Doug Edert shoots the ball, making a swish, causing the crowd to erupt into a roar! Edert leads the underdog Saint Peter’s basketball team to one of the most shocking upsets in the past decade. 

    Saint Peter’s barely scratched their ticket into the coveted March Madness tournament (aka “The Big Dance”). Sitting at the number 15 seed, the Peacocks were going to face a tough opponent and no one expected much from them. Fortunately (or unfortunately), we were all proved wrong. 

    Saint Peter’s first opponent was the Kentucky Wildcats. The number two seed and projected winner of the game, everyone was shocked when the Peacocks led the final score 85-79. The Peacocks started off the madness right with this upset. 

Some thought this game was a fluke. Wrong again. Saint Peter’s carried their momentum into the round of 32 when they played the number ten seed Murray State, another team from Kentucky. Although not as big of an upset, it was still an upset nevertheless. The final score read 60-70, moving Saint Peter’s to the “Sweet Sixteen”. 

These wins brought pride and joy to everyone who had watched them. Saint Peter’s had only made the “Big Dance” on three other occasions, resulting in three first round losses. This was the first time in their schools history that they had tasted victory in this tournament, let alone make it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen. 

Daryl Banks (Guard, Junior), and Doug Edert (Guard, Junior), who had only averaged 11 points per game (PPG), and 9 PPG respectively, were now on fire. Becoming leaders on the court and winning the whole nations’ hearts over, Saint Peter’s was looking to face one of their toughest opponents yet. 

Saint Peter’s and their underdog squad was faced against the number three seed, Purdue University. Purdue started off hot taking a 7-2 lead and continuing to hold the lead until late in the second half. With 14 seconds left in the game, the Peacocks took a 4 point lead but was quickly combated with a 3 pointer from Purdue. A late foul led the Peacocks to make two free throws and give the ball back to Purdue with 4 seconds left. They needed another three to tie the score, sending the game into OT. Purdue got right to work but the final effort came just short. As the buzzer rang and the shot was missed, Saint Peter’s and fans everywhere up-roared in awe. This was now the second top five seed they had beaten in three games and the best the school had performed in the NCAA tournament. 

Coming into the elite eight, Saint Peter’s had some massive momentum leading into their game against the University of North Carolina. Sadly, this is where Saint Peter’s magical run had come to an end. With the ups and downs of the season, Saint Peter’s could hold their heads up high and be proud of what they had accomplished. Unfortunately, Saint Peter’s played arguably their worst game yet. Saint Peter’s had averaged 74 points a game against their three previous opponents, but the Peacocks were only able to put up 49 points. The tar heels on the other hand, were hungry, scoring 69 points against the beloved Saint Peter’s underdogs.

This rare run by the fifteen seed brought traction to not only the university but as well as its players. Unfortunately, for the Peacocks, they have lost Doug Edert who quickly entered the transfer portal after Saint Peter’s premier at the NCAA tournament. Edert has decided to take his talents to the University of Bryant (Rhode Island) for his final year of eligibility. We hope to see Saint Peter’s continue to succeed and build off of this incredible tournament run.