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No. 15 Saint Peter’s Peacocks have been the story of the NCAA Tournament. After nearly everybody projected them to lose in the first round, the Peacocks upset No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats and No. 7 Murray State Racers.
Saint Peter’s best player: G Daryl Banks III
This season, Banks is averaging 11.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He also shot free throws very well at 85.3%.
Banks has been the Peacocks go-to guy for most of the season. That stuck out in the Peacocks first-round matchup with Kentucky. Banks scored 27 while going 5-8 from beyond the arc with four rebounds and two assists. The 6-foot-3 combo guard showed he can compete with the top guys in college basketball. Banks played with a ton of confidence and took quality shots against the Wildcats.
Following the Kentucky win, Banks’ name was drawing a ton of buzz from some NBA scouts on Twitter. Expect Banks to return to Saint Peter’s next season, but with head coach Shaheen Holloway possibly taking a bigger job (at Seton Hall) after the season, we could the guard transfer. Banks is a guy who will likely sign an undrafted free agent contract in the NBA in the future.