Games 553-554: Quarterfinal Friday

554 - (14) Rutgers vs. (3) Purdue
Big 10 quarterfinals
March 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

The Edwards' - Vince and Carsen - each scored 26 points as the Boilermakers moved into the semis with an 82-75 win.

Vince was 10-of-14 from the field and Carsen made 10-of-11 from the line to help the No. 3 seed erase a three-point halftime deficit. Both players knocked down four 3-pointers and the Boilermakers hit 13 as a team.

Great night for Corey Sanders - 23 points, 11-of-20 from the field - in a losing effort for the Scarlet Knights, who won games over 11-seed Minnesota and sixth-seeded Indiana to reach the quarters.

553 - (9) Saint Peter's vs. (1) Rider
MAAC quarterfinals
March 2 at Times Union Center in Albany, NY

Huge upset in Albany as the Peacocks out-played the regular season champion and advanced with a 66-55 win.

It's the first time in the tournament's history a nine has defeated a one and Saint Peter's did it with defense - Rider shot just 30% from the field and missed 18 of its 21 three-point attempts - and a balanced offense that saw five players score at least nine points, led by Samuel Idowu's 12 points.

The fact Saint Peter's pulled off the huge upset was a bit of a surprise, but I'm not surprised the Broncs had trouble. The Peacocks lost both regular season games between the two teams, but by a combined seven points.

Saint Peter's (14-17) has already had a memorable tournament. In Thursday's first round game against eighth-seeded Monmouth, Nick Griffin's 3-pointer with five seconds left was the difference in a 60-58 victory.

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