St. Peter’s March Madness Miracle Run Ends, But They Will Forever Be Remembered
Religion Unplugged believes in a diversity of well-reasoned and well-researched opinions. This piece reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily represent those of Religion Unplugged, its staff and contributors.
(OPINION) St. Peter’s crashed out of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday following a defeat to No. 8 North Carolina — but will forever be remembered as one of the greatest Cinderella teams at the men’s basketball tournament.
The Roman Catholic school had made history on Friday night, downing Purdue 67-64 to become the first No. 15 seed in tournament history to advance to the Elite Eight. That fabulous run, which had included upsetting Kentucky in the first round, came to a sudden end after a 69-49 loss to UNC at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
“It’s a very emotional time after a loss, a tough loss,” St. Peter’s head coach Shaheen Holloway told reporters after the game. “I really thought we were going to win this game. I’ll be honest with you. No disrespect to them. I just thought we could match up with them pretty good.”
READ: Tennis Star And Orthodox Believer Novak Djokovic Refuses To Get Vaccinated
READ: NBA's Enes Kanter Freedom Lives His New Name As A Muslim American
The Jesuit university — known as the Peacocks and based in Jersey City, N.J. — became the ultimate Cinderella side this month, reminding everyone why the NCAA Tournament is known as March Madness. Despite being eliminated, this school will go down as one of the tournament’s ultimate underdogs — something no one can ever take away from them.
Champions are often remembered by their fans or alums, but the Davids who defeated the Goliaths are the subject of lore. Everyone still remembers George Mason’s amazing run to the Final Four in 2006 or Davidson’s Elite 8 appearance just two years later. Likewise, everyone will forever remember St. Peter’s after what the team did at this year’s tournament.
“That a group of guys came in here no one gave a chance to, no one believed in, but the people in our locker room that's in our program, administration, us, and made history,” Holloway said when asked what he would remember most. “They shocked the world. You’ve got guys that's going to be remembered for things that they could tell their kids and grandkids. It’s a story within a story. I’m super proud of these guys. They came in and made history. Point-blank, period. No one has done it.”
What happened at this tournament could very well never happen again. Holloway could leave — he is rumored to be the next coach of his alma mater, Seton Hall — and players graduate. St. Peter’s isn’t the type of program that has the money to build upon. In that regard, it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime showing for the Peacocks.
In fact, there was something special about this group — and maybe something more. As university President Eugene Cornacchia told America magazine on the eve of the Purdue game, “Oh, I know we’re getting a lot of help from above, absolutely.”
Someone certainly was watching over this team over the past two weeks. There was even talk of a possible all-Catholic championship game pitting St. Peter’s against Villanova. It wasn’t meant to be for the little Jesuit school that could, although Villanova made it to the Final Four.
“I really thought we would win (against North Carolina),” Holloway said. “Truthfully, I thought we matched up well with them.”
The reality is that North Carolina would be considered the tournament underdog if not for St. Peter’s. It was back in 1985 when Villanova, another No. 8 team, shocked the field to win it all. This season, Villanova is a No. 2 seed and could very well win it all again. After all, they are the only Catholic school remaining in the tournament and have been looking to win another title since 2018 — something that fans will take into account when deciding which school to root for in the Final Four.
Jesuit education emphasizes the view that each person is a unique creation of God. St. Peter’s certainly embodied that by being a unique team among the 64 schools competing at this tournament.
There will be plenty of dramatic moments left to play out at this tournament, but no one will ever forget St. Peter’s and their historic run.
Clemente Lisi is a senior editor and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged. He is the former deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.