Fairleigh Dickinson Coach Tobin Anderson: 'The More I Watch Purdue, The More I Think We Can Beat Them'
Eyes and ears were on Fairleigh Dickinson's locker room following an 84-61 win over Texas Southern on Wednesday night at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
The Knights claimed the No. 16 seed in the East region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament and will advance to play No. 1 seed Purdue in the first round on Friday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The team was confident after the 23-point decision, which secured the program's second First Four victory in the last five years. But head coach Tobin Anderson may have added fuel to the fire for the Boilermakers.
"The more I see Purdue, the more I think we can beat them," he said to his players during the team's postgame celebration.
“I want Purdue to see this. The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them”
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 16, 2023
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Only once has a No. 16 seed taken down a No. 1 seed, which came in 2018 when the University of Maryland, Baltimore Country handed Virginia a 74-54 defeat. Before then, No. 1 seeds were 135-0 all-time against No. 16 seeds.
"Let's go shock the world," Anderson added.
Fairleigh Dickinson is the smallest team competing in this year's NCAA Tournament field and will now match up against Purdue's 7-foot-4 junior center Zach Edey.
So far this season, Edey has averaged 22.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. He is a consensus first-team All-American selection and garnered Big Ten Player of the Year honors. The Boilermakers enter Friday's game with a 29-5 overall record.
The game is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. ET and will be televised on TNT. The winner will advance to the second round and player either No. 8 seed Memphis or No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic.
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- Fairleigh Dickinson Routs Texas Southern 84-61: Sophomore forward Ansley Almonor scored 23 points to lead Fairleigh Dickinson's high-scoring offense in an 84-61 win against Texas Southern on Wednesday. The Knights move on to play No. 1 seed Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. CLICK HERE
- Takeaways From Fairleigh Dickinson's Win Over Texas Southern: Fairleigh Dickinson defeated fellow 16-seed Texas Southern 84-61 on Wednesday in the First Four round at the University of Dayton Arena. The Knights advance to the Round of 64, where they'll play the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers. Here are three takeaways from Fairleigh Dickinson's win. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Coach Matt Painter Previews NCAA Tournament: Before Purdue embarks on its NCAA Tournament run on Friday coach Matt Painter addressed how the team will prepare for its first-round matchup. The Boilermakers are slated to play the winner of a game between Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Guard Ethan Morton Previews NCAA Tournament: Ahead of Purdue's trip to Columbus, Ohio, for the NCAA Tournament, junior guard Ethan Morton spoke about the team's focus and preparation. The Boilermakers will play the winner of a matchup between Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.