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The St. Peters will play the Purdues in their first appearance as the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and the Peacocks have a big name on Friday night.
Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants, backed the St. Peters on Thursday. He tweeted a picture of himself wearing a Peacocks shirt.
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Saint Peter’s Peacocks head coach Shaheen Holloway yells instructions during a 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’ve been a St. Peters fan for many years. This is my local New Jersey basketball team. Come on, peacocks!!” wrote alumnus Ole Miss.
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It is the furthest away tournament St. Peters has ever competed in, and the 2022 tournament is just its fourth Big Dance appearance. The team finished 12th in 1991, 15th in 1995, 14th in 2011 and 15th again this time.
St. Peters Peacocks forwards Clarence Rupert and Fusseini Draim (10) celebrate on the court during their NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship second round game against the Murray State Racers on March 19, 2022 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
But no one thought that the “Peacocks” could go so far. The team had to defeat tournament favorite Kentucky in overtime in the first round and then edge out the highly talented Murray State team in the second round to get a date with Purdue.
The Boilermakers will be their toughest match yet.
Purdue was in or close to the top five on the Associated Press Top 25 for most of the season. Purdue beat Yale and Texas to the Sweet 16. Jayden Ivey, Zach Edie, Trevion Williams and Sasha Stefanovich are averaging over 10 points per game.
The St. Peter’s Peacocks crowd 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 will meet at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia at 7:09 pm ET. The winner advances to the regional finals.