March Madness is once again living up to its name. The No.16 Fairleigh Dickinson delivered one of the biggest upsets in the history of NCAA tournaments, eliminating the first-seeded Purdue in a shocking 63-58 win on Friday.
Entering the game, the teams that had the No. 16 seed were 1-150 against the No. 1 seed in the first round. Before FDU, the only team that managed to eliminate the top-seeded team from the No. 16 was the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, which eliminated Virginia in 2018.
The FDU managed to surprise Purdue with its small-ball approach, fielding the shortest average roster in Division I at 6-foot-1. They wore out their opponents with speed and didn’t shy away from attacking the rim despite 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey waiting inside.
FDU’s forward Sean Moore was the star of the show, scoring 19 points and adding five rebounds to propel the Knights to a memorable win.
“I’m just still in shock right now,” Moore said. “With a moment like this, not knowing you’d be here and then you’re here. … maybe tomorrow I’ll feel normal again.”
FDU will now face the No. 9 Florida Atlantic Owls in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It is the farthest they got in their seventh appearance in the tournament.
Purdue, on the other hand, exits the tournament after being eliminated by a double-digit seed for the second consecutive season.
