The men's NCAA tournament mayhem continued Friday as the No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights took down the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers in the first round at Columbus, Ohio.
FDU's win is just the second time a No. 16 seed stunned a No. 1 in the round of 64 NCAA tournament history. The other instance happened in 2018 when the UMBC Retrievers defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 74-54. Entering Friday's game, the Knights had an 0-5 record in the round of 64.
The Knights entered the second half with a 32-31 lead, and the game stayed tight throughout the second half. Turnovers were a huge factor, as Purdue had 16 total turnovers which led to 15 points for Fairleigh Dickinson. Knights forward Sean Moore led the way with a career-high 19 points to help his team defeat the Boilermakers 63-58.
Friday's loss is Purdue's third straight loss against a double-digit seed in the NCAA tournament. The Boilermakers lost to the No. 15 seed Saint Peter's Peacocks in last year's tourney and fell to the No. 13 seed North Texas Mean Green in the 2021 tournament.
The Knights' win caused a frenzy on Twitter, as plenty of stars posted their thoughts on the thrilling contest.
UMBC revels a 16-seed victory
The Retrievers' social media account was tuned into the Knights' upset and welcomed FDU to the club.
EVERYONE FOLLOW @FDUKnightsMBB
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 18, 2023
We've been lonely
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 18, 2023
us the past 5 years pic.twitter.com/XBGzO43pay
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 18, 2023
Fairleigh Dickson by the tweets
With under 19 seconds remaining, Fairleigh Dickinson's Twitter account tried to calm its nerves as the game came to a close.
18.9 2H | FINGERS ARE SHAKING TOO MUCH TO TYPE.
— FDU Men's Basketball (@FDUKnightsMBB) March 18, 2023
#16 #FDU 61, #1 Purdue 58#reigKNIGHTed | @MarchMadnessMBB
Once the win was secured, the Knights celebrated a huge upset.
FINAL | CAN'T HOLD US! It's not midnight and this slipper still fits!#reigKNIGHTed | @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/gjMXw5bKV4
— FDU Men's Basketball (@FDUKnightsMBB) March 18, 2023
(16) FDU SHOCKS THE WORLD 😱
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2023
THE KNIGHTS STUN (1) PURDUE 63-58 TO SURVIVE AND ADVANCE #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/OvfaUzg4vG
New Jersey celebrates a huge win
Fairleigh Dickinson is located in Hackensack, New Jersey, and a fellow Garden State school, Princeton University, whose basketball team defeated Arizona on Thursday, and Jersey native Greg Olsen celebrated the win.
We see you, @FDUWhatsNew! 👀 #JerseyPride x #MarchMadness https://t.co/IJ7o0PrTOQ
— Princeton University (@Princeton) March 18, 2023
JERSEY!!!!!! 🤣🤣
— Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) March 18, 2023
A quick PSA...
— Saint Peter's Men's Basketball (@PeacocksMBB) March 18, 2023
🗣️STOP DOUBTING JERSEY BASKETBALL🗣️
From last year's Cinderella to this year's, congratulations @FDUKnightsMBB!
The dancing shoes feel good, don't they? #StrutUp | #MarchMadness https://t.co/jUjaEAlLfA
Brackets busted
FDU's win means no perfect brackets remain in the ESPN men's Tournament Challenge. Former NFL player Charles Woodson inquired about the status of peoples' brackets after the game.
How many perfect brackets after Purdue game
— Charles Woodson (@CharlesWoodson) March 18, 2023
BRACKETS BUSTED 💔 pic.twitter.com/UQjosDoEpy
— ESPN (@espn) March 18, 2023
Sports world reacts to FDU-Purdue
Jalen Brunson, Julian Edelman and more across sports Twitter offered their thoughts on the thrilling contest.
Wowwwwwww this has been crazy!
— Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) March 18, 2023
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) March 18, 2023
DOWN GOES 1-SEED PURDUE 😱
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 18, 2023
Fairleigh Dickinson shocks the Boilermakers 💪 pic.twitter.com/U5WPPilQVf
Purdue's locker room whiteboard did not survive 😬#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/8GbbbrQ72z
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2023
ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this story