March Madness: Coach Tobin Anderson tells Fairleigh Dickinson they made ‘college basketball HISTORY’

Tobin Anderson delivered a moving speech to his victorious Farleigh Dickinson Knights after they stunned No. 1 seed Purdue with a thrilling 63-58 victory on Friday night.

With his team assembled in the locker room, Anderson, who boldly predicted his team would win in preparation, told his players that this was a day they will remember for as long as they live.

“We outplayed them for 40 minutes, we were the better team for 40 minutes,” Anderson began.

‘Our style was tremendous. We played how we had to play, we played how we had to play. Incredible team effort, incredible focus.

‘Listen, you just made history, guys. You just made history, college basketball history tonight. After four wins last year, this whole team together… one of the most incredible stories ever, and that’s it guys.

‘Listen, we’re playing pretty good right now. Hydrate ourselves, do everything we have to do and we can do something even more.

‘Hey, we’re going to enjoy this and I’m so proud of you. What an amazing and special moment for the rest of our lives.’

Before Anderson took over at FDU in May, the team had a dismal 2021-22 season, posting an overall record of just 4-22.

Anderson has clearly changed the program, however, with the Knights set to play FAU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

The scene in the opposite locker room at Purdue was very different, where an image of the team’s whiteboard with a fist-shaped hole in it appeared.

Purdue was held scoreless for more than 5 1/2 minutes down the stretch and fell behind with 1:03 to play after a 3-pointer by Sean Moore.

Fairleigh Dickinson entered the second half leading by one point, after winning the first half 32-21.

The Knights held on from there, becoming the third straight double-digit seed to send the Boilermakers home.