# 2021–22 Saint Peter's Peacocks men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Saint Peter's Peacocks men's basketball team represented Saint Peter's University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Peacocks, led by fourth-year head coach Shaheen Holloway, played their home games at the Run Baby Run Arena in Jersey City, New Jersey, as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). They finished the season 22–12, 14–6 in MAAC play, to finish in second place. They defeated Fairfield and Quinnipiac in the MAAC tournament, advancing to the championship game. There they defeated Monmouth to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, for the first time since 2011, as the No. 15 seed in the East region.
The Peacocks defeated No. 2 seed Kentucky to become only the tenth No. 15 seed to upset a No. 2 seed in the tournament's history. They defeated Murray State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, becoming only the third No. 15 seed and first MAAC men's team to make it to the second weekend. They defeated Purdue to advance to the Elite Eight, becoming the first No. 15 seed to do so. Following the victory, the score was shown on the jumbotron of Madison Square Garden during an NHL game between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. In the Elite Eight, the Peacocks lost to No. 8 seed and eventual national runner-up North Carolina.
On March 30, 2022, head coach and Seton Hall alum Shaheen Holloway left to take the head coaching position at his alma mater where he previously was an assistant from 2010 through 2018. On April 1, a parade was held in Jersey City to celebrate the Peacocks' tournament run. On April 5, Saint Peter's was ranked No. 24 nationally in the season's final Coaches' Poll.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Peacocks finished the 2020–21 season 14–11, 10–8 in MAAC play, to finish in a tie for third place. As the No. 3 seed in the MAAC tournament, they defeated Rider in the quarterfinals before losing to Fairfield in the semifinals.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | | New Jersey City | W 90–66 | – | 15 – Lee | 7 – H. Drame | 4 – Ndefo | Run Baby Run Arena (842) Jersey City, NJ |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at VCU | L 54–57 | 0–1 | 17 – Edert | 8 – F. Drame | 3 – Lee | Siegel Center (7,017) Richmond, VA |
| November 13, 2021* 4:00 p.m., FS2 | | at St. John's | L 70–91 | 0–2 | 11 – Murray | 7 – H. Drame | 3 – Murray | Carnesecca Arena (3,795) Queens, NY |
| November 17, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | | at Wagner | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Wagner | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Wagner | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Wagner | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Wagner | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Wagner | Spiro Sports Center Staten Island, NY |
| November 23, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | LIU | W 64–62 | 1–2 | 17 – Edert | 9 – Ndefo | 6 – Lee | Run Baby Run Arena (434) Jersey City, NJ |
| November 27, 2021* 12:00 p.m., FS2 | | at Providence | L 71–85 | 1–3 | 26 – Banks III | 9 – F. Drame | 4 – Lee | Dunkin' Donuts Center (6,978) Providence, RI |
| December 3, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | at Quinnipiac | W 69–59 | 2–3 (1–0) | 16 – Ndefo | 13 – F. Drame | 7 – Ndefo | People's United Center (1,054) Hamden, CT |
| December 5, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | Siena | L 58–60 | 2–4 (1–1) | 14 – Banks III | 8 – Ndefo | 4 – Murray | Run Baby Run Arena (483) Jersey City, NJ |
| December 8, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | St. Francis Brooklyn | L 60–71 | 2–5 | 10 – F. Drame | 6 – Banks III | 3 – Banks III | Run Baby Run Arena (464) Jersey City, NJ |
| December 12, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | Nyack | W 87–48 | 3–5 | 22 – F. Drame | 12 – F. Drame | 7 – Murray | Run Baby Run Arena (344) Jersey City, NJ |
| December 18, 2021* 6:30 p.m., ESPN3 | | at Stony Brook | L 63–64 | 3–6 | 13 – Ndefo | 7 – H. Drame | 4 – Murray | Island Federal Arena (1,539) Stony Brook, NY |
| December 22, 2021* 3:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Fairleigh Dickinson | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at FDU | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at FDU | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at FDU | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at FDU | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at FDU | Rothman Center Hackensack, NJ |
| January 14, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | Monmouth | W 67–62 | 4–6 (2–1) | 13 – Banks III | 8 – Ndefo | 3 – Ndefo | Run Baby Run Arena (483) Jersey City, NJ |
