LCinderella from the NCAA Men’s Tournament, St. Peters, is already in the top 16 proving that March Madness is as true as a temple. The Peacocks have become the third team in history that, starting as 15th seed, gets into the round of the 16 best after Florida Gulf Coast, in 2013 and Oral Roberts, in 2021.
The team led by Shaheen Holloway, which in four years has managed to classify the team to the Sweet 16 for the first time in the history of the school, charged an entire number 7 as Murrat State, 70-60. In the previous round he had already destroyed the forecasts eliminating Kentucky, number 2.
KC Ndefo led the Peacocks with 17 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks and three assists. Doug Edert, the hero against Kentucky, had another great game with 13 points and 4 of 6 shooting.
To understand the miracle of St. Peters in this tournament, this fact is enough: the school has 2,500 students and a budget for its sports program of just 7.2 million dollars, compared to the 138 million managed by Kentucky.
Peacocks coach Holloway received a total of $270,000 in bonuses this season, which is 30 times less than Wildcats coach John Calipari received. St. Peters has seen only four of his players ever play in the NBA. And between all they only add 126 games.
But the reality is that the Peacocks have advanced to the next round and are already in the top 16. Holloway had already announced that they were coming to Indiana with the idea of winning both of their games. And so they did at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Now, they must travel to Philadelphia to play the Sweet 16 game and try to get into the Elite 8 against the winner of the game between Texas and Purdue.
In addition to the Peacocks, they have also managed to get into the round of 16 Gonzaga and Arkansas (they will play each other), North Carolina and UCLA (they will play each other), Kansas and Providence (they will play each other), and Michigan that, like St. Peters, wait rival.
