By Tara Gillespie
April 13, 2022
As the 2022 March Madness Season comes to an end, there is one team that outshines the others – St. Peter’s University. The St. Peter’s Peacocks are known for their shocking “Cinderella Run”, beating three tough competitors when people thought they weren’t capable of advancing past the first round. The upset against the No. 2 Kentucky astounded many and completely shattered thousands of brackets. Many March Madness fans consider the game that occurred on St. Patrick’s day to be the greatest upset in the history of the tournament.
So, why was this upset so notable?
The University of Kentucky is a well-known land-grant university in Lexington, Kentucky, with an enrollment of 31,536 students. The UK Wildcats highly value their basketball program, which is evident through the $18.3 million that is set aside for the program each year. The roster for the 21-22 season consisted of three five-star recruits, five four-star recruits, and two three-star recruits out of high school. UK was the number 2 seed in the East Region, and was thought to be the clear winner in the matchup against St. Peter’s.
St. Peter’s University is a private university in Jersey City, New Jersey and operates more similarly to a public high school. Their home gym, the Run Baby Run Arena, has the capacity of only 3,200 students and the budget for their basketball program is about $1.6 million. St. Peter’s did not have any five-star recruits out of high school, or any student that was ranked out of high school for that matter.
According to the official NCAA March Madness account, only 0.87 brackets predicted St. Peter’s to make it to the Elite Eight (out of millions). 30% of brackets took UK to make the Final Four, reiterating the significance of their loss. The game was a game of back-and-forth – the first half ended 37-37 and the second half, 71-71. When the game went into overtime, the Peacocks used their momentum and seized all opportunities to get a lead. The final score was 85-79, quickly ending the UK Wildcats’ run.
The athlete that rose to fame in this upset is Doug Edert, the 6’2” guard out of Nutley, New Jersey. Edert mainly rode the bench during his college career, yet he became a name to remember during the three games he played in the tournament. Edert scored 20 points in the game against Kentucky. He is notorious for his shooting ability, confidence, and of course, his mustache. Recent news arose that Edert, along with his teammates, Daryl Banks III and Matthew Lee, have used their Cinderella Run as recognition and have entered the transfer portal to play for a more highly established team.
After the No. 15 UK win, the Peacocks were not expected to advance. Their next matchup was against the Murray State Racers, who had a remarkable season and record of 31-3. Yet on March 19, the Peacocks prevailed again, beating the Racers 70-60. On March 25, the team played and beat the Purdue Boilermakers 67-64, exceeding even more expectations and making history, as the first 15-seed team to compete in the Elite Eight. The run ended on March 27, when the Peacocks fell to the UNC Tarheels, 69-49.
Despite their loss, the competitiveness and drive that the Peacocks displayed put their school on the map. The school held a celebratory parade for them upon their return, showing the immense pride the fans have for their school. It is also only fitting that the school that stopped this Cinderella run was UNC, who competed in the championship this year.