Purdue fans have had their fair share of March Madness heartbreak in recent history. That fact alone must be making Boilermaker fans everywhere nervous given the current scene from the first half of Friday night’s action.
Facing 16th seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the East Region, the Boilermakers came out a bit sluggish. While Matt Painter’s side woke up from a 6-point deficit, FDU carried a 32-31 lead into halftime.
The Knights deployed a balanced attack against Purdue, with 6 FDU players scoring 4 or more points in the first half. They also limited turnovers to 5 in the first 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, 3-point shooting was problematic for Purdue as the Boilermakers shot 2-for-11 from deep. Zach Edey was phenomenal with a game-high 12 points to go with 6 rebounds, but Purdue had 7 first-half turnovers with 5 from Braden Smith.
If Purdue doesn’t clean up in the second half, it could result in a disastrous and historic upset. Here’s how fans reacted to the first half of the campaign on social media:
Purdue is sooo cheating even with an 8ft center ðŸ˜
— #NotesKnows (@TakeNotes_US) March 17, 2023
Purdue Farleigh Dickinson pic.twitter.com/ukFufEUcoq
— Brett Morey (@Brettmorey1) March 17, 2023
Purdue is TERRIBLE
Whoever actually saw them this year is not at all surprised
— Hoodie Maybin (@HoodieMaybin) March 17, 2023
I know what FDU stands for, but I promise I’ll do my research once you defeat Purdue.
— Adam (@OrlandoMcCain) March 17, 2023
Purdue sees ghosts pic.twitter.com/5xge3xIuzI
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) March 17, 2023
If Purdue doesn’t lose tonight, you better believe they’ll lose to Memphis on Sunday.
— Colin Clegg (@ColinClegg4) March 17, 2023
Lol Purdue got so butt hurt when FDU coach said they could beat her… but here we are
— Jake Springer (@jakespringer13) March 17, 2023
The main difference I see is that FDU is constantly moving on offense and Purdue just isn’t moving the ball well or moving off the ball well.
Purdue needs to bounce the ball better and make a better, more focused effort on the defensive end.
— Jed Wilkinson (@PurdueWilkie) March 17, 2023
Purdue do what they did in the last 5 minutes of the BIG Ten championship game. Don’t try to get hurt so they can move on. Meanwhile, they burn people’s money.
— Bob Balfe (@bobbalfesports) March 17, 2023
Purdue was already choking off against a 16 seed midway through the tournament
— Matt Hagy (@RealMatty_Ice) March 17, 2023
#16 Howard hung with #1 Kansas for 16 minutes.
#16 Northern Kentucky was tied with #1 Houston for 29 minutes.
It happens. Let’s see how Purdue reacts in the second half.
— The Big Ten Boys (@B1G104Life) March 17, 2023
Fairleigh Dickinson leads for a reason. Liabilities all over the floor for Purdue in the first half.
Braden Smith Assist-to-Turnover Rate: 3 A/5 TO
Ethan Morton in 10 minutes: minus-10
Caleb Furst in 7 minutes: minus-8
— Alex Hickey (@bigahickey) March 17, 2023
