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Saint Peter's University Athletics

Saint Peter's Athletics

Men's Basketball

No. 3 Men’s Basketball Faces No. 11 Rider in Quarterfinal Round of MAAC Championship

Peacocks and hOURglass Rival Broncs will tip at 5pm in Atlantic City

Game 24
Saint Peter's (13-10, 10-8 MAAC) vs. Rider (6-16, 5-13 MAAC)
Date: Thursday, March 11
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
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LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
 
Opening Tip
  • No. 3 Saint Peter's men's basketball opens play in the 40th Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Basketball Championship on Thursday, March 11.
  • The Peacocks will face 11th seeded hOURglass Rival Rider at 5pm at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
  • SPU concluded the regular season 10-8 in the MAAC and 13-10 overall, earning a top-3 finish for the second consecutive season.
  • The Peacocks ended the 2020-21 season with four straight series' splits, most recently going 1-1 with Quinnipiac to close out the year.
  • Following the season, KC Ndefo won his second MAAC Defensive Player of the Year award, while both he and Daryl Banks III were each named to all-conference teams.
  • No. 11 Rider advanced to the quarters after picking up a 78-76 comeback victory over No. 6 Canisius on Monday night in the First Round of the MAAC tournament.
 
Things to Know Before the Quarterfinals
Series History
  • The Peacocks and Broncs will meet in the rivalry's 72nd all-time contest dating back to 1942-43.
  • Saint Peter's trails its hOURglass Rival Rider 32-39 all-time and 22-35 since 1998-99 with both teams competing in the MAAC.
  • The two New Jersey institutions just met in Jersey City on Feb. 26 and 27, splitting two games.
  • Both sides snagged convincing victories, with SPU winning by 14 points on Feb. 26 and Rider gaining a 13-point edge on Feb. 27.
  • When the teams go head-to-head in the postseason, the Peacocks lead the Broncs 5-3.
  • The last MAAC Championship meeting between the two sides occurred in 2018, when No. 9 Saint Peter's became the lowest seed in MAAC tournament history to defeat the top overall seed in No. 1 Rider, winning 66-55.
 
Peacocks MAAC Tournament History
  • The Peacocks are 36-36 all-time in the tournament, winning titles in 1991, 1995, and 2011.
  • The Peacocks' seven championship title game appearances are the fifth most among all current and former MAAC members, and the three titles are tied for fourth most amongst current MAAC members.
 
Peacocks as the No. 3 Seed
  • Saint Peter's will be the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Championship for the fourth time overall --- first time since 1995.
  • The team's most wins and highest winning percentage in the tournament comes as the three seed.
  • Also, the previous two times the Peacocks were the third seed, the team hoisted the MAAC trophy, winning it all in 1995 and 1991.
  • 1983 was the program's only other tournament as the three seed.
 
Peacocks in the Quarters
  • The Peacocks will be making their eighth straight appearance in the quarterfinals, entering the round 18-11 all-time.
  • In last season's quarterfinals, No. 2 Saint Peter's upended four-time defending MAAC champion, No. 7 Iona, 56-54 before the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
 
2x DPOY
  • KC Ndefo was named the unanimous 2020-21 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year --- his second straight DPOY award.
  • He is the fourth player in league history to win the award more than once, joining Rhamel Brown (3x, Manhattan), Jason Thompson (2x, Rider), and Deng Gai (3x, Fairfield).
  • Ndefo led the Peacocks in blocks (1st in MAAC) and steals (7th in MAAC) for the second consecutive season, averaging 3.7 blocks per game and 1.4 steals per outing, ranking top-10 in the MAAC in both categories in back-to-back years as well.
  • His blocks per game average and total blocks (85) both currently lead the nation and he has held the top spot on the NCAA leaderboard in blocked shots average since Jan. 4.
 
All-Conference Honors
  • KC Ndefo was a unanimous selection to the All-MAAC First Team while Daryl Banks III was named to the All-MAAC Third Team following the pair being voted by the league's coaches to the same respective teams in the preseason.
  • It was the second year in a row that the duo earned all-league honors, with Ndefo on last season's third unit and Banks on the rookie team.
 
Up Next
  • With a win, the Peacocks will advance to the semifinals round of the MAAC Men's Basketball Championship on Friday, March 12 at 8:30pm.
  • Saint Peter's will meet the winner of No. 2 Monmouth/No. 7 Fairfield.
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Players Mentioned

Daryl Banks III

#5 Daryl Banks III

G
6' 3"
Sophomore
KC Ndefo

#11 KC Ndefo

F
6' 7"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Daryl Banks III

#5 Daryl Banks III

6' 3"
Sophomore
G
KC Ndefo

#11 KC Ndefo

6' 7"
Junior
F

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