Fairleigh Dickinson wasn't supposed to be in NCAA Tournament
It happened again.
For only the second time in NCAA Tournament history, a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed after the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights shocked the Purdue Boilermakers, 63-58, on Friday night.
Adding further insult to injury for the Boilermakers, FDU wasn't technically supposed to be in this year's tournament.
FDU advanced to the Northeast Conference Championship but lost to the Merrimack Warriors, failing to grab the automatic tournament bid. While the tournament spot would have generally gone to Merrimack, the program is still transitioning to Division I and, therefore, ineligible for the field of 68.
Ultimately, FDU earned a spot in the First Four, knocking off the Texas Southern Tigers, 84-61, setting a first-round date with the Boilermakers.
The rest, as they say, is history.
All the Knights did from there was produce perhaps the biggest upset in tournament history, joining UMBC as the only 16th seed to knock off a No. 1.
According to ESPN Stats and Info, FDU's victory over Purdue was the largest upset since 1985, when the tournament first expanded to 64 teams. As 23.5-point underdogs, the Knights surpassed Norfolk State, who knocked off Missouri as 21.5 dogs in 2012.
The Knights' tournament journey will continue Sunday at 5 p.m. in the round of 32 when they take on the winner of No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Florida.
FDU will need a lot of magic to keep its remarkable ride going, but the 2022-23 squad has made its mark, whatever the result may be on Sunday.
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