The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA - Even Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli was caught off guard by how his team reacted after advancing to the round of 16.

One lopsided loss and a few critical comments from an opinionated television analyst seemed to affect the usually laid-back Hawks.

"I was surprised to hear and read some of their comments about how relieved they were to get to the Sweet 16," Martelli said Monday. "I didn't sense they felt tighter. I will admit, I felt tighter."

The Hawks (29-1) knew if they were eliminated early from the NCAA tournament - like fellow No. 1s Stanford and Kentucky - the critics would have been on them faster than Jameer Nelson on a loose ball.

"If we lost to Texas Tech, we'd always have the nay-sayers say, 'See, we told you this, we told you that,"' Martelli said. "I felt that the players' reaction certainly showed tremendous relief and an outpouring of emotion I haven't seen."

And why not? The Hawks are back in the round of 16 for the first time since 1997. That year, they made it with wins over Pacific and Boston College before losing to Kentucky.

The Hawks started feeling some heat after their 20-point loss in the Atlantic 10 tournament to Xavier, spoiling their chance to become the first team since UNLV in 1991 to enter the NCAA tournament undefeated.

Then, the Hawks' selection as a No. 1 seed was criticized by CBS analyst Billy Packer, who rattled off eight or nine teams that he said deserved the spot instead.

CBS's Clark Kellogg predicted that St. Joe's would be the first No. 1 seed to lose.

Now, while some of the teams Packer thought deserved the top spot are making spring break plans, Saint Joseph's is getting ready for its regional semifinal game Thursday with fourth-seeded Wake Forest (21-9).

Packer played for the Demon Deacons when they beat Saint Joseph's in the 1962 Tournament, and he'll be working the games this weekend from the East Rutherford Regional.

"I silently applauded CBS. They get it," Martelli said. "It makes for a good story above and beyond the game."

While Packer vs. Martelli may be the juiciest story, it's not necessarily the best.

The game will feature one of the best point guard matchups of the Tournament in Saint Joe's Nelson - who was named a first team All-American Tuesday - against Wake Forest's fabulous freshman Chris Paul.

Plus, Martelli has been touting the A-10, which took some heat for not providing the Hawks with much competition this year.

Xavier also reached the round of 16, giving the conference two teams in the regional semifinals for the first time since George Washington and Temple in 1993. The Musketeers play Texas Friday.

"The A-10 has always been maligned," Martelli said. "It's been in the shadow of the Big East for a long time. The league can hold their head high and their chest out right now."

So will the Hawks.

"The swagger, the attitude came back after the Liberty game," Martelli said.