Saint Peter's Peacocks have made history while facing historically tough NCAA tournament road

PHILADELPHIA — You will likely watch the NCAA tournament for a very long time before you see anything comparable to what the Saint Peter's Peacocks have done. It is historic. It is remarkable. It is above all, everything that March should deliver.

By now you've already heard many times that Shaheen Holloway's team is the first No. 15 seed to ever reach the Elite Eight. This is correct, and if this were all the Peacocks had done that alone would be amazing.

Saint Peter's has made it this far with a blend of relentless defense and persistent offense. The shots weren't falling for the Peacocks for much of the game against Purdue, but Holloway's team took care of the ball and even picked up some crucial offensive rebounds late against the much larger Boilermakers. Efforts like this have allowed SPU to rise above the cruel math of the brackets.

The NCAA tournament is, after all, purpose-built to send you home. Look at the field of 68 and you'll note that 88% of the teams have already been eliminated.

That math chewed up even top seeds like Baylor, Gonzaga and Arizona, to say nothing of No. 2 seeds like Kentucky and Auburn. Of course, it was Saint Peter's that sent the Wildcats home. That alone was exceptional.

Even including the Peacocks' win over UK, No. 15 seeds since 1985 are 10-138 in the round of 64. You can likely recall some of the storied names in this category, and you also know that Florida Gulf Coast in 2013 and Oral Roberts last year even reached the Sweet 16.

Now SPU has outperformed even FGCU and ORU. In the process, the Peacocks smashed the record for the lowest seed ever to reach a regional final. Prior to the miracle of 2022, Missouri in 2002 and Oregon State last year both played in the Elite Eight as No. 12