Tobin Anderson pulled a Babe Ruth and called his shot beforehand.
No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson delivered the upset of a lifetime on Friday, knocking off No. 1 seed Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. Despite being much smaller and much less experienced, FDU played with the heart and discipline of champions and managed one of the most improbable wins in March Madness history.
In the wake of the shocking upset, a quote from the FDU head coach Anderson went viral. Two days prior to the game, Anderson gave his team a pep talk in the locker room and said, “The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them.”
“I want Purdue to see this. The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them”
🫢🫢🫢🫢🫢🫢🫢🫢🫢🫢 pic.twitter.com/Wsn4dLGqrd
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 16, 2023
While many at the time wrote off Anderson’s comment as coaching bluster, he knew exactly what he was talking about. In a game in which no team led by more than six, FDU hit huge shot after huge shot down the stretch and bewildered Purdue with their hustle and a focused defensive gameplan.
FDU was just 19-15 in the regular season, failed to win their NEC conference tournament, and had never advanced past the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 in the history of their program. But they were at their best Friday when it mattered the most and now join this fellow No. 16 seed as one of the greatest Cinderellas of all-time.
