 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game (third in the MAAC) in the regular season and anchored SPU’s defense. Reid started every game for the Peacocks this season and tallied two double-doubles. This award marks the fourth year out of the last five that a Saint Peter’s student-athlete has been named MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Ndefo won the award three consecutive times (2020-2022).
2024 MAAC Tournament Champions
The Peacocks went through a gauntlet of competition in Atlantic City. No. 5 seed Saint Peter’s defeated No. 4 Rider 50-48 on Thursday, Mar. 14, in the MAAC Quarterfinals. Michael Houge scored a season-high 20 points and eight boards during the MAAC Quarterfinals. On Friday, Mar. 15, the Peacocks pulled out a thrilling 62-60 buzzer-beater victory over No. 1 Quinnipiac. Mouhamed Sow tallied 15 points, six rebounds, and four blocks in the MAAC Semifinals. Washington caught fire in the MAAC Tournament Championship and scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half. Saint Peter’s held their opponents to an average of 57 points per game in the 2024 MAAC Championship Tournament. Sow and Houge were named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team, and Washington earned All-MAAC Tournament MVP honors.
Looking Ahead to Tennessee
No. 2 Tennessee boasts a high-powered offense that averages 79.5 points per game. The Volunteers’ Dalton Knecht headlines Tennessee. The fifth-year guard averaged 21.1 points per game and made the AP All-American Team. Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler is the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Zeigler is the half-brother of SPU freshman Armoni Zeigler. The Vols are currently ranked sixth in the AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll, which was released on Mar. 18.
March Madness History
We all remember the famous 2022 run when the Peacocks became the first No. 15 seed to make the Elite Eight after they defeated No. 2 Kentucky, No. 7 Murray State, and No. 3 Purdue. Saint Peter’s is making its fifth appearance in the “Big Dance” and is 1-0 against SEC schools in the NCAA March Madness Tournament. Only 11 No. 15 seeds have ever reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Peacocks’ all-time record in NCAA March Madness is 3-4. The details:
1990-91 Dayton, OH L Texas – 73 | Saint Peter’s – 65
1994-95 Albany, NY L UMass – 68 | Saint Peter’s – 51
2010-11 Chicago, IL L Purdue – 65 | Saint Peter’s – 43
2021-22 Indianapolis, IN- W OT Saint Peter’s – 85 | Kentucky –
W Saint Peter’s – 70 | Murray State – 60
Philadelphia, PA W Saint Peter’s – 67 | Purdue – 6
L UNC – 69 | Saint Peter’s – 49
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For continuing coverage of Saint Peter’s University Athletics, visit SaintPetersPeacocks.com and follow the Peacocks on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
COURTESY ST. PETER’S ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
TENNESSEE GAME NOTES
https://utsports.com/documents/2024/3/20/G33_3-21-24_SaintPeters_NCAATr64.pdf
SAINT PETER’S GAME NOTES
https://utsports.com/documents/2024/3/20/SPU_VS_TENNESEE_GAME_NOTES.pdf
NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET
MARCH MADNESS CENTRAL
https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/watch?cid=mml2023_ncaa_main_nav
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The sixth-ranked and No. 2 seed Tennessee men’s basketball team begins NCAA Tournament action Thursday night, facing No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the first round at Spectrum Center. Tipoff is slated for 9:20 p.m. ET.
Fans can catch Friday’s game between the Vols (24-8) and Peacocks (19-13) on TNT. Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (play-by-play) and Allie LaForce (analyst) will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
MORE INFO
GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO
- Opponent: Saint Peter’s Peacocks
- Tipoff: Thursday, March 21 | 9:20 p.m. ET
- Venue: Spectrum Center
- Watch Online: TNT
- Online: Listen Live
RELATED LINKS
Buy Tickets Game Day Information Follow @Vol_Hoops SEC Clubhouse
TENNESSEE
SAINT PETER’S
In its most recent action, Tennessee dropped a 73-56 decision to ninth-seeded Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler, who surpassed 1,000 career points in the setback, paced the SEC regular season champions with a game-best 20 points.
THE MATCHUP
• Tennessee won its lone previous outing against Saint Peter’s, notching a 54-40 home win on 3/14/84 in the opening round of the NIT. Both teams shot under 38.0 percent and no player on either team scored over 13 points.
• Picked No. 10 of 11 in the MAAC preseason poll, the Peacocks tied for third at 12-8 and won the league tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
• Sophomore forward Corey Washington, a First Team All- MAAC pick, paces the Peacocks with 16.5 ppg and 6.6 rpg.
• Tennessee is 6-2 all-time against current MAAC schools, with both setbacks coming in neutral-site matchups against Niagara over 50 years ago when it was an independent.
• Rick Barnes is 5-0 versus current MAAC teams. He last faced one on 1/5/03, when he led Texas to an 80-64 home victory over Mount St. Mary’s, then in the NEC.
• Saint Peter’s guard Armoni Zeigler is the half-brother of Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler.
NEWS & NOTES
• Tennessee won the SEC regular season crown for the 11th time, notching its sixth outright title.
