Rooting for the Underdog

This march madness has lived up to its name with many final four favorites losing early, many of these teams being sent packing by teams with significantly higher seeds. At this point, it is safe to say that it’s anyone’s game. What a team does on the court and the fight they are willing to have to win has proven to be a drastically more significant effect on the results than the seed number they came into the tournament with.

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Saint Peter’s University, a small Jesuit university in Jersey City, NJ, is on a Cinderella run after taking down the No.2 seed Kentucky followed by the No.7 seed Murray State, only two days after. The Peacocks are only the third No.15 seed to make the Sweet 16, along with Florida Gulf Coast in 2013 and Oral Roberts just last year. It marks just the 10th time in the history of the NCAA Tournament since its expansion that a No. 15 has sent a No. 2 seed home in the first round and gave St. Peter’s their first NCAA Tournament win in program history.

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“A seminal moment in our history,” says Eugene Cornacchia, president of Saint Peter’s University, about the impacts of March Madness. Cornacchia expressed his overwhelming pride for the team and how they have carried themselves, on and off the court. SPU has an enrollment of about 3,000 students with its main focus on academics with the hopes of enhancing its community through athletics. March Madness will impact SPU in ways they never thought possible. They have already begun to experience a dramatic increase in applications, an overload of media attention locally and nationally, and selling out their merchandise in the student store. This sense of school spirit and New Jersey Pride is evident in their current students, alumni, and Peacock supporters across the country.

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In Jersey City, and throughout the state of NJ, many are celebrating these players making history and are rooting for their team to continue to show just what New Jersey Pride is all about. Seeing St. Peter’s takedown Kentucky with an entire athletic budget that is over a million dollars less than what Kentucky’s head coach’s base salary has been deemed a “miracle story.” However, I like to see it as the underdog getting their chance to shine and write their history.

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Saint Peter’s making it to the national stage as a small university holds a special place in my heart. I attended high school down the road and during my four years in high school, I spent countless hours on SPU’s campus, gym, pool, and courtyard. I spent some of my most formative years being coached and befriending countless athletes and students at Saint Peter’s. Even today, many people I grew up with are continuing their academic and athletic careers at SPU. Seeing them on the national stage is surreal, what a small world! When I decided to attend UNC, I would have never expected there would be even the possibility of UNC and SPU meeting face-to-face, until March Madness. If Saint Peter’s collects another win against No.3 seed Purdue this Friday and UNC defeats No.4 seed UCLA, Saint Peter’s and UNC will ultimately face each other in the elite eight, with only one moving to the final four. Of course, the chances of this occurring are just as unpredictable as March Madness has been. However, the chain of events of March Madness only further shows how aspects of life can so easily be interconnected. While I am wishing the best for both teams, if it does come down to both of these teams facing it off for a spot in the final four, I am through and through a Tar Heel and will be rooting for the team in Carolina blue!

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Advice of the day: Never underestimate the power of drive, dedication, and willingness to fight. Sometimes, that’s all you need to take down the “big dogs,” prove yourself and even make history.

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Thanks for reading! 🙂