Saint Peter's is going to the Elite Eight after taking down Purdue in their NCAA Tournament showdown. Naturally, NBA players like Ja Morant couldn't hide their shock and amazement by what the Peacocks have achieved in March Madness.

After trailing in the first half 33-29, Saint Peter's hang tough in the second quarter until they found their opportunity to take the lead. Daryl Banks III (14 points), Clarence Rupert (11) and Doug Edert (10) led the team in scoring and were actually the only players in the team to score in double-digits.

The Peacocks started the second half with an 8-0 run while holding the Boilermakers scoreless for nearly six minutes. While Purdue was eventually able to turn things around, Saint Peter's dug deep into themselves and went toe-to-toe with the no. 3 seed to get the narrow 67-64 win.

Saint Peter's showed heart and team play, which proved to be the difference-maker as they move further in the NCAA Tournament.

Of course, they earned the admiration of a lot of people in the process, including NBA stars who had their eyes on the game. Ja Morant, whose alma matter Murray State Racers fell to the Peacocks in the Sweet 16, couldn't help but give the team a shoutout.

Ex-NBA coach George Karl credited Saint Peter's “teamness” for their historic NCAA Tournament win, while other players simply showed their respect for the Peacocks for their latest achievement.

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Saint Peter's certainly deserve a ton of credit. The no. 15 seed aren't supposed to be in the Sweet Sixteen, let alone the Elite Eight. After all, they faced the second-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in the first round. However, they pulled off a historic NCAA Tournament upset and proved to everyone that it was no fluke with their run as one of the final eight teams standing in the competition.

A lot of players have shown them support and lot more will surely be cheering for Saint Peter's moving forward. While the road only gets tougher from here on out, the team has more than proven that they are not just a Cinderella team that got lucky. They are legitimate contenders that every team remaining needs to be wary of

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