- Saint Peter’s Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament ended in a 20-point loss to UNC.
- Head coach Shaheen Holloway said he wished he could have a “replay” and said he believed Saint Peter’s would win a replay.
- Holloway said his team came out shy as the Peacocks looked overwhelmed by UNC’s size and talent.
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PHILADELPHIA — When Saint Peter’s University’s thrilling Cinderella run came to an abrupt halt in Sunday’s NCAA tournament, head coach Shaheen Holloway wanted a repeat.
The Peacocks, the first 15 seeds to ever reach the Elite Eight, were dutifully dispatched 69-49 by a North Carolina team that never seemed overwhelmed by the hype surrounding their opponents, the tournament’s darlings.
Through their three March Madness victories, the Peacocks relied on a feisty, scrappy defense and a timely goal.
In a win over Purdue in the Sweet 16, the Peacocks’ offense struggled at times to get going. Against North Carolina, which capitalized on the tip, things stalled for long stretches. The Tar Heels took a 9-0 lead early in the game and never looked back, at one point going up 27 points in the first half.
“I didn’t really recognize my team for the first 10 minutes of the game,” Holloway told reporters afterwards. “I thought we were coming out a bit slow, a bit shy. Give [UNC] Credit: They came in and pounced on us early.”
Holloway admitted he thought St. Peter could have won the game.
“It’s a very emotional time after a loss, a tough loss. I really thought we were going to win that game. I’ll be honest with you. No disrespect towards them. I just thought we could play with them pretty well.” “
He added: “I wish we could play this game again. I would have done a few things differently.”
Saint Peter’s Cinderella run ended in the NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight. Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Such is life for Cinderella teams: for all the thrills they deliver in excitement, their runs often end with a thud.
However, few teams in the tournament will feel sorry for the Peacocks, who eliminated the 2nd, 7th and 3rd seed teams, shocked observers and sent teams with higher ambitions home early.
On Friday, Saint Peter’s fan support dominated Purdue’s at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It was the Boilermakers, looking uncomfortable in the midst of Saint Peter’s teeming tangle of guns.
On Sunday, with just a day off, the Peacocks looked like their run had taken its toll as players at either end of the court looked a step slow. Holloway said three bad offensive possessions early in the game changed the dynamic.
“We came out, we took three bad shots right away,” Holloway said. “Three terrible shots. And it was [UNC] failures. You have three simple baskets. That’s how the game works.
“When you take bad shots — especially shots I didn’t know either of the guys would take, right — and the next thing we know, it’s 6-Zip, 9-2. Those are swing turns.”
A run that few could have seen coming now ends with a big question: Will Holloway be courted by other schools, namely Seton Hall, his alma mater. Holloway shot off a question about his future.
“I’m not worried about that right now,” Holloway said. “I’m concerned for these 15 young men who are heartbroken and really down. It’s my job as their leader to cheer them up and make sure they understand what they’ve been up to for the last two weeks.”