Three Takeaways: Fairleigh Dickinson Defeats Texas Southern, Plays No. 1 Seed Purdue Next
DAYTON, Ohio. – Fairleigh Dickinson defeated Texas Southern 84-61 on Wednesday in the First Four round at the University of Dayton Arena.
In this matchup of 16-seeds, Fairleigh Dickinson's full-court press and five-out offense was too much for Texas Southern to handle. Ansley Almonor led Fairleigh Dickinson with 23 points, knocking down five 3-pointers.
"Our press got us the lead, our press got us going and our half court defense was excellent," Fairleigh Dickinson coach Tobin Anderson said. "We shared the ball, played unselfish. A lot of guys -- assists and made extra passes and did the right thing. Honestly, that was least coaching I've done. I must say, when you play that well, life is pretty easy."
With this win, Fairleigh Dickinson advances to the Round of 64, where they'll face the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers on Friday at 6:50 p.m. ET in Columbus, Ohio.
Here are three takeaway's from Fairleigh Dickinson's win.
1. Full-court press sets tone
Fairleigh Dickinson jumped out to an early 14-2 lead thanks to its chaos-causing full-court press. The press started with 5-foot-8 senior point guard Demetre Roberts sticking close to whoever caught the in-bounds pass. In the back of the press, the Knights were eager to jump passing lanes near half court and create offense the other way. Texas Southern found some easy baskets when the press broke down or when the Tigers pushed the pace after missed shots, but the press was largely effective in Fairleigh Dickinson keeping Texas Southern uncomfortable. The Tigers shot 1-for-17 from 3-point range.
The press could be a concern for a Purdue offense that can be taken out of rhythm with stingy on-ball pressure, specifically against Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Ethan Morton. Indiana and Maryland had success against Purdue bringing this style of defense, which helps limit easy post feeds to Zach Edey.
2. Edey should feast on limited size
When Purdue is able to break the press and set up its half-court offense, Fairleigh Dickinson will be at a major disadvantage against All-American center Zach Edey, who averages 22.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. This is true of most opponents, but Fairleigh Dickinson's tallest rotation players are 6-foot-7 sophomore Ansley Almonor and 6-foot-6 Jo'El Emanuel.
The Knights didn't have to double-team Texas Southern much at all, so making this adjustment with a quick turnaround adds to the already-massive challenge against Edey. Even guys like Caleb Furst, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Mason Gillis should have an advantage in post-up situations.
3. Five-out offense could create matchup problems
Due to Fairleigh Dickinson's limited size, first-year coach Tobin Anderson runs a five-out offense that thrives off of constant ball movement, cutting through the lane and 3-point shooting ability from every player on the court. Fairleigh Dickinson will rarely, if ever, gives a true post touch to its tallest players, Almonor and Emauel, who play primarily on the wings. Almonor led Fairleigh Dickinson with 23 points on 5-for-8 3-point shooting, followed by 17 points from Joe Munden Jr., 15 from Roberts, 13 from Grant Singleton and 10 from Sean Moore.
While Edey should be able to score on nearly every possession, Fairleigh Dickinson's five-out offense could create matchup problems for Edey, who struggles away from the basket. The Knights frequently push the pace, and no one stands still on offense. The Boilermakers will have to be sharp in their defensive communication and rotations.
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Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/Fan Nation writer for HoosiersNow.com, where he covers Indiana football, basketball and baseball. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism.