Cinderella lives in Jersey City this year!
Tiny Saint Peter’s took down basketball royalty on Thursday night, getting 27 points from Daryl Banks III in an 85-79 overtime victory over second-seeded Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Peacocks became the 10th No. 15 seed to win a first-round game since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 and handed Kentucky its first opening-round loss under coach John Calipari.
Saint Peter’s, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion, kept it close throughout and Banks’ two free throws with 1:45 left in overtime gave the Peacocks the lead for good. Doug Edert’s layup with 24 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime. He also made the final two game-sealing free throws for the Peacocks and finished with 20 points.
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Not bad for a private Jesuit school in Jersey City, New Jersey, with an undergraduate student body of less than 2,400 people. The Peacocks have made half as many NCAA Tournament appearances (four) as Kentucky has national titles (eight).
Oscar Tshiebwe had 30 points and 16 rebounds for Kentucky (26-8) but his pair of missed free throws early in overtime was costly, and the Wildcats lacked a reliable secondary scorer. TyTy Washington Jr. was held to five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
The game featured 16 ties and 13 lead changes. Kentucky went ahead 68-62 on Sahvir Wheeler's driving layup with 4:12 remaining. Saint Peter's followed with seven unanswered points, capped by Edert's go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:25 remaining. Kellan Grady put Kentucky back ahead before Edert forced OT.
Kentucky, the winningest-program in college basketball history, came into the tournament as a No. 2 seed, after winning the SEC regular season title. Many had them as potential Final Four and national champion picks, but their March will come to and end after an early exit.
It’s the second straight year a No. 15 seed advanced, with Oral Roberts beating Ohio State in the 2021 tournament. It was also Saint Peter’s first ever in the NCAA Tournament. The team had previously reached the big dance in 1991, 1995 and 2011 but lost in the first round each time.
St. Peter's will play the winner of Murray State and San Francisco on Saturday.
