JERSEY CITY — The St. Peter’s College men’s basketball team got together Sunday afternoon and collectively learned their fate in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Peacocks will travel to Chicago and face Purdue University on Friday at 7:27p.m. in the opening round of the tourney.
The Peacocks (20-13) earned the No. 14 seed in the Southeast Regional and will take on the 25-7 Boilermakers at the United Center.
There was a celebration in Dineen Hall on the SPC campus to watch the tournament selection show on CBS. There was some slight disappointment during the show when the Peacocks were not sent to Tuscon, Arizona for their game, then other disappointment when they were not paired with U. Conn or Notre Dame. There were several reports that the Peacocks were going to be paired against the Huskies, who won the Big East Tournament championship Saturday night.
But when the Peacocks saw their pairing flash across the big screen, there was a wild cheer and hugs all around.
“I don’t know much about Purdue, but I will be learning a lot by tomorrow,” SPC head coach John Dunne said. “My wife doesn’t let me watch too much basketball around the house. Hopefully, our coaching staff is watching film right now. We’ll be getting started tomorrow.”
For more about the Peacocks’ fate in the NCAA Tournament, read Jim Hague’s Scoreboard column on Sunday. — Jim Hague
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