Every year during the NCAA Tournament, a low-seeded and already-ruled-out underdog captivates the nation by upsetting a powerhouse school. March is always the month of Cinderella stories, and these unpredictable outcomes in single-elimination matchups reaffirm why there'll never be a flawless bracket.
But this year's edition of March Madness featured an atypical darkhorse. For 10 special days, basketball fans rallied around 15th-seed Saint Peter's, which miraculously became the first 13-seed or lower to reach the Elite Eight round. Although the Peacocks' historic journey came to a sudden and disappointing end against blue-blood North Carolina, the team is now a part of forever.
"Looking back at it now, we definitely let it sink in a little bit. We realized how amazing it was, what we did. I'm still in shock," Saint Peter's guard Doug Edert explained to The Zach Gelb Show on Wednesday. "I still don't know how truly amazing it was. But I'm getting a better idea, now that I'm not playing. I'm just relaxing and watching all the highlights. What we did was really amazing.
"It's just awesome to be a part of it. We proved that we belonged, and proved that we belonged with every other team in the nation. That really was our goal for the season, to play with a chip on our shoulder and prove it to all doubters that we had. Show them that we can play with the big schools. We put Saint Peter's on the map, which is awesome."
Saint Peter's improbable run wouldn't have been possible without instruction from its head coach, Shaheen Holloway, who became an overnight sensation. And as a result of the team's accomplishments, the 45-year-old Queens native officially became the new leader of his alma mater, Seton Hall, on Wednesday. Holloway served as the Peacocks' coach for four seasons, and capped off his tenure with a 22-win campaign, MAAC title, and tournament appearance.
The entire Saint Peter's hoops conversation between Edert and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.