PEACOCK TV FLIES SAINT PETER’S UNIVERSITY

Birds of a feather flock together? Peacocks do.

For since the 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s University men’s basketball team turned in well-played upsets over 3rd-seeded Kentucky and 7th-seeded Murray State, it has automatically become the surprise story of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Plus, the success on the court added another feel-good version of the adventure for the small private Catholic Jesuit school in Jersey City after the first weekend of March Madness. Its cheerleaders were unable to get to Indianapolis for the Kentucky game, but it was noted how they lined up to cheer on the team before its flight to Indy for the Murray State contest on Saturday. They hadn’t made it to the Big Dance but wanted to offer their support from the campus, and this included after the team went through a Wednesday practice.

And this did draw attention, for on Thursday the Peacock TV network saw photos of the various sendoffs and answered the wishes of the cheerleaders, contacting the school’s athletic department ASPA to say it would fly the squad to Indianapolis for the Saturday game. These words of the cheerleaders found their way, “Good luck team, wishing we could be there in person.”

Quickly, Peacock TV announced on Twitter, “Pack your bags ladies, we’re flying you to the game.”

Presto, on Friday morning these Saint Peter’s cheerleaders were up, up and away enroute to the mid-west only less then 25 hours before the opening tip-off. This after the broadcast group went through several airline phone calls in order to make reservations for the entire squad that was basking in the joy of getting to this game.

In its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, it was the first Saint Peter’s won, becoming only the third 15th-seed to gain the Sweet 16, and recording the fourth-biggest upset in this prestigious national tournament.

Verus Murray State, these history-making Cinderellas led from the start and handed the Racers a 70-60 setback, making it back-to-back victories over Kentucky schools that are within three hours of each other.

Next stop is Friday night in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center, and that’s only about an hour and a half down the New Jersey Turnpike from the campus. It lines up this time against 3rd-seeded Purdue and t here’s no way to keep these Peacocks’ cheerleaders from getting there. No flight needed, only the drive.