March Madness 2023: Twitter reacts to FDU-Purdue
The men's NCAA tournament mayhem continued Friday as the No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights took down the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers in the first round at Columbus, Ohio.
FDU's win is just the second time a No. 16 seed stunned a No. 1 in the round of 64 NCAA tournament history. The other instance happened in 2018 when the UMBC Retrievers defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 74-54. Entering Friday's game, the Knights had an 0-5 record in the round of 64.
The Knights entered the second half with a 32-31 lead, and the game stayed tight throughout the second half. Turnovers were a huge factor, as Purdue had 16 total turnovers which led to 15 points for Fairleigh Dickinson. Knights forward Sean Moore led the way with a career-high 19 points to help his team defeat the Boilermakers 63-58.
Friday's loss is Purdue's third straight loss against a double-digit seed in the NCAA tournament. The Boilermakers lost to the No. 15 seed Saint Peter's Peacocks in last year's tourney and fell to the No. 13 seed North Texas Mean Green in the 2021 tournament.
The Knights' win caused a frenzy on Twitter, as plenty of stars posted their thoughts on the thrilling contest.
The Retrievers' social media account was tuned into the Knights' upset and welcomed FDU to the club.
EVERYONE FOLLOW <a href=«https://twitter.com/FDUKnightsMBB?ref_src=» https:>@FDUKnightsMBB
We've been lonely
us the past 5 years pic.twitter.com/XBGzO43pay
With under 19 seconds remaining, Fairleigh Dickinson's Twitter account tried to calm its nerves as the game came to a close.
18.9 2H | FINGERS ARE SHAKING TOO MUCH TO TYPE. #16 <a href=«https://twitter.com/hashtag/FDU?src=hash&ref_src=» https:>#FDU
61, #1 Purdue 58<a