Move over UMBC, you have company.
On Friday night, No. 16 Farleigh Dickinson upset No. 1 Purdue 63-58, becoming just the second No. 16 team in NCAA Tournament history to upset a No. 1 seeded team. Previously, No. 16 UMBC upset No. 1 Virginia 75-54 in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
The Knights who went 21-15 in the regular season and through NEC Tournament play, didn’t even win their conference, Merrimak did. However, due to Merrimak being ineligible for the NCAA Tournament as they continue to transition to Division I, Farleigh Dickinson still was able to go dancing this season. Now, they’re etched in the history books forever.
16 seeds are 2-150 in first round games:
2018 UMBC over Virginia
2023 FDU over Purdue— Patrick Conn (@PatrickConnCFB) March 18, 2023
Farleigh Dickinson was led by 18 points from forward Sean Moore and 12 points from guard Demetre Roberts to pull off the upset. Purdue was led offensively by none other than 7-foot-5 All-American center Zach Edey who recorded 21 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.
The loss also marks the third straight season that Purdue as a fourth seed or higher was knocked out by a 13-seed or higher. They were previously defeated as a No. 3 seed by No. 15 Saint Peter’s last season and were upset by No. 13 North Texas in 2021 as a four seed.
Farleigh Dickinson will now play Sunday against the winner of No. 8 Memphis and No. 9 Florida Atlantic.