Madness in Jersey City as Saint Peter's returns home in preparation for NCAA tournament Sweet 16
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The Cinderella story for a local New Jersey college continues.
Saint Peter's University, big underdogs in the NCAA tournament, pulled off another big win Saturday night as it beat No. 7-seeded Murray State to advance to the Sweet 16.
CBS2s Kiran Dhillon was on the Jersey City campus on Sunday as the Peacocks returned home to a hero's welcome.
"We're here to stay!" one player said after Saturday night's 70-60 win over Murray State, Saint Peter's follow-up to Thursday's shocking upset of No. 2 Kentucky.
The Peacocks, seeded No. 15 in the East Region, and their fans were still riding the high on Sunday.
Thursday's win was Saint Peter's first victory in March Madness, and the biggest win in school history. Star player KC Ndefo said returning home after so much success on the road has been surreal.
"This is something we dream about as kids. To just come in here and have all these amazing fans and people supporting us every day is an amazing feeling," Ndefo said.
His teammate, Doug Edert, agreed.
"It's awesome. It's really amazing. The fans are great. We love their support," Edert said.
Edert added that while playing on the national stage as the underdog has been tough, the players are focused on staying strong and confident on the court.
"It starts with our coach. He believes in us so much. He believed in us the whole time that we were going to win every game. And that affects us players. We start to believe in ourselves and then go out there confident," he said of head coach Shaheen Holloway.
Holloway said he's known all along the team was going to succeed.
"Basketball is easy. It's no pressure. The pressure for these guys is trying to get A's in the classroom. We want them to have fun and take it in and go out and do what they've done their whole lives -- just play basketball," Holloway said.
Next up for Saint Peter's is the Sweet 16. The Peacocks will play on Friday in Philadelphia against No. 3 Purdue, which beat No. 6 Texas 81-71 on Sunday night, and the players say they're up for the challenge, but added for now they're just enjoying the ride.
Fans say they are, too.
"It feels like once in a lifetime. We would have never thought a week or two ago. They exceeded our expectations," alum Chris Martalus said.
"We won the first round, the second round. Come on, third round, let's go! We got this. We got this," student Breanna Ntuli added.
The fans say said there's no doubt in their minds that the Peacocks are going all the way.