Saint Peter's players celebrated after winning the MAAC Championship to earn a NCAA Tournament berth. (Saint Peter's Athletics Photo)
Saint Peter’s is a No. 15 seed and a double-digit underdog against Kentucky in Thursday night’s NCAA Tournament game in Indianapolis. However, Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway doesn’t approach the game with any fear and does not want his players intimidated.
“My guys are not going to be scared, not going to be intimidated, I can tell you that,” Holloway said. “That is something that is instilled in this program. I don’t play that game. So these guys are going to be ready to play.”
Holloway knows a little something about March Madness magic. It was 22 years ago that he drove the length of the court and hit a layup in the final seconds to give Seton Hall an overtime win over Oregon in NCAA Tournament play.
The Peacocks rely on a defense that makes it hard to score on the inside. They have won seven straight games and eight of the last nine. They faced VCU, St. John’s and NCAA participant Providence earlier in the season that Holloway thought would prepare his team for a moment like this.
“I told those guys, when you get in tournament time anything is possible,” Holloway said. “Throw out the name on the front of the jersey. Obviously, some teams are really, really good.
“Kentucky is a really, really good team, all the tradition. But at the end of the day they suit up just like us. It’s exciting when you play against Kentucky. It’s March Madness. This is what you live for. You want to play these types of games. I’m just super excited for these guys.”
Holloway is in his fourth year at Saint Peter’s and is considered a rising star by many in college basketball.
The Peacocks rank sixth nationally in effective field goal percentage defense as opponents hit just 44 percent from 2-point range and 29 percent from 3. They have a 14.6 percent block rate — 6-7 KC Ndefo averages 3.6 blocks per game — and opponents take 36 percent of their field goal attempts from 3-point range against Saint Mary’s. The Peacocks also have been successful forcing teams into turnovers. They give up 61.8 points per game.
Offensively, the Peacocks are not a machine. They have just two players averaging in double figures and scored 65 points or less in four of the last six games. They are not in the top-250 in adjusting offensive efficiency. The Peacocks also rank 319 nationally in turnovers and have had 15 percent of their shots blocked this season without facing UK’s size very often.
The faster the pace Thursday night, the better it should suit UK.
Still, Holloway is not waving the white flag going against UK, the No. 2 seed in the East Region.
“I don’t want to be one of those teams that just makes it,” Holloway said. “I want to try and make a run in it. You’ve all seen the NCAA Tournament … anything can happen.”
