- No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson upset No. 1 Purdue in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament.
- Heading into the game, 16-seeds were just 1-150 against their 1-seed opponents in tournament history.
- Despite that, Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Tobin Anderson called his shot before the game. He was right.
No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Tobin Anderson called his shot.
Before their matchup against No. 1 Purdue in the NCAA Tournament, Anderson believed that his Knights could make history.
“The more that I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them,” Anderson told his players after winning Wednesday’s play-in game to reach the field of 64.
“Let’s go shock the world.”
—NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2023
On Friday, they did, out-hustling Purdue in a back and forth game that came down to the final moments.
Fairleigh Dickinson hit big shots when they needed to, made stops when called upon, and ultimately, walked away with the win. It’s just the second time in tournament history that a 16-seed has escaped the first round.
—NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2023
After the game, Anderson was asked about his now-prophetic comments. Anderson downplayed his call, hinting that he didn’t realize it would be broadcast to the world before their game.
“I just trust our guys. That speech got overblown,” Anderson said. “We just have faith in what we do, and our guys are so tough and so competitive. I’ll do a better job in this locker room speech than last time. It was the right message, but the wrong audience.
“I love our guys. They’re tough. They’re gritty. They played their tails off. That’s an unbelievable win.”
“We just shocked the world,” Anderson said.
—NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2023
Indeed you did.
With the win, the Knights advance to the round of 32, where they will face either No. 8 Memphis or No. 9 FAU.
In that game, they’ll have the chance to make history as the first 16-seed to reach the Sweet 16.
After taking down Purdue, there’s no reason to think they can’t pull it off.
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