Goliath went down on Friday when No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson took down No. 1 Purdue, 63-58.
Junior forward Sean Moore was the unlikeliest of heroes for the unlikeliest of first-round winners. He averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in the regular season but lifted the Knights with 19 points and five rebounds against the Boilermakers, including a three-pointer with 64 seconds remaining to put FDU up, 61-56.
He shot 29 percent from three during the regular season while taking only 69 attempts.
MASSIVE 3 AND FDU ARE UP 5 pic.twitter.com/QX9xAofhbz
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 18, 2023
Moore added to his unbelievable night when he got airborne for an incredible block with 12.5 seconds remaining to prevent Purdue from cutting into the five-point deficit.
A HUGE BLOCK FOR FDU
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2023
GET TO TNT NOW.#MarchMadness @FDUKnightsMBB pic.twitter.com/LvczPFBaGg
The Knights are just the second 16-seed to win an NCAA Tournament game. UMBC was the first 16-seed to win a tournament game when it defeated Virginia 74-54 in 2018.
As FDU closed in on its upset win, UMBC's social media account chimed in with tweets supporting their fellow underdog in pursuit of a historic upset.
We've been lonely
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 18, 2023
— UMBC Athletics (@UMBCAthletics) March 18, 2023
It's hard to overstate just how huge of an upset the Knights' win was. They went 4-22 a season ago and needed a win in a First Four game against Texas Southern to advance to the round of 64. As ESPN Stats & Info noted, Fairleigh Dickinson is the first team from the Northeast Conference to advance to the round of 32.
Knights to remember!
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 18, 2023
Fairleigh Dickinson is just the second 16 seed to reach the Round of 32, and the first team from the Northeast Conference to win a game in the Round of 64. pic.twitter.com/3qfJ7h9gpa
Per Sports-Reference, the win was also the biggest upset by pregame point spread in tournament history. As Heat Check CBB noted on Twitter, Purdue was a 23.5-point against Fairleigh Dickinson, 2.5 points more than Missouri was favored by in 2012 against Norfolk State.
Per Sports-Reference, the biggest upset by point spread in NCAA Tournament history is Norfolk State beating Missouri in 2012 as a 21-point underdog.
— Heat Check CBB (@HeatCheckCBB) March 18, 2023
Purdue was a 23.5-point favorite today, per Caesars Sportsbook.
It currently trails FDU 54-53 with 5:43 remaining.
Questions will abound for Purdue as to why the likely National Player of the Year Zach Edey was a nonfactor late in the game. The massive 7-foot, 4-inch, 285-pound Edey had 21 points and 15 rebounds but didn't attempt a field goal after he tied the game at 49 with a two-point bucket with 9:25 remaining.
The aftershock of Fairleigh Dickinson's win will likely reverberate for quite some time. That's what happens when a giant hits the ground.
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