Kentucky Reacts to Fairleigh Dickinson's Historic Upset of Purdue in NCAA Tournament
GREENSBORO, N.C. — As Kentucky basketball fought off Providence down the stretch of the second half in its Round of 64 win in the NCAA Tournament, some of the fans inside Greensboro Coliseum weren't even watching the game they paid money to see.
During each of the four games at the first weekend site, there would be continuous cuts to other broadcasts of other March Madness matchups on the video board, mostly during timeouts.
The first session of games nearly saw an upset in Greensboro, as No. 14 seed Kennesaw State gave No. 3 seed Xavier everything it could handle, but the Owls ultimately succumbed to a big Musketeer run that sent the Cincinnati school through to the Round of 32 with a 72-67 victory.
One game later an upset did occur, as No. 11 seed Pittsburgh needed only a mediocre performance to defeat No. 6 seed Iowa State, as the Cyclones scored only 18 second-half points, allowing the Panthers to cruise, 59-41.
Around the country at other venues, though, chalk held strong for the first half of the day, ducking Cinderella stories. Then came the second session.
About 20 minutes before Kentucky and Providence tipped off, the No. 1 seed in the East Region, Purdue, began its Round of 64 tilt against the No. 16 seeded Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.
FDU is a team that shouldn't even be in the NCAA Tournament, but because of the rules that come with teams transitioning from Division II to Division I, Merrimack, the top team in the Northeastern Conference, was ineligible to play. That opened the door for the Knights, who first had to defeat Texas Southern in a First Four game on Wednesday night in Dayton before heading over to Columbus to face the Boilermakers on Friday.
Purdue is the tallest team in the country. FDU is the shortest, yet it was able to make some unforgettable history, becoming the second-ever team to upset a No. 1 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, shocking the world with a 63-58 win.
So, how does this tie into Kentucky-Providence, exactly?
More on Kentucky-Providence HERE.
Well, as FDU's chances rose in the second half, whoever was operating the video board decided to keep on cutting back to Columbus, at one point leaving it on for fans to watch, while the Wildcats and Friars were playing.
At one point, a big roar came right as Kentucky inbounded the basketball. It was because the Knights had made another basket in the final moments of its game inside Nationwide Arena.
With less than three minutes to go in Greensboro, a bracket flashed on the video board, officially showing that FDU had pulled off the miracle and advanced in the East Region — which still includes Kentucky.
How staying loose helped Kentucky get the NCAA Tournament monkey off its back HERE
After the win, UK coach John Calipari was asked about the upset, which was news to him.
"What did you just say? What did you say?" he asked the reporter.
"We didn't know that. Did you guys know that? None of us knew that. We're not watching games. We're focused on us and enjoying this moment. Thank you for letting us know, though, they got beat. I didn't know. I feel bad. (Purdue coach) Matt Painter is a terrific guy, and I know what you go through with that kind of stuff."
"People will go crazy when this team was a low seed and a high seed beat them. It can happen. We shot 25 percent in the second half. Could have happened to us."
Everything John Calipari said after Kentucky's win HERE.
And it practically did happen to Calipari and the Cats last season. Saint Peter's being a No. 15 seed is less historic than a 16, but it was the biggest upset loss ever for Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. It was the first time that Calipari had experienced it like that, a day that he told reporters last week "hurt like hell."
Exactly 365 days later, another small school from the northeast stepped up to the plate and made a March memory that will live in infamy.
"I was so locked in. I didn't hear nothing. I was just worried about us winning this game," shooting guard Antonio Reeves said with a laugh. "They said Purdue lost, I was like 'huh?" It shocked me a little bit because we're still so dialed into our game, that we didn't even realize what was going on on the big screen."
"It's March, you know, any team can beat any team," forward Daimion Collins added.
CJ Fredrick said that he realized with about three minutes left in the game that something was going on, perhaps thanks to the "F-D-U" chants that filled the building.
In a way, it was symbolic. The torture chamber that the Wildcats were in thanks to the Peacocks suddenly evaporated, presumably traveling from Greensboro to Columbus, then following the stunned Boilermakers back to West Lafayette, Indiana.
"In this tournament, are you ready, I said it. Anything can happen. It's one game. If they played them, FDU, and (head coach) Tobin has done a great job — Anderson — but if they played them seven times, what? But that's not what this tournament is," Calipari said.
All it takes is one in March. Kentucky now prepares for its Round of 32 matchup against Kansas State on Sunday afternoon, as the pair of Wildcats will battle for a spot in the Sweet 16 in New York City.
If UK can make it to the Elite Eight, it won't have to play a No. 1 seed.
Kentucky will play Kansas State in the Round of 32. More HERE.
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