At this point, it’s clear Saint Peter’s basketball is no ordinary No. 15 seed, that it can hang with the big boys, that it has a very real chance of beating North Carolina in today’s East Regional final (5:05 p.m., CBS) for a berth in the Final Four.
Still, it’s jarring to hear one coaching staff member whose team faced both the Peacocks and Tar Heels this season to give the underdog better-than-longshot odds at punching a ticket to New Orleans.
“With the way Saint Peter’s defends, they can play with anybody,” said the coach, whose name is being withheld so he can speak with candor. “They take on the identity of their coach, their city and the makeup of those kids. They are as good of a team defensively as we’ve seen all season. They’ve got a shot because of how they defend.”
What makes them so good? Consistency.
“You’re going to have to execute your stuff. They are not breaking down,” the coach said. “They’ll make little adjustments within the game, but they believe in what they believe in. They don’t believe in doubling the post. They don’t want to leave shooters.”
All of that is obvious on tape. On the other end, however, Saint Peter’s has surprised those scouting them.
“What’s so interesting with them offensively, if you look at their Kenpom ratings, this is an average offensive team,” the coach said. “They don’t run complicated stuff, but they do a good job of picking on matchups.”
The biggest challenge for North Carolina’s players, he said, is taking Saint Peter’s seriously enough.
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“You can tell these guys until you’re blue in the face, but they look at the name on the front of the jersey and they see Saint Peter’s,” the coach said.
And they don’t look like much in the layup line, so to speak.
“KC Ndefo and those two (Drame) twins may be an inch or two shorter than their listed height,” the coach said. “But they’re so long and active. They play so much bigger and stronger than they are.”
As for North Carolina, the coach is impressed by how much the Tar Heels have improved.
“This is not the same Carolina team we saw (earlier in the season), not even close,” he said. “You saw the potential in them because of their offensive talent. Defensively they were just really, really bad that time of the year. They weren’t even competitive defensively. It was a little embarrassing.
“But you saw the offensive firepower. Over the last six weeks they’ve kind of figured it out defensively and really hit their stride.”
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The Peacocks’ keys against North Carolina, he said, are dictating pace (the Tar Heels are 36th in the country in tempo), avoiding foul trouble and preventing ace guard Caleb Love from taking over.
“It’s cliché to say, but they are not a normal 8 seed,” the coach said.
The wild card is how North Carolina responds if Saint Peter’s is hanging around deep into the second half.
“Will they have guys looking around thinking, ‘Is this really happening?” the coach said.
We’ve seen that look on the faces of three Peacock foes so far in the Big Dance.
“If Carolina is operating on all cylinders, it’s going to be hard for Saint Peter’s,” the coach said. “But (the Peacocks) play like they should be in these games. It’s a little bit of irrational confidence, but it’s testament to those kids and their coach. What he’s done there is insane.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Saint Peter’s North Carolina preview from anonymous coach