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          March Madness 2022: Saint Peter's Peacocks' Sweet 16 win over Purdue causes social media frenzy

          • William E. Ricks
          Mar 26, 2022, 02:22 AM

          The Saint Peter's Peacocks' Cinderella run in the 2022 NCAA tournament continued Friday, as they defeated the Purdue Boilermakers to advance to their first-ever Elite Eight.

          Coach Shaheen Holloway's squad knocked off the 3-seed Boilermakers behind 14 points from Daryl Banks III. Guard Doug Edert chipped in 10 points from the bench. The key difference in the game was turnovers -- Purdue had 15 giveaways compared to Saint Peter's eight. The Peacocks are the first 15-seed to make the Elite Eight, and they tied the largest upset in Sweet 16 history (+13), per ESPN Stats & Information research.

          Saint Peter's is the only team to win multiple games as a double-digit underdog in an NCAA tournament since the tournament expanded in 1985 (+18.5 vs Kentucky, +13 vs Purdue), per ESPN Stats & Information. The Peacocks also ended a state drought, becoming the first team from New Jersey to reach the Elite Eight since Seton Hall in 1991.

          Once the game was over, plenty of stars -- and a few other Cinderella squads -- offered their thoughts on Saint Peter's magical run on social media: