The biggest surprise of the 2022 NCAA Tournament thus far is undoubtedly the No. 15 seed in the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, who’ve eliminated two ranked opponents, the first being Kentucky and the second being Murray State, making them the talk of the Big Dance. Saint Peter’s is getting national attention for its basketball program for the first time ever, and now’s a good time to know more about this little-known school from Jersey City.

Nitrobetting is ready to dish out some timely assists to our bettors all throughout the 2022 March Madness season. This time, let’s count down the five biggest first-round upsets in the history of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

What to know about 2022 March Madness Cinderella Saint Peter’s Peacocks

Mack Daddies from the MAAC

Saint Peter’s is one of only six teams that has been in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) since the conference’s inception in 1980. However, the team is not considered a powerhouse program in the group, having won just four conference championships in a little over four decades, including this season.

The Peacocks needed all four of those conference title-winning runs just to make it to the Big Dance. Their last appearance in the NCAA Tournament was back in 2011, wherein they were trampled over by Purdue in the very first round by 18 points as a No. 14 seed. The Peacocks’ highest seeding was in its maiden run from 1991 as a No. 12 seed. They’ve been eliminated in the very first round of the tourney in each of their last three trips prior to this season.

Bursting March Madness Bubbles Outside of “The Bubble”

Perhaps the Peacocks have found a second wind in the postseason stepping outside of their own literal bubble in Jersey. Saint Peter’s homecourt is the Yanitelli Center, which is now affably named as the Run Baby Run Arena. Apart from having a unique name, the arena also has a unique feature that will surely draw hundreds of sports fans visiting the site after the team’s magical 2022 run.

The Run Baby Run Arena is one of only a handful of air-supported sports complexes in the country. Pressurized air is required to keep the place standing and it’s highly visible from a distance by simply appearing like a massive hot air balloon sticking out of the ground. Thankfully, it’s the Peacocks who’ve been taking the air out from other tourney favorites’ runs.

The Number 3 is A Charm for the Peacocks

Most of the media has caught wind (pun unintended from the previous segment) of the milestone that Saint Peter’s is just the third No. 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16 stage of the national tournament. The team also has winning records in each of the last three seasons under head coach Shaheen Holloway and it has also finished no worse than third place in the MAAC regular-season standings during this stretch.

Will the Peacocks find success in their third game of the 2022 NCAA Tournament? They’ll face the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers in their first-ever Sweet 16 appearance this week, likely as heavy underdogs. Saint Peter’s is 7-2 in its last nine games as underdogs (8-1 ATS) and will warrant plenty of bets against the spread given that it’s the one true Cinderella team at the Big Dance as we speak.

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2021-22 NCAAB season previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest college basketball odds on our online BTC sportsbook.

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