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Consternation au March Madness!
Recorded as the 1st seed in the Eastern Division, Purdue was shown the door in the first round of the tournament by the Knights of Fairleigh Dickingson University (FDU) on Friday.
FDU recorded the improbable win as the 16th favorite by a score of 63-58.
Sean Moore got the crowd going with just over a minute left in the game to give FDU a five-point lead 61-56 on a field goal from downtown. The Boilermakers came within three points and the towering 7-foot-4 Canadian Zach Edey made a crucial block to give the ball back to his team with 29.2 seconds left.
Braden Smith attempted a breakout to the basket to approach Purdue in scoring, but Moore made a sublime block on the stride shot leaving just 12.5 seconds on the clock, Purdue with possession. Fletcher Loyer had a chance to tie the game, but he missed the mark with his shot from downtown. FDU followed that up with two points from free throws and the celebrations were on followingwards.
Only one other such win had come at March Madness, and that was in 2018 when UMBC upset Virginia in the 1st round.
Moore capped off his night with 19 points for the Knights. His teammate Demetre Roberts recorded 12 points in the win.
Edey was by far Purdue’s most productive player in this encounter. The center was dominant under the basket with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Loyer followed with 13 points for the formation which saw its road being slowed down much faster than expected.
Quebecers Pier-Olivier Racine and Sébastien Lamaute play for Fairleigh Dickinson. They did not see any action in this match, however.
FDU will now have a date with the winner of the clash between Florida Atlantic (9) and Memphis (8) in the second round.
