NCAA Tournament 2022: North Carolina and Duke headline 2nd weekend storylines
By Bryan Mauro
Saint Peter’s
I am not going to say that Saint Peter’s is the greatest Cinderella of all time because that should still belong to George Mason, VCU, and Santa Clara all making the final four. However, the Peacocks will live on in history forever as they are the highest seed to ever make an Elite Eight.
Saint Peter’s finally did run out of gas against North Carolina but what a magical year the MAAC champions had. Heading into the NCAA tournament the Peacocks were a team who was not known for their scoring but they were a relentless defensive team who had some good three-point shooters.
That all rang true in the NCAA tournament as Saint Peter’s frustrated teams on the defensive end, blocked a ton of shots, and grabbed rebounds. To top it all off their guards hit a ton of threes and got fouled a ton at the line. Doug Edert with his floppy haircut and seventies mustache became a fan favorite. Edert got even more publicity from a viral tweet by North Carolina star Armado Bacot and when he mentioned in an on-screen interview that he didn’t eat sandwiches.
The publicity is going to be a good thing for the small school from Jersey City, NJ. Their home gym, the Yanitelli Center needs some upgrades and hopefully, the school can use some of that money they got from their win shares to upgrade their facilities. The school has some other priorities now though as they are in need of a new coach.
A mere 45 minutes after the Peacocks were eliminated in the Elite Eight their coach, Shaheen Holloway, took the vacant job (reportedly) at Seton Hall. It was no surprise he took the job as he was a star at Seton Hall and he has always said it was his dream job, but it still means Saint Peter’s is going to have to hire a coach.
The Peacocks may never be back, they may never make another NCAA tournament in their history. If they do they likely will be a low seed like they were this year. One thing is for certain, no matter what happens the 2021-2022 version of the Saint Peter’s Peacocks will be remembered for all of the right reasons.
They are going to be remembered as the small school that beat the Goliaths along the way and had a ton of fun doing it. Thank you Saint Peter’s for making this the most memorable tournament in a long time, what a run and what a season for the Peacocks.