Purdue’s loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the NCAA tournament produced some surprising and devastating numbers. Purdue was a 23.5-point favorite, making this the biggest upset in the NCAA tournament since 1985, according to ESPN. Despite Purdue’s ranking as the team with the most effective height in the country, Fairleigh Dickinson ranked last out of 363 teams. Additionally, Purdue’s loss was the first time a No. 1 seed lost to a 16 seed in the NCAA tournament since 2018. Zach Edey, the Boilermakers’ All-American center, tipped in the basket that tied the game at 49 with 9:25 left in the game, but he didn’t attempt another field goal again.
The rest of the Boilermakers only scored 28.6% of their field goal attempts, while their 3-point shooting accuracy was only 19.2%. Meanwhile, Fairleigh Dickinson’s top three scorers scored 21 of the team’s total points. This loss marked the third time in the last three NCAA tournaments that Purdue lost to teams with seeds of 13 or worse. Lastly, no perfect brackets were left in ESPN’s competition after Purdue’s loss.
Purdue’s loss to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the NCAA tournament produced some surprising and devastating numbers for the team and its fans. Here are ten of the most notable figures:
Conference Titles
- Both Purdue and Fairleigh Dickinson have two conference titles each.
Zach Edey’s last field goal attempt
- Purdue All-American center Zach Edey scored the final basket that tied the game at 49 with 9:25 left in the game, but he didn’t attempt another field goal again, marking a 9 minutes and 25 seconds dry spell.
Point spread upset
- Purdue was the biggest upset in the NCAA tournament since 1985, according to ESPN, as they were a 23.5-point favorite, and Fairleigh Dickinson was an underdog by the same number.
Conference Rankings
- The Big Ten conference, where Purdue comes from, was ranked No. 2 according to NET ratings, while Fairleigh Dickinson’s Northeast Conference was ranked last, No. 32.
Effective Height Ranking
- KenPom’s ranking had Purdue as the team with the most effective height in the country, thanks to Zach Edey’s 7-foot-4 height. Fairleigh Dickinson ranked last out of 363 teams.
Zach Edey’s teammates’ shooting accuracy
- Zach Edey made 7 out of 11 shots, while the rest of the Boilermakers were 12-of-42, or 28.6%.
Purdue’s 3-point shooting accuracy
- Purdue shot only 19.2% (5-of-26) from beyond the arc.
Fairleigh Dickinson’s top scorers
- Despite their low scoring total of 58 points, Fairleigh Dickinson’s top three scorers, Demetre Roberts, Grant Singleton, and Ansley Almonor, scored 21 of the team’s total points (7-of-25).
Purdue’s NCAA tournament history
- Purdue has lost to teams with seeds of 13 or worse in the last three NCAA tournaments.
ESPN competition brackets
- There are no longer any perfect brackets left in ESPN’s competition after Purdue’s loss.
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