COLUMBUS, Ohio — Fairleigh Dickinson brought down a giant. Pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, the undersized, underdog Knights stunned top-seeded Purdue 63-58 on Friday night, becoming the second No. 16 seed to win a game in March Madness. Advertisement The shortest team in the tournament, the Knights (21-15) showed no fear in swarming 7-foot-4 All-America center Zach Edey from the start and simply outplayed the Big Ten champion Boilermakers (29-6). “We just made history, boys ... college
basketball history, for this whole school,” coach Tobin Anderson told his team in the celebratory locker room. “We’re playing pretty damn well now. Hydrate, do all the stuff you do, the ride is not over yet. Advertisement “We can do something more.” Sean Moore scored 19 points to lead FDU and a relentless defensive charge by a team that now has everyone’s attention. Fairleigh Dickinson guard Grant Singleton (4) celebrates after a basket against Purdue in the second half of a first-round NCAA Tournament game Friday in Columbus, Ohio. The Knights stunned the top-seeded Boilermakers 63-58. (Michael Conroy / AP) Five years ago, UMBC showed the way for the little guys by overwhelming
Virginia in the first 16-over-1 victory after numerous close calls over the years. Still, No. 16s had a 1-150 record against No. 1s and were 1-151 overall before FDU’s shocker. After the final horn, FDU players mobbed each other on the floor of Nationwide Arena, where fans from Memphis and
Florida Atlantic who were waiting for the day’s final game joined forces in cheering on the Knights in the final, frantic minutes. The Knights will now meet the Memphis-FAU winner Sunday for a Sweet 16 berth and a trip next week to play at Madison Square Garden in
New York — just a short drive from the private school’s campus in Teaneck, N.J. Fairleigh Dickinson didn’t even win the Northeast Conference Tournament, falling by one point in the title game to Merrimack, which couldn’t participate in the NCAA Tournament because of an NCAA rule that bars it from the postseason because it’s still completing its four-year transition from Division II. FDU held Purdue scoreless for more than 5½ minutes down the stretch and moved ahead by five on a 3-pointer from Moore — who is from suburban Columbus — with 1:03 left. The Knights held on from there, becoming the second straight double-digit seed to send the Boilermakers home. Purdue was a No. 3 seed when it lost to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s, another small New Jersey school, in the Sweet 16 last year. Advertisement Purdue center Zach Edey (15), guard Fletcher Loyer (2) and forward Caleb Furst walk off the court after loosing to Fairleigh Dickinson 63-58 in a first-round NCAA Tournament game Friday in Columbus, Ohio. (Michael Conroy/AP) Edey finished with 21 point and 15 rebounds in what might have been his final college game, but the Knights were masterful against him in the second half. Edey didn’t attempt a shot in the final nine minutes, and anytime he touched the ball there were Knights all around him. The junior center is a possible
NBA lottery pick, but the bitterness of this defeat could sway Edey to stick around for another year. When Purdue’s late push fell short and its season ended, Edey squeezed the shoulder straps on his jersey and walked stone-faced toward the locker room. The Knights’ two previous NCAA Tournament wins came in the First Four, including this year, when they drubbed
Texas Southern 84-61. After that game, Anderson told his players he believed they could handle Edey and Co. “The more I see Purdue, the more I think we can beat them,” Anderson said in the locker room. Some of Purdue’s players said they felt disrespected by the comments, which turned out to be prophetic. Advertisement Just being in the tourament was quite an accomplishment for FDU, which went 4-22 a year ago. This was Anderson’s first season at the school, and after he landed the
Job in May, he held a practice the first night just so he knew what he had to work with from a team that had the second-worst record in the program’s 58-year history. It wasn’t a lot, so he brought three players — 5-foot-8 Demetre Roberts, Grant Singleton and Moore — along with him from Division II power St. Thomas Aquinas. Turns out they’re giant slayers.
Chicago Tribune Sports Weekdays A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy . > And it was the Boilermakers, not the undersized Knights, who were scrambling from the opening tip. Purdue may have had Fairleigh Dickinson outsized on the floor and in the stands as a boisterous group of Boilermakers fans gave their team what felt like a home-court advantage despite being 240 miles from West Lafayette, Ind. Advertisement However, when the Knights’ Joe Munden drained a step-back 3-pointer in the first half, “F-D-U!” chants broke out inside the arena and it became obvious this small team had big dreams. Without a player on its roster taller than 6-6, Fairleigh Dickinson sometimes needed two players to guard Edey — one in front and one behind — and he missed his first three shots before a dunk. Edey showed some frustration and at one point told one of the officials, “Sir, he’s holding my left arm.” Purdue eventually settled in and reeled off 11 straight points — four on Edey free throws — to take 24-19 lead. The Knights, though, responded with their own spurt, and Heru Bligen’s layup after a steal helped FDU take a 32-31 into halftime. Roberts finished with 12 points and forward Cameron Tweedy had 10 points on 5-of-6
shooting for FDU.