Where is FDU? 6 things to know about Florida Atlantic's next NCAA Tournament opponent

They weren't even supposed to be here. But somehow, some way, No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson has become the biggest Cinderella team of this year's NCAA Tournament (and possibly ever). After defeating No. 1 seed Purdue 63-58 on Friday, the Knights have become the team to talk about when discussing March Madness.

They also happen to be Florida Atlantic's next opponent. After the Owls stunned many and came back to beat Penny Hardaway's Memphis Tigers in a game that went down to the wire Friday night, FAU and FDU will now meet Sunday night for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16. The winner faces No. 4 seed Tennessee on Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

But who, what and where is Fairleigh Dickinson? Here are some things to know about FDU and their men's basketball team.

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Where is Fairleigh Dickinson University?

FDU actually has two campuses in New Jersey, but the athletic teams are based out of the school's Metropolitan campus in Teaneck and Hackensack. The other campus is located in Madison and Florham Park.

Fairleigh Dickinson's Metropolitan campus is not that far north of Saint Peter's University, last year's NCAA Tournament darling who also came out victorious as a No. 15 seed against No. 3 Purdue in the Sweet 16.

FDU got into March Madness on a technicality

Fairleigh Dickinson plays in the Northeast Conference, which typically sends only one team to the NCAA Tournament each year via the automatic bid that goes to the conference tournament champion. However, this year the NEC did not send its tournament champ.

Merrimack beat FDU 67-66 in the NEC Tournament final. But Merrimack is still transitioning from Division II to Division I, and under NCAA rules, teams are ineligible to play in the NCAA Tournament in the first four years after joining D-I. So FDU got the conference's automatic bid instead.

If Merrimack had gone up to D-I a year earlier, they would have been in the tournament field and FDU would be watching at home.

Fairleigh Dickinson won just 4 games last season

The Knights have really turned it around in just one year. In the 2021-22 season, FDU had an overall record of 4-22. This year, including their win over Purdue, they've posted a 21-15 record so far.

What did the FDU coach say about Purdue?

After winning their First Four game Wednesday night, Fairleigh Dickinson basketball coach Tobin Anderson told his players in the locker room "the more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them."

The clip went viral and reached the ears of the No. 1-seeded Boilermakers. Senior guard David Jenkins Jr. said the team "took it as disrespectful."

After FDU pulled off the upset, Anderson made sure everyone listening understood he respected his opponents.

FDU is the shortest team in this year's NCAA Tournament

Unusually for a basketball team, the Knights are not very tall. No player on Fairleigh Dickinson's roster is taller than 6'6", which makes their defeat of Purdue and 7'4" big man Zach Edey even more impressive.

Though FAU's starting guards don't have a lot of height themselves, the Owls' starting center, Vladislav Goldin, is 7'1".

Fairleigh Dickinson's win over Purdue upended the point spread

For those who bet on games, picking Purdue in their matchup against FDU probably seemed like a no-brainer. The Boilermakers were favored by 23.5 points, making Fairleigh Dickinson's win the biggest upset by point spread in NCAA Tournament history.

For comparison, the only other No. 16 seed to win a first round game, UMBC, was a 20.5-point underdog to No. 1 Virginia in 2018. The Retrievers beat the Cavaliers 74-54 in the first round of the 2018 tournament.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Fairleigh Dickinson: 6 things to know about FAU March Madness opponent