St. Peter's, la cenicienta del March Madness

Juanma Rubio CENICIENTA La del MARCH MADNESS

[{"selector":"#anim-4e5aae0b-e855-436c-ae07-8cc477001d2a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-27e66d64-2d69-4dcf-bdc2-f379632921fd [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(62.49999977245145%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"fill":"both"}] El March Madness ya tiene su historia a lo Hollywood, su Cenicienta: St. Peter’s, el orgullo de Jersey City y del Condado de Hudson.

[{"selector":"#anim-b273dab6-75a7-4506-a237-d2b4359fce80","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1e46025d-31e9-44e5-acfe-19814812bb9c [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-17.10759923222838%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"fill":"both"}] Se trata de una pequeña universidad jesuita con unos 3.500 alumnos y un presupuesto para todo su deporte de 7,5 millones de dólares.

[{"selector":"#anim-100229aa-86cd-4a38-a296-9b9bc589dbf5","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4971c320-24c2-4975-940b-855d688e55c0 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-28.440140635274513%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"fill":"both"}] Llegó al torneo por cuarta vez en toda su historia y se ha colado en el Sweet 16 tras batir a Kentucky, un gigante, y Murray State.

[{"selector":"#anim-0b8b12b5-d75b-4129-92a7-50e614738d85","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9379b2ff-2482-4e32-926d-3ab417dc56c2 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.9523809523809523)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"fill":"forwards"}] Es la tercera vez que un cabeza de serie número 15 supera dos rondas y se coloca en la semifinal regional, a dos pasos de la Final Four.

[{"selector":"#anim-e6da6fc6-be55-451a-bb76-1e43e7fc8a0e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0cdce02d-12a9-44e3-afca-adaeafee981d [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-47.54748986769914%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e61f968b-9cee-4c16-bd4a-d8a39a8e98a8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":4000,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Kentucky nunca había perdido en primera ronda con John Calipari, un técnico que gana 8 millones. El de St Peters, Shaheen Holloway, 275.000.

[{"selector":"#anim-0084020a-817e-4983-8595-f0de7a46f255","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e2a2063d-1847-4b9e-b60d-05e3fb999f87 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-52.90027146083084%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"both"}] Kentucky tiene 32.000 alumnos y ocho títulos de la NCAA. Y Murray State llevaba 21 victorias seguidas. Las dos perdieron con St Peters.

[{"selector":"#anim-65a789df-908c-4d30-9be9-1f13086f7d65","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -183.78869%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] St Peters juega en un pabellón en el que solo caben 3.200 personas. Se llama Run Baby Run por el equipo de 1968, que promedió 94 puntos.

[{"selector":"#anim-0cde5965-b477-45fe-8a45-ea906e43870f","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9fcfdb49-5255-4291-91d9-a50880bdaa0d [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-48.863636053342894%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"both"}] Los Peacocks (pavos reales) han generado ya en el torneo un movimiento publicitario valorado en más de 71 millones de dólares.

[{"selector":"#anim-fd01a377-df15-4adf-9726-1d17c0f66427","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3dac3648-9d47-49ac-8c6a-e5c80647d7fe [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(55.63199639149631%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"fill":"both"}] El técnico, Holloway, no teme a nada: “Tengo un vestuario lleno de chicos de Nueva York y Nueva Jersey, ¿creéis que se van a asustar?”

[{"selector":"#anim-70c9cda4-48c1-432f-bfea-9e80897e0668","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8e759edd-e77b-4ae6-b884-7891c973c805 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(44.26136329814375%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"fill":"both"}] Ahora, sin embargo, llega un reto mayúsculo: duelo en Philadelphia contra Purdue, la máquina ofensiva que lidera el escolta Jaden Ivey.

[{"selector":"#anim-706e9e01-4db9-45f2-9cf3-0e41f5ba92fc","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2c31c1c5-e092-4184-a0c3-0d87fa3dda02 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-27.697167472668582%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":6000,"fill":"both"}] Ivey apunta al top 5 del draft NBA. Los Peacoks no tienen estrellas pero sí un héroe cuyo bigote se está haciendo famoso: Doug Edert.

[{"selector":"#anim-d4208564-aae0-41be-9542-cfa60c157751","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.31330%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-61eed6d2-070d-4d6e-a0fb-7dd4c4187630 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-56.62398156045788%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":8000,"fill":"both"}] St Peters buscará el más difícil todavía en un lado del cuadro, el Este, que completan otros dos colosos históricos. UCLA y North Carolina.