Purdue’s loss to FDU was the most important NCAA Match upset ever

Firstly of ever NCAA Match each crew desires to make historical past. Purdue’s males’s basketball crew had that very same hope. With 7’4 Zach Edey main the best way, Purdue hoped to win it’s first nationwide championship.

The Boilermakers did make historical past within the NCAA Match, however not for the explanation they wished.

Of their first spherical sport, Purdue misplaced to Fairleigh Dickinson, changing into solely the second No. 1 seed in NCAA Match historical past to lose to a 16-seed. Whereas they could not have been the primary to be so shockingly upset, it is going to go down because the greatest upset in NCAA Match historical past.

What separates the Purdue loss from the remaining is the diploma to which it by no means ought to have occurred and will by no means have been predicted. Even after UMBC shocked No. 1 Virginia in 2018, changing into the primary 16 seed to drag off the upset and proving it may occur, there was no motive to imagine it could occur this time. By each metric, comparability and thought, this shouldn’t have occurred.

Within the time main as much as Choice Sunday, Purdue and FDU couldn’t have been in additional completely different spots. Purdue had been ranked No. 1 within the AP ballot for weeks by the common season and simply accomplished a win of each the Large Ten common season and convention match. FDU didn’t even win its convention match, usually the requirement of a crew its measurement to succeed in the NCAA Match. However as a result of its opponent, Merrimack, was ineligible to compete within the match, the Knights took the bid regardless of the loss.

Even then, FDU was nonetheless a sport away from even assembly Purdue. The Knights performed Texas Southern within the First 4 earlier than even reaching the Spherical of 64. FDU received that sport because the underdog.

Each quantity was in opposition to FDU heading into its Friday sport in opposition to Purdue. FDU was ranked the 68th of 68 groups within the NCAA Match, whereas Purdue was No. 4. For comparability, Virginia was the No. 1 total crew within the match, however UMBC was solely No. 63, not as huge a disparity because the 2023 matchup. The Boilermakers entered as a 23.5-point favourite, making them the most important favourite by the Las Vegas definition to ever lose. Virginia’s loss hadn’t even held that mark. As a substitute, Purdue’s loss beat No. 2 Missouri’s 21-point upset by the hands of No. 15 Norfolk State in 2012.

Purdue’s loss grabbed the eye of the viewing viewers

Three-fourths of faculty basketball followers mentioned the Purdue loss was an even bigger upset than Virginia’s in 2018.

On high of that, a majority of followers mentioned Purdue shedding to FDU was much more shocking than No. 15 seed Princeton making it a spherical deeper into the match by reaching the Candy Sixteen.

David took down a literal Goliath

It wasn’t simply that Purdue had extra expertise on its roster or that it was the larger program. The Boilermakers have been actually greater. Edey towered over opponents all season lengthy, with virtually nobody within the nation capable of match his bodily measurement, however FDU was virtually comically small. FDU was useless final, No. 363, in KenPom rankings for common top within the nation. They didn’t have a single participant taller than 6’6 within the rotation.

The rankings made the matchup appear ridiculous. KenPom ranked FDU the No. 312 crew within the nation on Choice Sunday, whereas Purdue was No. 7. NET rankings weren’t a lot kinder, placing FDU at 301 and Purdue at 5.

To Virginia’s credit score, the yr following its epic loss to UMBC the Cavaliers received a nationwide championship. Sadly, most followers exterior of the Commonwealth bear in mind the upset greater than the title. Nonetheless, Purdue would virtually actually settle for the FDU loss if it means a 2024 championship.

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