Big Ten Roundup (March 17): FDU Upsets Purdue; Michigan State, Indiana Win Big
When Fairleigh Dickinson coach Tobin Anderson called his shot on Wednesday, most people laughed.
"The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them," Anderson said after an 84-61 win over Texas Southern in the First Four round in Dayton. "Let's go shock the world."
Purdue used it as bulletin board material, watching the video with Anderson's comments after a film session on Thursday in preparation for the game.
"We all took it as disrespectful," Purdue senior guard David Jenkins Jr. said. "We're going to go into that game ready to play. Trust me. That's fuel to our fire."
Soon after tipoff between No. 1 seed Purdue and No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, it became apparent that Fairleigh Dickinson was no joke. The Knights went back and forth with Purdue all game, using a full-court press to force 16 turnovers and swarming first-team All-American Zach Edey in the post. Fairleigh Dickinson forced Purdue's role players to beat them with outside shooting, and the Boilermakers finished 5-for-26 from 3-point range.
Sean Moore drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:07 remaining, and Fairleigh Dickinson could taste the upset. Moore blocked Braden Smith's layup on the other end, and Fletcher Loyer's 3-point attempt was way off, sealing the upset. Moore led the team with 19 points, while Edey scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Purdue.
Even more shocking, Fairleigh Dickinson took down 7-foot-4 Zach Edey and the Boilermakers despite being the smallest team in college basketball. The Knights didn't even win the Northeast Conference Tournament or regular season title, but they qualified for the NCAA Tournament because of an NCAA rule that precludes Merrimack from participating in the postseason due to their former Division II status. And last year? Fairleigh Dickinson was one of the worst teams in college basketball, posting a 4-22 record.
But despite everything stacked against Fairleigh Dickinson, in the end it became the second 16-seed in NCAA Tournament history to upset a 1-seed.
"We outplayed them for 40 minutes," Anderson told his team in the locker room. "We were the better team for 40 minutes tonight ... You just made college basketball history tonight."
Friday's results
- No. 7 Michigan State 72, No. 10 USC 62: After a tie game at halftime, Michigan State led by as many as 15 points in the second half. It was a balanced effort for the Spartans as Joey Hauser scored 17 points, followed by 12 points from Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins and 11 points from A.J. Hoggard. Michigan State advances to play No. 2 seed Marquette on Sunday at 5:15 p.m. ET.
- No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63, No. 1 Purdue 58: Tied for Purdue's second-lowest scoring game of the season, the Boilermakers shot 5-for-26 from 3-point range with 16 turnovers. Zach Edey scored 21 points and 15 rebounds, but Purdue's season ends in heartbreak despite winning the Big Ten Conference tournament, regular season title and being ranked No. 1 in the country for seven weeks. Fairleigh Dickinson advances to play No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic on Sunday at 7:45 p.m. ET.
- No. 4 Indiana 71, No. 13 Kent State 60: Led by its senior big-man duo of Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson, Indiana trailed just once all game. Jackson-Davis dominated Kent State with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and five assists, and Thompson added 20 points and nine rebounds. Kent State leading scorer Sincere Carry finished with 15 points on 5-for-18 shooting and 1-for-6 from 3-point range. Indiana advances to play No. 5 seed Miami (FL) on Sunday at 8:40 p.m. ET.
Saturday's slate
Big Ten teams are the underdogs in all three matchups today, beginning with No. 10 seed Penn State against No. 2 seed Texas. The Nittany Lions defeated No. 7 seed Texas A&M on Thursday thanks to eight 3-pointers from Andrew Funk, and they'll look to upset another Texas team on Saturday.
Northwestern is coming off an eight-point win over Boise State in the Round of 64. Next, the Wildcats get UCLA, a team who was without starters Jaylen Clark (achilles) and Adem Bona (shoulder) on Thursday against UNC-Asheville.
Maryland faces the No. 1 overall seed, the Alabama Crimson Tide, who are now the favorites to win the National Championship at plus-450 odds. Maryland snuck away with a 67-65 win over West Virginia on Thursday, and Alabama dominated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi despite first-team All-American Brandon Miller scoring zero points.
- No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 2 Texas (-5.5), 7:45 p.m. ET on CBS
- No. 7 Northwestern vs. No. 2 UCLA (-7.5), 8:40 p.m. ET on TNT
- No. 8 Maryland vs. No. 1 Alabama (-8.5), 9:40 p.m. ET on TBS
