COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The most effective story on this NCAA Match is a reasonably ridiculous one.

For years, outsiders and even a few of Fairleigh Dickinson’s proud alumni have referred to as the non-public, commuter college in Teaneck, New Jersey, by one other title — an inside joke and pet moniker suggesting a status for partying.

Pretty Ridiculous. You guess.

That would definitely describe what the Knights, school basketball’s smallest squad which incorporates some Division II gamers dropped at FDU by Tobin Anderson, the group’s fast-talking, first-year vagabond coach, have achieved in a number of days.

From underdogs to in a single day sensations. March madmen.

Solely within the NCAA subject as a result of a technicality, Fairleigh Dickinson, which went 4-22 final season, received a First 4 sport in Dayton earlier than the Friday night time gorgeous 63-58 win over top-seeded Purdue. It was simply the second No. 16 seed win over a No. 1 seed in males’s tourney historical past.

The Knights woke up Saturday to a brand new world.

“Life altering,” stated FDU ahead Sean Moore, who scored 19 factors and blocked a layup within the ultimate seconds to assist seal the win over Purdue. “That complete sport has modified everyone on our group, employees, college students, everyone who goes to Fairleigh Dickinson College.

“Every thing is completely different now. Telephone has been going loopy, nonetheless is.”

Similar for Anderson, who spent a lot of his morning doing nationwide TV interviews following an upset that reverberated throughout the sports activities world.

“I’ve obtained, like, 1,200 unanswered texts proper now,” he stated. “The issue every time I take a look at my telephone it’s an increasing number of. My message, if anyone’s listening, cease texting proper now. Give me an opportunity to catch up.”

Utilizing their superior velocity and quickness at each ends of the ground to fluster the Large Ten champion Boilermakers, FDU’s gamers introduced Purdue 7-foot-4 star middle Zach Edey all the way down to their stage and superior within the East Area.

On Sunday, the Knights (21-15) will face No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic (32-3), which nipped Memphis 66-65 within the ultimate seconds late Friday night time, for a spot in subsequent week’s Candy 16 at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York.

That chance is sort of an excessive amount of for the 51-year-old Anderson to fathom.

“I wouldn’t should fly again to Jersey,” he stated. “I may jog again, take off working, be like Forrest Gump or one thing. That might be unbelievable.”

Unbelievable might have already occurred. FDU’s feel-good story appears to have been pulled from a Hollywood film script.

Over the previous few days, Anderson, who was born in Iowa, performed school ball in Connecticut and began his teaching profession bouncing from one small school to a different in upstate New York, has referenced “Hoosiers” a number of occasions. There are certainly parallels to the well-known Indiana highschool hoops miracle and what FDU is doing.

In Could, Anderson took over a program in want of an enormous renovation. Simply hours after he was employed at Fairleigh Dickinson, he held his first follow and rapidly realized the job would require endurance together with an inflow of expertise.

He knew simply the place to search out some, convincing 4 gamers on his group at St. Thomas Aquinas Faculty, a Division-II energy about 15 miles from New York, to hitch him at FDU.

One in all them to make the leap was 5-foot-8 guard Demetre Roberts.

“Popping out of highschool, not having no D-I seems to be, I didn’t pout,” stated Roberts, who had 12 factors, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in opposition to Purdue. “I didn’t sit round and mope all day. I trusted coach. I trusted him all the best way and I’m nonetheless with him. And 5 years later, I’m nonetheless right here.”

Not solely did Anderson’s gross sales pitch to enroll at FDU work, so did his proposal to the Knights on the best way to beat Purdue. They took the ground totally assured they may comprise Edey regardless of being outsized, a 23 1/2 level underdog and a statistically poor group.

“We felt we may beat them ever since we have been watching movie, attempting to organize for them,” stated 6-foot-6 middle Ansley Almonor, FDU’s tallest participant. “We’re all shut. We’re like brothers. That was only a common sport for us.

“We felt we may go on the market and beat them, and that’s what we did.”

The truth that the Knights are even within the match is one other twist of their charming story. By all rights, they’re a No 17 seed.

FDU misplaced the Northeast Convention match title sport 67-66, however nonetheless obtained the league’s automated bid as a result of champion Merrimack stays ineligible for postseason play after transferring up from Division II to Division I.

Now, the Knights, who opened the tourney with a straightforward win over Texas Southern in Dayton, are 40 minutes and one win from being one of many final 16 groups standing.

Beating FAU, a group with an analogous enjoying fashion and swagger to FDU’s, will likely be tall job. However after taking out one of many nation’s prime gamers — a literal large — nothing appears too massive for this group.

“They’re not large,” Anderson stated of the Owls. “They’re nonetheless greater than us. Who shouldn’t be greater? There’s 5 guys within the hallway greater than us. However we’ve obtained to field out, rebound, be robust, be scrappy.

“We’ll should play actually, very well, compete our tails off and hope they’re perhaps not fairly as sharp. That’s simply the best way it’s. And it labored final night time. We’re hoping that it’s going to assist us tomorrow.”

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AP March Insanity protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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