For only the second time in NCAA Tournament history, a No. 16 seed has upset a No. 1 seed, and Fairleigh Dickinson’s win over Purdue caused a raucous celebration.
Purdue fans, beware if your Boilermakers are matched up against a school from New Jersey, because for the second consecutive year, Purdue was ousted from the NCAA Tournament by a college from the Garden State.
In 2021, it was St. Peter’s pulling off the miraculous upset against the Boilermakers in the Sweet 16. This time, the knife went in a little deeper, as No. 1 seed Purdue was outplayed from start to finish by the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.
And when you win a game of this magnitude after only having been invited to the Big Dance six times in the past, you better believe the team, the fans, and everyone with an axe to grind against Purdue will be celebrating.
It all started when first-year head coach Tobin Anderson called his shot prior to the game.
Fairleigh Dickinson's coach: "I want Purdue to see this. The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them."
— Adam Silverstein (@SilversteinAdam) March 18, 2023
All-time shot call. Babe Ruth level. pic.twitter.com/48BguaBRXz
The party began with just over a minute to go in the game, and FDU could smell victory coming.
MARCH MADNESS HAS GONE COMPLETELY OFF THE RAILS!
— John Breech (@johnbreech) March 18, 2023
Fairleigh Dickinson:
• Is the shortest team in D-I
• Lost in its conference tournament
• Got a 16th-seed
• Was a 23-point underdog to Purdue
AND SOMEHOW STILL WON. WHAT IS HAPPENINGpic.twitter.com/BlwtKrDYAI
And then…it happened. History.
UNBELIEVABLE!! THIS TOURNAMENT CAN’T GET ANY BETTER!!! FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON DOES IT!! (1) PURDUE IS DOWN!!! pic.twitter.com/rVjJDTBEVr
— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 18, 2023
Commence the celebrations, FDU fans (and bettors).
#16 SEED FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON TAKES #1 SEED PURDUE @stoolpresidente hits his FDU ML +1400 ✅ bet pic.twitter.com/HN30RWgQvy
— Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) March 18, 2023
MARCH MADNESS IS OFFICIALLY HERE!
— Stuart Feiner (@StuartFeiner) March 18, 2023
PURDUE GOES DOWN!
NUMBER ONE SEED GOES DOWN!
FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON KNIGHTS MOVE ON! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/zfZSG8y1n5
Big cheers in Denver as Fairleigh Dickinson closes out 16-over-1 upset of Purdue, end shown on the big screen above Grand Canyon-Gonzaga! pic.twitter.com/Fgt5xhz7Bj
— Kevin Lytle (@Kevin_Lytle) March 18, 2023
https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1636900782305079296?s=20
Well, hello Dick Vitale! Good to hear from you!
MARCH MADNESS at its BEST - FDU # 16 seed BEATS # 1 seed PURDUE ! Wow R u SERIOUS ? pic.twitter.com/GVnUREiAVU
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 18, 2023