Cinderella Saint Peter’s Meets Traditional Power North Carolina For Berth In NCAA Tournament’s Final Four

Before this month, few people had ever heard of Saint Peter’s University, a small college in Jersey City, N.J. Now, that’s no longer the case, as the school has become a national sensation, thanks to its men’s basketball team’s success in the NCAA tournament.

On Friday night in Philadelphia, the Peacocks continued their magical run, upsetting Purdue, 67-64, at the Wells Fargo Center. They became the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight since the tournament began seeding teams in 1979.

So far, Saint Peter’s has defeated the East Regional’s No. 2 seed Kentucky, 85-79, in overtime in the first round, No. 7 seed Murray State, 70-60, in the second round and No. 3 seed Purdue in the Sweet 16. It is arguably the most unlikely performance in the event’s history.

On Sunday, Saint Peter’s faces another major challenge, as it plays No. 8 seed North Carolina, which defeated No. 4 seed UCLA, 71-66, late on Friday night.

North Carolina has a rich basketball tradition, one of the so-called Blue Blood programs that is almost always among the nation’s elite and has seemingly unlimited financial resources. Saint Peter’s? Well, it’s in a much different stratosphere and is the ultimate underdog, although the Peacocks are feeling like they belong with anyone.

“We’re happy,” said Saint Peter’s guard Doug Edert, who scored 10 points on Friday. “But don’t mistake – we’re not satisfied. We’re not satisfied at all. The job is not finished. We feel like we belong, and the more games we win, the more confidence we build.”

Here’s a look at some numbers heading into Sunday’s game:

2: Other No. 15 seeds to make the Sweet 16. In 2013, Florida Gulf Coast lost in that round, 62-50, to Florida. And last year, Oral Roberts lost in that round, 72-70, to Arkansas.

0: NCAA tournament victories Saint Peter’s had entering this season. The Peacocks had made the tournament in 1991, 1995 and 2011, but they lost in their opening game in each of those seasons.

129: NCAA tournament victories for North Carolina, tied for the most in history with Kentucky. This month, the Tar Heels crushed No. 9 seed Marquette, 95-63, in the first round and snuck past No. 1 seed Baylor, 93-86, in overtime in the second round before overcoming a three-point, halftime deficit and defeating UCLA on Friday.

52: NCAA tournament appearances for North Carolina, the second-most behind Kentucky’s 60 appearances.

6: National titles by North Carolina, the third-most in history behind UCLA (11 championships) and Kentucky (8). The Tar Heels won the title in 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 and 2017.

0: NBA first round draft picks from Saint Peter’s. The Peacocks have had 13 players drafted, but none in the first or second round. The last Saint Peter’s player drafted was Phil Jamison in the 10th round of the 1984 draft.

53: NBA first round draft picks from North Carolina, the second-most in history behind Kentucky’s 55. Two Tar Heels were selected first overall: James Worthy in 1982 and Brad Daugherty in 1986.

+10,000: Odds that North Carolina would win the national title before the tournament began, according to Tipico Sportsbook, meaning a $100 bet would have profited $10,000.

+50,000: Odds that Saint Peter’s would win the national title before the tournament began, according to Tipico, meaning a $100 bet would have profited $50,000.

2,190: Student enrollment at Saint Peter’s, according to 2019-20 data from the Department of Education (DOE).

18,516: Student enrollment at North Carolina in 2019-20, according to the DOE.

3,200: Seating capacity at the Run Baby Run Arena, the Saint Pater’s on-campus basketball stadium.

21,750: Seating capacity at the Dean E. Smith Center, North Carolina’s home arena.

$266,344: The total compensation for Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway in the 2019-20 season, the latest data available for the school, according to USA Today.

$1.8 million: The salary this season for first-year North Carolina coach Hubert Davis, according to USA Today. Davis has also earned an additional $200,000 for leading the Tar Heels to the Elite Eight.

$1,569,188: Revenue for the Saint Peter’s men’s basketball team in the 2019-20 school year, according to DOE data.

$26,230,915: Revenue for the North Carolina men’s basketball team in the 2019-20 school year, according to DOE data.