Fairleigh Dickinson trying to refocus after 'life-changing' win

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights admit it won't be easy to play Sunday on the heels of producing perhaps the biggest upset in college basketball history.

But even after Friday's «life-changing» victory over Purdue — just the second time ever that a No. 16 seed has defeated a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament — the Knights say they want to «keep dancing.»

«It's hard to top what we did last night,» senior guard Grant Singleton said Saturday. «But we are just trying to keep a level head, stay humble about the situation. We have more things to do.»

The Knights will face ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic, which eliminated Memphis later Friday night at Nationwide Arena on Nick Boyd's game-winning layup in the final seconds. The winner will advance to the Sweet 16 and play in Madison Square Garden in New York City, just a 15-mile drive away from the Fairleigh Dickinson campus in Teaneck, New Jersey.

«That would be incredible,» said first-year FDU coach Tobin Anderson. «I wouldn't have to fly back to Jersey, I could take off running, like Forrest Gump or something.

»That would be beyond our wildest dreams, a bit like [the movie line from] 'Hoosiers' to do that. But we've got a lot of work in front of us."

It's already been a dream season for the Knights, who stunned Purdue 63-58 in the program's first ever NCAA tournament victory, not including Wednesday's play-in win.

Entering Friday, 16-seeds were 1-150 in the opening round. Fairleigh Dickinson joined the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, which became the first men's 16-seed to beat a No. 1 by knocking off Virginia in 2018.

«That whole game has changed everybody on our team — staff, students, everybody who [goes] to Fairleigh Dickinson University,» said forward