No. 15 Saint Peter’s Keeps Dancing Into Sweet 16 After Topping Murray State

March Madness can be filled with heartbreaking losses and Cinderella stories where fans can’t help but hop onto the bandwagon. 

For the 2022 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, that team seems to be Saint Peter’s. The No. 15 seed went from upsetting No. 2 seed Kentucky 85–79 in overtime during the first round to topping No. 7 Murray State just two days later, becoming just the third No. 15 seed in tournament history to reach the Sweet 16.

The Peacocks powered to a 32–27 lead going into halftime and their red-hot playing mentality never stopped in a wire-to-wire 70–60 victory. Forward KC Ndefo carried Saint Peter’s, tallying 17 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks against the Racers.

Saint Peter’s next opponent will be the winner of Sunday’s matchup between No. 3 Purdue and No. 6 Texas—and it will have a chance to become the only No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight.

One year ago, No. 15 seed Oral Roberts beat Ohio State and Florida to reach the Sweet 16 before falling to Arkansas by two. The third program to achieve the feat was Florida Gulf Coast in 2013.