Saint Peter chases historylooking forward to becoming Lowest seeded to reach the fourth final in NCAA history. First, the Peacocks have to beat the eighth seed in North Carolina on Sunday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Zach Brazeler of The Post details the Eastern Conference final:
guard point
RJ Davis, native of the White Plains and number one player in Westchester County history, is running an impressive North Carolina State Championships. He scored big when needed (30 points in the second round upset by top seed Baylor) and ran a heel Tarr brilliantly, notching 21 assists and only six. Peter’s pressure defense, led by one-time Matthew Lee, will test him. Lee, the son of New York City high school legend and NCAA champ Butch Lee, isn’t putting up flashy numbers. He averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 assists in three championship games, but the Puerto Rican native limits his mistakes and is a solid defender, important qualities of a goalkeeper.
edge: North Carolina
guard
Caleb Love and Daryl Banks III were the stars of their team at Sweet 16, and Love ran on 27 of his 30 points in the second half of North Carolina’s come-from-back win over UCLA and Banks scored the big shots in the stretch to lead Purdue St. Peter. Love is the most talented player – he was a five star and top 15 nominee – while the only scholarship offers from high school graduate banks were from Saint Peter’s and Wagner. None of this matters now.
edge: North Carolina
straight ahead
North Carolina’s Leaky Black and Saint Peter’s Hassan Drama are mirror images of each other, multi-talented strikers capable of making offensive contributions. But its value lies in its ability to contribute in many ways on both ends of the floor.
edge: even in
straight ahead
This is by far the most remarkable encounter: St. Peter’s vaulted forward, KC Ndefo, against North Carolina sniper Brady Mannick. The 6-foot-7 Ndefo, a blocking hazard with an average of 2.7 rejections a game, can affect the game in many ways – through his defense, passing and ability to score around the basket. Manek, a 6-9 transfer graduate from Oklahoma, was essential to the North Carolina turnaround, averaging 17.2 points and 6.1 rebounds while firing 41.4 percent from depth at the end of the season at Tar Hills with 15 wins in his last 18 games.
edge: even in
straight ahead
Clarence Robert, a first student of Saint Peter I, had to contend with Oscar Cheboye National Player of the Year. On Friday, Zach Eddy and Tryvon Williams were Purdue’s elite tandem. Now Armando Bacot is the All-ACC first-team pick. It couldn’t have been easier for Robert, who was in great shape on Friday with 11 points, three steals and two blocks.
edge: North Carolina
seat
This is the obvious advantage of the peacock. Shaheen Holloway goes deep to 10 and plays every 10 for double-digit minutes, allowing Saint Peter to squeeze the ball nonstop. The number 3 scorer, mustacheed March star Doug Edert, is one of his best offensive weapons. The versatile striker Fucini is the captain of the rebounds and well-filled for Nedvaux, who struggled with an error in Friday’s win over Bordeaux. The unit produced 34 points in the surprise opening round in Kentucky. The North Carolina bench scored this much in the entire tournament, and much of that came in the first-round rotation performance.
edge: Saint Peter
Fitness Trainer
Few of the coaches have seen their star rise as steeply as Holloway, the Queens native and former Seton Hall star who became the face of this Cinderella story. He outperformed John Calipari and Matt Pinter, creating faith in this unrecognized group of mills. Meanwhile, Hubert Davis has moved from outhouse to penthouse in his first season with North Carolina. The former Knicks guard has been heavily criticized for most of the year for poor team performance and is now being praised for the work he did in leading the Tar Heels to one Final Four win. But he’s the other guy in this match.
edge: Saint Peter
prediction
You’re waiting for the clock to strike midnight in Cinderella St. Peter’s, but it hasn’t happened yet. The Peacocks won despite poor shooting in their last two wins, going 9 to 34 on just 3 points. They defeated Bordeaux even though Ndefo, their big star, was limited to 18 minutes. We haven’t seen their A game since the win over Kentucky. It is clear that Holloway’s brave group of underdogs would not for a moment be alarmed or intimidated by North Carolina. Peter’s depth and constant pressure will erode the tar’s heels. Ndefo will remain on the ground and will be the best player on the ground, having been awarded the Eastern Region Player of the Year award. Insoles still fit.
73 Saint Peter, North Carolina 68
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