March Madness 2022: Saint Peter's has fan in two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback
Saint Peter's plays Purdue in the Sweet 16
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Saint Peter’s is set to play Purdue in their first-ever Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and the Peacocks have a famous name in their corner going into Friday night.
Eli Manning, the two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants, threw his support behind Saint Peter’s on Thursday. He tweeted a picture of himself with a Peacocks shirt on.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Head coach Shaheen Holloway of the Saint Peter's Peacocks calls out instructions during the game against the Murray State Racers during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 19, 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
"What? I have been cheering for Saint Peter’s for years. They are my local New Jersey basketball team. Go Peacocks!!" the Ole Miss alum wrote.
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It’s the furthest Saint Peter’s has ever gone in the tournament, and the 2022 tournament is only its fourth ever appearance in the Big Dance. The team made it as a No. 12 seed in 1991, a No. 15 seed in 1995, a No. 14 seed in 2011 and again as a No. 15 seed this time around.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Saint Peter's Peacocks forwards Clarence Rupert and Fousseyni Drame (10) celebrate on the court during the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Round 2 game against the Murray State Racers on March 19, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
But nobody thought the Peacocks could have achieved a run this far. The team had to defeat the tourney-favorite Kentucky in overtime in the first round and then get past a very talented Murray State squad in the second round to get a date with Purdue.
The Boilermakers will be their toughest matchup yet.
Purdue has been in or close to the top five in Associated Press Top 25 rankings for most of the season. Purdue is coming off wins against Yale and Texas to get to the Sweet 16. Jaden Ivey, Zach Edy, Trevion Williams and Sasha Stefanovic are all averaging above 10 points per game.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Saint Peter's Peacocks huddle on the court during the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Round 2 game against the Murray State Racers on March 19, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The two teams square off at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia at 7:09 p.m. ET. The winner goes to the regional final.