| January 16, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | at Rider | W 58–51 | 5–6 (3–1) | 12 – Edert | 10 – F. Drame | 4 – Lee | Alumni Gymnasium (1,068) Lawrenceville, NJ |
| January 18, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Canisius Rescheduled from December 31 | W 65–57 | 6–6 (4–1) | 17 – Dasher | 12 – Ndefo | 2 – Ndefo | Run Baby Run Arena (281) Jersey City, NJ |
| January 21, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | at Niagara | W 74–68 $^{OT}$ | 7–6 (5–1) | 22 – Ndefo | 13 – Ndefo | 5 – Banks III | Gallagher Center (1,080) Lewiston, NY |
| January 23, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | at Canisius | L 60–63 | 7–7 (5–2) | 19 – H. Drame | 11 – H. Drame | 2 – H. Drame | Koessler Athletic Center (782) Buffalo, NY |
| January 26, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | at Marist Rescheduled from January 2 | W 69–62 | 8–7 (6–2) | 18 – H. Drame | 11 – H. Drame | 4 – Lee | McCann Arena (986) Poughkeepsie, NY |
| January 28, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | Manhattan | W 77–51 | 9–7 (7–2) | 14 – Murray | 7 – F. Drame | 3 – Ndefo | Run Baby Run Arena (510) Jersey City, NJ |
| January 30, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | at Iona | L 77–85 | 9–8 (7–3) | 21 – Edert | 6 – Ndefo | 3 – Lee | Hynes Athletic Center (2,318) New Rochelle, NY |
| February 4, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Quinnipiac | W 83–74 | 10–8 (8–3) | 16 – Banks III | 10 – F. Drame | 4 – Lee | Run Baby Run Arena (777) Jersey City, NJ |
| February 6, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Marist | W 66–50 | 11–8 (9–3) | 13 – Banks III | 8 – F. Drame | 4 – Ndefo | Run Baby Run Arena (632) Jersey City, NJ |
| February 11, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | Rider | L 49–58 | 11–9 (9–4) | 9 – Dasher | 11 – Ndefo | 4 – Lee | Run Baby Run Arena (577) Jersey City, NJ |
| February 15, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Iona Rescheduled from January 7 | L 61–70 | 11–10 (9–5) | 16 – Ndefo | 8 – Ndefo | 4 – Lee | Run Baby Run Arena (695) Jersey City, NJ |
| February 18, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Fairfield | W 70–59 | 12–10 (10–5) | 16 – Ndefo | 7 – Ndefo | 4 – Lee | Webster Bank Arena (1,611) Bridgeport, CT |
| February 20, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Siena | L 70–84 | 12–11 (10–6) | 16 – Banks III | 9 – H. Drame | 4 – Murray | MVP Arena (6,044) Albany, NY |
| February 25, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | at Monmouth | W 70–65 | 13–11 (11–6) | 14 – Ndefo | 11 – Ndefo | 3 – Ndefo | OceanFirst Bank Center (2,027) West Long Branch, NJ |
| February 27, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Niagara | W 63–36 | 14–11 (12–6) | 13 – Banks III | 10 – H. Drame | 5 – Lee | Run Baby Run Arena (581) Jersey City, NJ |
| March 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Manhattan Rescheduled from January 9 | W 73–51 | 15–11 (13–6) | 13 – Banks III | 5 – F. Drame | 3 – Ndefo | Draddy Gymnasium (200) Riverdale, NY |
| March 5, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | Fairfield | W 57–41 | 16–11 (14–6) | 14 – Ndefo | 7 – Ndefo | 5 – Lee | Run Baby Run Arena (577) Jersey City, NJ |
| MAAC tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2022 9:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (2) | vs. (7) Fairfield Quarterfinals | W 77–63 | 17–11 | 20 – Ndefo | 6 – Rupert | 2 – Banks III | Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ |
| March 11, 2022 8:30 p.m., ESPNews | (2) | vs. (11) Quinnipiac Semifinals | W 64–52 | 18–11 | 14 – Lee | 7 – Ndefo | 2 – Ndefo | Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ |
| March 12, 2022 4:00 p.m., ESPNU | (2) | vs. (4) Monmouth Championship | W 60–54 | 19–11 | 20 – Edert | 10 – F. Drame | 2 – Edert | Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, NJ |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022* 7:10 p.m., CBS | (15 E) | vs. (2 E) No. 7 Kentucky First Round | W 85–79 $^{OT}$ | 20–11 | 27 – Banks III | 8 – H. Drame | 4 – H. Drame | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,923) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 19, 2022* 8:20 p.m., CBS | (15 E) | vs. (7 E) No. 20 Murray State Second Round | W 70–60 | 21–11 | 17 – Ndefo | 10 – Ndefo | 4 – Lee | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,838) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 25, 2022* 7:09 p.m., CBS | (15 E) | vs. (3 E) No. 10 Purdue Sweet Sixteen | W 67–64 | 22–11 | 14 – Banks III | 3 – 4 tied | 4 – Ndefo | Wells Fargo Center (20,136) Philadelphia, PA |
| March 27, 2022* 5:05 p.m., CBS | (15 E) | vs. (8 E) North Carolina Elite Eight | L 49–69 | 22–12 | 12 – F. Drame | 7 – 2 tied | 3 – Ndefo | Wells Fargo Center (20,235) Philadelphia, PA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| Coaches | — | —* | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 |
*Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.