Who Is Fairleigh Dickinson, the No. 16 Seed That Beat Purdue?

So, who are these guys, and how big a deal is this?

This year’s roster is relatively new.

After nine years at St. Thomas Aquinas College, a Division II team in Sparkill, N.Y., Anderson was hired at Fairleigh Dickinson, a school of fewer than 8,000 students in Teaneck, N.J., with a campus that straddles the Hackensack River.

Anderson replaced Greg Herenda, who was fired after a four-win season in which F.D.U. finished ninth in the Northeast Conference. Anderson brought three of his players with him to Fairleigh Dickinson: guards Demetre Roberts and Grant Singleton and forward Sean Moore, who poured in 19 points against Purdue while playing Friday night in his hometown, Columbus, Ohio.

“Man, I felt amazing because I didn’t really think we was going to be here at this point in the season,” said Moore, who hit a huge straightaway 3-pointer to give his team a 61-56 lead with just over a minute left.

The 6-foot-4 Moore, the 5-foot-8 Roberts (from Mount Vernon, N.Y.) and the 5-9 Singleton (from Sumter, S.C.) are no strangers to the madness of March. Under Anderson, St. Thomas Aquinas won three straight East Coast Conference tournaments and appeared in the round of 16 three straight times in the Division II N.C.A.A. men’s tournament.

Roberts believes that the three have made a statement this season about the quality of players from Division II.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/18/sports/ncaabasketball/who-is-fairleigh-dickinson.html