March Madness: where and what is Fairleigh Dickinson?

Add Fairleigh Dickinson to the list of giant-killing New Jersey schools in March Madness.

The 16th-seeded Knights pulled off a huge upset Friday night, upsetting Purdue 63-58 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The undersized FDUs played big against the Boilermakers and became only the second No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1 seed. Maryland-Baltimore County was the first to eliminate Virginia in 2018 .

FDU’s win blew out most of the remaining slices. Who are these guys?

WHERE IS FDU?

The school has two campuses in New Jersey: Teaneck and Florham. The school’s website lists a total enrollment of 11,400 students, though U.S. News & World Report lists the number as 7,860 as of fall 2021. The Teaneck campus is close to New York City; the Florham campus sits on a former country estate of socialites Florence Vanderbilt and Hamilton Twombly. FDU has owned the campus since 1958. FDU also has campuses in Wroxton, England, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

WHY IS FDU KNOWN?

Founded in 1942, notable alumni include billionaire and owner of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, Zygi Wilf; Peggy Noonan, journalist and speechwriter to former President Ronald Reagan; former college basketball coach and ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg; and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat from Delaware.

WHO ARE THE FDU STARS?

Demetre Robinson (16.6 ppg), Grant Singleton (14.3), Ansley Almonor (14.1) and Joe Munden Jr. (10.6). Sean Moore, the Knights’ leading scorer in the Purdue game with 19 points, averaged 6.7.

HOW DID THE KNIGHTS ARRIVE?

FSU lost in the Northeastern Conference Tournament Finals to Merrimack by a single point, but got the automatic offer for the NCAA Tournament because Merrimack was ineligible during his transition to the Division I. FDU routed Texas Southern in the first round of four to earn a date against Purdue.

DID YOU KNOW?

The FDU win is just the latest of New Jersey schools’ eye-catching wins.

A year ago, Saint Peter’s knocked down No. 2 seed Kentucky in overtime to break a bunch of brackets, then became the first 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight by beating…Purdue. FDU’s clash also came just a day after No. 15 seed Princeton ousted No. 2 seed Arizona 59-55.

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