Point Spread: Saint Peter's Hoping to Keep Hot Streak Going After Upset of Purdue

Saint Peter's is weaving a great Cinderella story, but the Peacocks are also making a lot of money for gamblers who have their back. They have won and covered in 10 straight games now, and have put off three straight huge upsets in the NCAA Tournament. Will North Carolina be next on Sunday?

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Saint Peter's is on a heater. The Peacocks are on the most improbable NCAA Tournament run ever, the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. 

They made history on Friday night, upsetting No. 3 seed Purdue 67-64 despite being a 12.5-point underdog. Only 10 No. 15 seeds have ever won a game in 37 years, and eight of those right away in the second round. No one had won in the third round — the regional semifinals — until the Peacocks stunned the basketball world again (For my story on the history of 15 seeds, CLICK HERE)

But here's the crazy number on Saint Peter's. Of the 68 teams that made the NCAA Tournament, Saint Peter's has the BEST record against the point spread, covering in 23 of 32 games, including the last 10 in a row. They are 19-5 against the spread since a 28-day COVID-related break helped them hit the reset button.

Teams just don 't win and cover 10 games in a row. Saint Peter's is the only school to do that all year. They beat Kentucky as an 18.5-point underdog and Murray State as an 8-point underdog.

Saint Peter's is 22-11 overall and finished 14-6 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season. They play No. 8 seed North Carolina on Sunday afternoon in the regional final, with a trip to New Orleans for the Final Four on the line. They are 8.5-point underdogs in that game, according to the FanDuel.com gambling website.

Here is their complete schedule, and what they've done vs. the point spread:

• Nov. 9 — Lost at VCU 57-54 as a 9-point underdog (won)
• Nov. 13 — Lost at St. John's 91-70 as a 13.5-point underdog (lost)
• Nov. 17 — At Wagner ... cancelled, COVID
• Nov. 23 — Beat Long Island 64-62 as a 9-point favorite (lost)
• Nov. 27 — Lost at Providence 85-71 as a 12.5-point underdog (lost)
• Dec. 3— Won at Quinnipiac 69-59 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
• Dec. 5— Lost to Siena 60-58 as an 8.5-point favorite (won)
• Dec. 8 — Lost to St. Francis-Brooklyn 71-60 as a 13-point favorite (lost)
• Dec. 12 — Beat Nyack 87-48 ... no line
• Dec. 18 — Lost at Stony Brook 64-63 as a 4-point underdog (won)
• Dec. 22 — At Fairleigh Dickinson ... cancelled, COVID
• Dec. 28 — Versus Connecticut College ... cancelled, COVID
• Dec. 31 — Versus Canisius ... postponed, COVID
• Jan. 7— Versus Iona ... postponed, COVID
• Jan. 9— At Manhattan ... postponed, COVID
• Jan. 14— Beat Monmouth 67-62 as a 5.5-point underdog (won)
• Jan. 16— Won at Rider 58-51 as a 3.5-point favorite (won)
• Jan. 18 — Beat Canisius 65-57 as a 7.5-point favorite (lost)
• Jan. 21 — Won at Niagara 74-68 in OT as a 1.5-point underdog (won)
• Jan. 23 — Lost at Canisius 63-60 as a 3.5-point favorite (lost)
• Jan. 26 — Won at Marist 69-62 as a 2-point underdog (won)
• Jan. 28 — Beat Manhattan 77-51 as a 6.5-point favorite (won)
• Jan. 30 — Lost at Iona 85-77 as a 10.5-point underdog (won)
• Feb. 4 — Beat Quinnipiac 83-74 as an 6.5-point favorite (won)
• Feb. 6 — Beat Marist 66-50 as a 5.5-point favorite (won)
• Feb. 11 — Lost to Rider 58-49 as a 6.5-point favorite (lost)
• Feb. 15 — Lost to Iona 70-61 as a 4.5-point underdog (lost)
• Feb. 18 — Won at Fairfield 70-59 as a 1.5-point underdog (won)
• Feb. 20 — Lost at Siena 84-70 as a 2-point favorite (lost)
• Feb. 25 — Won at Monmouth 70-65 as a 4.5-point underdog (won)
• Feb. 27 — Beat Niagara 63-36 as a 5.5-point favorite (won)
• March 1 — Won at Manhattan 73-51 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
• March 5 — Beat Fairfield 57-41 as a 7.5-point favorite (won)
• March 9 — Beat Fairfield 77-63 in Atlantic City in the MAAC tournament as as 5-5-point favorite (won)
• March 11 — Beat Quinnipiac 64-52 in Atlantic City in the MAAC tournament as as 7.5-point favorite (won)
• March 12 — Beat Monmouth 60-54 in Atlantic City in the MAAC tournament as as 2.5-point favorite (won)
• March 17 — Beat Kentucky 85-79 in OT in Indianapolis in the NCAA Tournament as as 18.5-point underdog (won)
• March 19 — Beat Murray State 70-60 in Indianapolis in the NCAA Tournament as an 8-point underdog (won)
• March 25 — Beat No. 10 Purdue 67-64 in Philadelphia in the NCAA Tournament as a 12.5-point underdog (won)

 Related stories on Saint Peter's basketball

• WHAT MATT PAINTER SAID: Purdue basketball lost to Saint Peter's 67-64 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Here's everything coach Matt Painter had to say during the postgame press conference following the loss. CLICK HERE
• SAINT PETER'S RUN CONTINUES: Purdue struggled down the stretch on both ends of the floor and No. 15 seed Saint Peter's made history Friday night, beating the Boilermakers 67-64 in the East Regional semifinals. They are the first No. 15 seed to ever reach the Elite Eight. CLICK HERE
• JADEN IVEY STRUGGLES: Purdue sophomore guard Jaden Ivey scored just nine points in the team's 67-64 loss to Saint Peter's in the Sweet 16. He registered a season-high six turnovers and was 1-6 from the 3-point line. CLICK HERE
• HISTORY OF 15 SEEDS: For only the third time in NCAA Tournament history, a No. 15 seed has advanced to the regional semifinals. Saint Peter's, a tiny Jesuit school in Jersey City, N.J., knocked off blueblood Kentucky and 31-win Murray State last week, and now have a date with Purdue on Friday in Philadelphia. Cinderella stories are cute, but they don't usually last long. A No. 15 seed has never won a game in the second week of the tourney. CLICK HERE
• NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: Here are all the results thus far, plus the remaining schedule for the 2022 NCAA Tournament, including the latest on teh point spreads. CLICK HERE
• 4 THINGS ON SAINT PETER'S: Here are four newsy nuggets about Saint Peter's, Purdue's opponent on Friday night in NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinals in Philadelphia. CLICK HERE