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Fairleigh Dickinson University's fairytale run at the 2023 March Madness ended in the second round. FDU suffered a 78-70 defeat to Florida Atlantic on Sunday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The Knights were coming off one of the greatest upsets in NCAA tournament history, knocking off No. 1 Purdue in the first round. They were the heavy underdogs heading into the game against All-American center Zach Edey and the Boilermakers.
However, FDU stunned them 63-58 to become the second No. 16 seed to eliminate a top seed in March Madness. The Knights' journey might have ended on Sunday, but they had one hell of a run.
FDU was not supposed to be in the NCAA Tournament, considering the Knights were just 4-22 last year. Rookie coach Tobin Anderson turned things around this season, finishing with a record of 21-16.
The Knights were the regular-season runner-ups after finishing second to Merrimack in the Northeast Conference. They were also the NEC tournament runner-up after losing to Merrimack in the final.
However, Merrimack is still ineligible to appear in March Madness, as they're still in transition from Division II to Division I. FDU got the nod to represent the NEC and beat Texas Southern 84-61 in their First Four matchup to advance in the East region.
Fans on social media praised FDU for its memorable March Madness run. They praised the Knights for knocking off Purdue despite being literally the smallest team in the nation and for giving Florida Atlantic a tough fight.
One said:
"The greatest March madness run ever. So proud to be a Knight."
Here are some of the comments on Twitter:
FDU keeps it close against Florida Atlantic in second round of March Madness
No. 9 Florida Atlantic knew it was in a tough fight against No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. FAU came off a tough 66-65 win over Memphis in the first round, needing a game-winning layup from Nick Boyd, while FDU shocked the world by eliminating No. 1 Purdue.
Johnell Davis came up big for the Owls, putting up 29 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in their 78-70 win. Alijah Martin added 14 points, three rebounds and two assists.
FAU (33-3) will face No. 4 Tennessee (25-10) in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Demetre Roberts scored a team-high 20 points for FDU, while Sean Moore had 14 points and nine rebounds. Joe Munden Jr. added 13 points, but that wasn't enough to pull off another upset.