• The Vols are 25-26 all-time in 25 NCAA Tournament trips, including 16-9 in their opening games, 6-5 under Rick Barnes, 5-3 as a No. 2 seed, 3-0 against No. 15 seeds, 6-7 in North Carolina and 2-4 in Charlotte. More info on Pages 8-9.
• This is UT’s sixth straight NCAA Tournament trip, matching the longest streak (2006-11) in program history. It is one of six schools—the others are Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Michigan State and Purdue—with active streak of at least six.
• The Vols have earned a top-five seed in all six NCAA Tournament trips under Rick Barnes after they did so six times total before his arrival. UT is a top-three seed for the sixth time, including the fourth under Barnes, and a No. 2 seed for the fourth time, half under Barnes.
• Dalton Knecht’s 25.5 ppg scoring average in SEC action led all DI players in league play and marked the second-best figure in the SEC over the last 22 years (2002-24).
• Santiago Vescovi (209) is two steals shy of the program’s all- time record (211) held by Vincent Yarbrough (1998-2002).
• Dalton Knecht is 24 points from becoming the fourth Vol (fifth instance) with 700 in a season. Zakai Zeigler needs 13 assists to be the fourth at UT with 200 in a campaign. Jonas Aidoo is three offensive rebounds away from being the fourth Vol (fifth instance) with 100 in a year.
• The next victory for Rick Barnes, a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, will be his 200th overall at UT. He would be the 19th in Division I history to achieve that feat, including the ninth active coach to do so.
• Dalton Knecht is the 10th Vol— 13th honor in 14 seasons—to win SEC Player of the Year. He is the fourth UT player to earn consensus First Team All-America status, joining Grant Williams (2018-19), Dale Ellis (1982-83) and Bernard King (1976-77). He is also the eighth ex-JuCo player to claim the latter honor and first since UNLV’s Larry Johnson (1990-91).
RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• In the past four years (2020-24), Tennessee leads all SEC teams with 21 AP top-25 wins, good for six more than any other SEC program (Alabama has 15). That tally ties Purdue for fourth in the country.
• In that same four-year span, UT also leads the SEC in wins over teams in the AP top 20, top 15, top 10 and top five. Its 19 top-20 wins rank fourth nationally and 16 top-15 victories place third. Its eight top-10 triumphs sit co-sixth alongside Connecticut, North Carolina, Purdue and Texas, while its five top-five wins match Arizona, Gonzaga and Michigan State for the most in the nation.
• The eight AP top-10 triumphs during that time are: #1 Alabama (2/15/23), #3 Kansas (11/25/22), #3 Auburn (2/26/22), #4 Kentucky (2/15/22), #5 Kentucky (3/12/22), #6 Arizona (12/22/21), #10 Texas (1/28/23) and at #10 Kentucky (2/3/24).
• Over the last four seasons (2020-24), UT has played 36 games against AP top-25 opponents, the most in the league, posting a 21-15 (.583) ledger. The Vols are the only SEC team, regardless of number of games, with a winning record against ranked foes during that span. Auburn is a a distant second with a .478 (11-12) mark.
• Tennessee (36), Alabama (34) and Arkansas (34) are the only SEC teams to play over 30 ranked foes since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last seven seasons, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Tennessee places a close second among all SEC programs in total victories (168), winning percentage (.721) and postseason wins (15). In that span, the Volunteers have claimed three SEC titles, winning the regular season in 2018 and 2024, as well as the tournament in 2022.
• In that same seven-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC schools with an overall winning percentage of over .650, alongside Auburn (.726) and Kentucky (.700).
• In SEC play over the same seven-year period, Tennessee (86-39; .688) is second in the league, behind Kentucky (87-38; .696), in both victories and winning percentage. Only Auburn (81-45; .643) and Alabama (78-48; .619) have even 70-plus wins.
• Over just the last three seasons (2021-24), UT owns a 76-27 (.738) overall record. That is good for the co-most victories and the second-best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span. Auburn is 76-26; .745) during that time.
INAM: “IT’S NOT ABOUT ME”
• The Volunteers have posted 20-plus assists 11 times this season. They have reached 25-plus thrice, with a high of 28 against Vanderbilt (2/17/24)
• Tennessee has a 60.8 percent assist rate that ranks No. 13 nationally, per KenPom, through 3/18/24.
• Last season, Tennessee placed second nationally, per KenPom, with a 66.2 percent assist rate. It also logged a 64.9 percent mark in SEC play.
POLL PRESENCE
• UT is 127-46 (.734) while ranked in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 96-33 (.744) while in the top 15, 76-24 (.760) while in the top 10, 35-11 (.761) while in the top five, 17-2 (.895) while in the top three and 7-1 (.875) while at No. 1.
• The Vols are 27-21 (.563) in top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 21-14 (.600) with both teams in the top 20, 12-8 (.600) with both in the top 15 and 7-5 (.583) with both in the top 10.
• Tennessee has played 199 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in Rick Barnes‘ tenure, posting a stellar 148-51 (.744) record. Over 66.5 percent of the Volunteers’ games since Barnes arrived in 2015- 16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll.
COURTESY TENNESSEE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
