#16 Fairleigh Dickinson (20-15) vs. #1 Purdue (29-5)
And the Belle of the Ball has finally arrived. After a pretty chalky first half of the day, we see only the SECOND ever men’s No. 16 seed upset a No. 1 following in UMBC’s footsteps circa 2018. Cinderella has come full swing as a 16 seed has beaten the 1 for only the third time in the tournament era.
As the first half buzzer sounded, it was to the shock of everyone that the No. 16 seed play-in winner was up on the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers. Fairleigh Dickinson came out with a great game plan: keep two sets of hands on Zach Edey, and pick the Boilers up whenever possible. Even when Purdue went on a 13-2 run, the Knights stay composed, packed into their 3-2 zone and tried to get out whenever possible in transition.
Though the Knights were down in the rebounding battle (19-16), the two teams were actually tied in terms of offensive rebounds with five apiece. Tobin Anderson’s team won the turnover battle (5-8) for the first half as well, these were all major components to their halftime lead (32-31).
FDU was led by Sean Moore who had 19 points and 5 rebounds. The Knights shot 39% from the field, 30% from three, and 80% from the free throw line. The shooting numbers may not be how you pull the upset, but the way those guys played is the definition of heart and grit.
No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63, No. 1 Purdue 58
#9 Florida Atlantic (31-3) vs. #8 Memphis (26-8)
Having to follow one of the largest upsets in College Basketball history, this game did just enough to keep everyone’s attention (kidding about doing just enough!!!). The Owls jumped out to a 25-15 lead after a 10-0 run. The Tigers hung around though, and finished the half on a 12-2 run to go into the intermission up 35-31.
Penny Hardaway and company refused to let the Owls keep their pace as Kendrick Davis led all scorers with 12 points. While staying true to who they are, Memphis continued to use their size to put pressure on FAU and make any offensive possession they had out of character.
The second half felt like it was Memphis’ playground. Offensively, they started going to the rim and attacking the lane more, rather than playing sideline to sideline. Their 2-3 zone really gave the Owls fits as well. It certainly seemed as though the size and athletic nature of DeAndre Williams, Malcolm Dandridge, and Chandler Lawson had a lot to do with the offensive struggles of Dusty May’s group.
Somehow, though, the Owls hung around and kept clawing back. Dusty May’s group had six players with 6 or more points, Giancarlo Rosado led the way with 15 points for FAU in 21 minutes of work. But in the end it was Bryan Greenlee who won it for the Owls in the end with a drive to the front of the rim.
No. 9 Florida Atlantic 66 – No. 8 Memphis 65
