No one in the sports world burned brighter in 2022 than Saint Peter’s
Zachary Faria
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There is nothing better in the sports world than a good underdog story. There is no better sport for building underdogs than college basketball. Unsurprisingly, the sport delivered in dramatic fashion in 2022, producing the best moment in sports this year.
The Peacocks of Saint Peter’s University had been to March Madness before, exiting in the first round in 1991, 1995, and 2011. They play in a 3,200-seat arena in Jersey City, New Jersey. The facilities could have been mistaken for those of a high school, but they were there for a Division I basketball team. Unsurprisingly, the 2022 conference tournament championship season was expected to end with another first-round exit, just as the others did.
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Saint Peter’s was the 15th seed, and they drew the University of Kentucky, a basketball blue-blood, in the first round. The second-seeded Wildcats were bigger and better recruited. Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe was the consensus national player of the year. But Saint Peter’s came out firing, dragged the Wildcats to overtime, and pulled off one of the tournament’s greatest upsets.
It was a nice story, but it wasn’t likely to amount to much. Only two 15-seeds had ever won two games in the tournament. But then, the Peacocks downed #7 Murray State University to go to the Sweet Sixteen. There, they faced #3 Purdue University, which had become known as the school of giants. With 6’10” Trevion Williams, 7’4” Zach Edey, and future top 3 NBA draft pick Jaden Ivey, this is where Saint Peter’s magical run was supposed to end.
But it didn’t. The Peacocks went on to become the first 15-seed to go to the Elite Eight, where they were finally beaten by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Unfortunately, star players transferred to other schools, and Shaheen Holloway departed to coach his alma mater, Seton Hall University. Saint Peter’s now trudges along as just another team with a 4-5 record.
But then, that’s the beauty of college basketball. Like a shooting star, it is here and gone within an instant. Even so, those who see it won’t forget it. Saint Peter’s wowed the sports world for nine magical days, the greatest underdog run in the history of the sport of underdogs. It may not have finished with the glory of a championship or prolonged success, but it was the star that burned the brightest in 2022.
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