Every year, there are non-Power Five schools that upset teams with Final Four aspirations. Whether it be No. 16 UMBC knocking off No. 1 Virginia in 2018, Ja Morant and No. 12 Murray State defeating No. 5 Marquette in 2019, or No. 14 Abilene Christian beating No. 3 Texas in 2021—there are constant reminders of why the NCAA Tournament is called March Madness.
What’s rarer is for one of these teams to win a second game. Typically, after a massive upset, the low-seeded team takes a loss the following game and walks off with respect. But after No. 15 Oral Roberts bucked that trend last year by beating No. 2 Ohio State and No. 7 Florida, Saint Peter’s followed suit.
The Peacocks became the third 15th-seed to advance to the Sweet 16 when they took down No. 2 Kentucky and No. 7 Murray State in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Local paper NJ.com called it “the greatest Cinderella in NCAA Tournament history.” Head coach Shaheen Holloway had a run-through-the-wall-type quote when he said, “I got guys from New Jersey and New York City. You think we’re scared of anything?”
"I've got guys from New Jersey and New York City. You think we're scared of anything?"
Saint Peter’s head coach Shaheen Holloway’s confidence is unmatched 👏
(via @SNYtv)pic.twitter.com/5mvFCDXXne
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 20, 2022
How did these players end up at Saint Peter’s? When Kentucky is built on the back of five-star talent, how did this team of athletes who had minimal recruiting attention emerge victoriously and then do so again two days later?
Here’s a rundown of players and their high school careers, beginning with the players who started the first two NCAA Tournament games, in alphabetical order. All recruiting information is from VerbalCommits unless otherwise indicated.