Jersey City is hosting a parade on April 1 to commemorate Saint Peter’s University basketball, after the team outpaced expectations to make the Elite Eight in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Despite entering the March Madness tournament as a 15th-ranked team, St. Pete’s beat the second-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the bracket, before ousting #7 Murray State and #3 Purdue in the Sweet 16 round.
Ultimately, the team from Jersey lost in the Elite 8 in a matchup against the University of North Carolina Tar Heels by a 69–49 margin on Sunday night.
Mayor Steven Fulop announced the homecoming for America’s favorite Cinderella squad, which will be held on April 1 at 2 p.m., beginning the statue of Abraham Lincoln at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, near the University’s headquarters.
The celebratory parade for @PeacocksMBB will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday in #JerseyCity. The parade will start at the Statue of Abraham Lincoln and proceed down JFK Boulevard. The parade will end in front of Saint Peter’s University – more info to follow. Hope to see you there. pic.twitter.com/G8d1OBOwXI
— Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) March 29, 2022
Fulop has championed the St. Pete’s Peacocks since their extraordinary run bagan, and promised the parade just after their loss to U.N.C.
“Today’s game changes very little for us. We couldn’t be prouder of [the Peacocks],” he said following the team’s March Madness loss on March 27. “We’ll 100% do a parade/keys to the city for this team to say THANK YOU properly from all of us in #JerseyCity + NJ. You showed the best of our city to the world.”
After beating St. Pete’s, the Tar Heels now go on to face Duke University in Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final season.
The historic matchup between the two teams sees Duke as the favorite, with FanDuel Sportsbook giving the team -196 odds to win outright (meaning bettors would win $0.51 for every dollar wagered).
That game will take place on April 2 in New Orleans.
