The Peacocks did it again. For the first time in NCAA Tournament history, the #15 seed has advanced to the Elite 8 following Saint Peter's 67-64 stunner over the #3 seed Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16 in front of a Peacock friendly crowd at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
This historic win also marks the first time that a double-digit underdog has won three games in March, something that no team before them has ever accomplished.
Matched up against the heavily favored Boilermakers (+12.5 underdog), Saint Peter's held their own in the first half, but once the Peacocks started to utilize the press and forced turnovers, they took Purdue completely out of their comfort zone in the second half.
The two teams were going back in forth for a bulk of the final six minutes with Daryl Banks putting Saint Peter's ahead with a probing layup — followed by an incredible defensive stand that sent Hassan Drame to the line where his two free throws put the Peacocks ahead by two possessions.
Despite a valent effort from the Boilermakers, especially from Jayden Ivey who hit a big 3-pointer to put Purdue back within one point, the Peacocks were able to put the game on ice from the charity stripe to ultimately give them the upset.
During the post-game interview, head coach Shaheen Holloway asked one simple question to the people who doubted his program --"What they gonna say now?"
For the small Jesuit school out of Jersey City, their incredible run began in the first round against the mighty Kentucky Wildcats who they were able to trounce in OT, 85-79. Despite already etching their name in March Madness lore, two days later, the Peacocks faced another team from Kentucky in the Murray State Racers and pulled off another upset, advancing to the Sweet 16 with a 70-60 victory.
To add some context to how wild and unexpected Saint Peter's run has been, Kentucky spent nearly twelve times the amount, a total of $16.7 million dollars, more on basketball than Saint Peter’s did in 2022. In fact, Saint Peter's first home game against LIU drew only a few hundred fans for a game that was not televised.
For my gamblers out there, the Peacocks have now covered the spread in 10 consecutive games heading into Sunday's Elite 8 matchup.
Saint Peters will look to continue making history and will face off against either #4 seed UCLA or #8 seed North Carolina on Sunday in the Elite 8 for a trip to the Final Four in New Orleans.
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Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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