Saint Peter’s magical run in the NCAA tournament came to a halt as they fell to North Carolina. 

The 15 seed took down the two seed Kentucky, seven seed Murray State and the three seed Purdue as they were the first 15 seed to make the elite 8 in tournament history. 

Saint Peter’s is located in Jersey City and is a small school that has an undergraduate population of  2,355.  They have been put on the map by their basketball team having one of the most exciting Cinderella stories in tournament history. 

However, the run started in their conference tournament as their only hope of getting into the tournament was to win their conference. They played in the MAAC conference, which doesn’t get an at-large bid, and they finished 14-6 in conference play and 22-12 in their overall schedule finishing second in their conference. They would go on to their conference tournament finals and end up winning to punch their ticket to the dance. 

Getting a tough draw out of the gates having to play the two seed Kentucky, the Peacocks went in confident and weren’t afraid of the big moment.  Kentucky, one of the favorites coming into the tournament to win it all, got an up-close glance at why the NCAA March Madness tournament is one of the most exciting sporting events in the world. The 15 seed that few people knew about, let alone thought had a chance against the powerhouse, gave a name for themselves as well as their school. The game stayed close all throughout regulation time, and the game needed extra time to declare a winner.

The Peacocks would prevail in overtime; a breakout star developed, nicknamed “Dougy Buckets” is the Peacocks’ guard Doug Edert.  Edert came off the bench hitting two-three pointers, and all eight of his free throws, to help put away the powerhouse Kentucky team. Edert recorded 20 points and hit all of his three-point attempts. According to www.thebiglead.com, “ It was just the 10th time in the history of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament that a 15-seed upset a 2-seed.”  They kept their momentum going to beat the nine-seed Murray State. 

Then they faced a three-seed in Purdue beating them in the Sweet 16: 67-64. In a game that no one thought they would win, the Peacocks shocked America once again. The Cinderella story would live to fight another day, survive and advance. Being the first 15- seed ever to make the Elite-Eight, they would play the historic program of North Carolina with America at their side, yet the opposition was too good to be beaten; the run had come to an end. 

America’s favorite 15-seed’s magical run will be remembered for a long time.  As they knocked off some of the best basketball programs in the nation, St. Peter’s will forever reap the benefits from this one run.  Expect to see the small school from New Jersey in the tournament within years to come.