Saint Peter’s dream feels like Final Four reality
PHILADELPHIA – The March Madness team of destiny forged ahead Friday night, as Saint Peter's shocked the world again in the latest chapter of an incredible story that transcends sports.
And with the historic victory by the unheralded Peacocks over Purdue, taking down the Big Ten power, 67-64, a national championship is now in play.
What was once an unthinkable dream is now a realistic goal for a program from a tiny Jersey City school that had never so much as won an NCAA Tournament game before.
Now the 15th-seeded Peacocks are the lowest seed ever to reach the Elite Eight. On Sunday they'll play 8th-seeded North Carolina, which beat UCLA 7366.
“We're happy but don't mistake it, we're not satisfied, we're not satisfied at all,” said guard Doug Edert, who finished with 10 points. “Like KC Ndefo always says, the job is not finished. We feel like we belong and the more games we win the more confidence we build.”
It's time for everyone outside the Peacocks' locker room to take off those one-game-at-a-time blinkers and start looking at the big picture.
Even if you thought Kentucky overlooked the Peacocks, and Murray State was overrated, what now?
Purdue had the look of one of the best teams in the country all season, rising to No. 1 in December and eventually losing to a red-hot Iowa team in the Big Ten final.
National championship: Why not?
Purdue's really good, and now they're out, just like each of Saint Peter's first three opponents.
So why not the Peacocks?
They'll always have the Cinderella moniker, but their performances make them look like a team that truly belongs. Every time Purdue made a run at them, they had an answer.
Coach Shaheen Holloway and his staff came up with their best gameplan yet, not double-teaming in the paint so as not to allow open shots on the perimeter, taking All-american guard Jaden Ivey out of his game.
“That's what we dd the whole year. That what we are,” said Holloway of his team's ability to stare down adversity.
"We you're playing against team like that who are supposed to win, keep it tight, certain things can happen, I told our guys just keep battling, keep battling, keep battling, see what happens, and they kept battling. I knew the ball was going to bounce our way, and it did.”
It's been an historic run in so many ways. From the Saint Peter's size, with around 3,000 students, to its humble March Madness pedigree, to its roster of underrecruited players keeping company with college basketball's elite.
Now they're one win away from the Final Four. Anything is possible at this point.
As a story for the ages played out, the crowd inside the Wells Fargo Center was standing in unison, supporting the Peacocks.
You can't make this stuff up.
After Foussyeni Drame drained a three-pointer from the side to put Saint Peter's up, 50-49, Purdue went on a 7-2 run, with Trevion Williams doing most of the damage inside. Edert sank three free throws to pull Saint Peter's to within 56-55 with 4:02 to play, KC Ndefo fouled out with 3:42, sending Williams to the line. He made just one, and on the ensuing possession Saint Peter's Daryl Banks III hit a midrange jumper in the lane to tie it up.
The Peacocks forced a shot clock violation on Purdue's next possession, Banks scored on a tough drive with 2:16 remaining. With the crowd on itsfeet, the Peacocks got the defensive stop, with Williams fouling Hassan Drame, who sank two free throws to give them a 61-57 lead with 1:43 on the clock.
Purdue got two free throws from Mason Gillis, but Matthew Lee hit two free throws with 41.6 seconds left to push the advantage back to four points. Gillis scored on an offensive rebound with 25.8 seconds left, and Banks was eventually fouled with 14.6 seconds left. He hit both free throws, and after Ivey drained a long three-pointer to make it a one-point game, Edert hit two free throws with 4.1 seconds left.
Ivey missed a game-tying threepointers at the buzzer, and pandemonium ensued.
Dream away. Anything is possible for Saint Peter's, including a national championship, as the Peacocks once again proved the power of Cinderella once March rolls around.