Who is Fairleigh Dickinson? Meet the No. 16 seed that upset No. 1 Purdue
Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Tobin Anderson told his team earlier this week that "the more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them." The No. 16 seed did just that.
The Knights took down No. 1 Purdue 63-58 on Friday, becoming just the second No. 16 seed to beat a top seed since the men's bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
"We just shocked the world," first-year coach Anderson said after the upset.
Again, Anderson was right. With the win, Fairleigh Dickinson is now on the radar of many March Madness fans who probably had their brackets busted. Here's everything you need to know about the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights:
UPSET ALERT: FDU pulls off historical stunner over No. 1 seed Purdue
MARCH MADNESS LIVE UPDATES: All the highlights Friday from men's and women's tournament games
Who is Fairleigh Dickinson?
Fairleigh Dickinson is a private university located in Hackensack, New Jersey. The university is the state's largest private institution with over 12,000 students.
The Knights are a NCAA Division I team competing in the Northeast Conference. Fairleigh Dickinson is the shortest team in Division I at an average height of 6-foot-3, with 6-foot-6 freshman Jo'el Emanuel the tallest player in the Knights' rotation.
How did Fairleigh Dickinson make it into the NCAA Tournament?
After winning four total games last season, the Knights finished the 2022-23 regular season with a 17-14 record and tied for second in the Northeast Conference under first-year coach Anderson.
Fairleigh Dickinson earned an automatic bid to go dancing despite losing to Merrimack in the conference championship game because the Warriors are ineligible due to the NCAA's transition rule (Merrimack was formerly a Division II school).
On Selection Sunday, FDU was named a No. 16 seed and was one of four teams to parcipate in First Four games earlier this week. The Knights advanced to the First Round with a win over Texas Southern on Wednesday.
"It’s hard to put it into words, really," Anderson said. "There’s not something I could say. It’s just been an unbelievable ride. We never would’ve dreamed of this 10 months ago."
MORE: Why NEC men's basketball tournament champion Merrimack isn't going to NCAA Tournament
Has a 16-seed ever beat a No. 1 seed before?
In 2018, the No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers were knocked off in the first round by the No. 16 Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers. And it wasn't close: 74–54. It is referred to as the greatest upset in NCAA men's tournament history, and now the feat has company following Fairleigh Dickinson's win.
This marks the third consecutive year Purdue has lost to a double-digit seed in the tournament and the second year in a row the team has been upset by an underdog from New Jersey. In 2021 as a No. 4 seed, the Boilermakers lost to No. 13 North Texas in the first round. As a No. 3 seed, Purdue lost in last season’s Sweet 16 to No. 15 Saint Peter’s, which nearly became the highest seed to ever reach the Final Four.
Contributing: Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Fairleigh Dickinson? Meet No. 16 seed that upset No. 1 Purdue
