One of the breakout stars of the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament is bound to be Fairleigh Dickinson junior guard Sean Moore.
Moore led the Knights with 19 points in their dramatic takedown of No. 1 seed Purdue during the opening round of this year’s tournament.
Fairleigh Dickinson became just the second No. 16 seed in NCAA men’s tournament history to topple a top-seeded team.
The game was played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, which just so happens to be Moore’s hometown.
Moore played his high school ball in Reynoldsburg, which is a suburb of Columbus. He also transferred to Fairleigh Dickinson from Division II program St. Thomas Aquinas along with Knights head coach Tobin Anderson and two teammates before the season.
As fate would have it, Moore got to play for his home crowd as he led his team to the absolutely historic upset.
"People didn't think we belonged here, we're just showing people that we can do it."
Sean Moore is all smiles after (16) FDU knocked off (1) Purdue 👏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/EgYDn8Z6t2
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2023
He also hit the game’s pivotal 3-pointer that helped Fairleigh Dickinson cement the victory.
SEAN MOORE. ONIONS.pic.twitter.com/cqcgmEGqQC
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) March 18, 2023
Moore had plenty of family and friends on hand to witness his colossal performance on college basketball’s biggest stage.
Friends and family of Fairleigh Dickinson leading scorer Sean Moore, who was born and raised here in Columbus, OH. Moore had around 20 people here rooting for him, including Shanika Tyler (mom, front in navy blue) and Markey Moore (dad, back left in white). pic.twitter.com/bxzWVODpM8
— Justin Williams (@Williams_Justin) March 18, 2023
It looks like Moore’s cheering section paid off, as he and the Knights will now advance in the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament after an absolutely stunning upset.
Three members of FDU came with coach Tobin Anderson from the 2021-22 St. Thomas Aquinas D-II team.
They combined for 39 points against Purdue: Sean Moore (#11) scored the team-high 19 points, Demetre Roberts (#2) added 12 points and Grant Singleton (#4) recorded eight points. pic.twitter.com/WyU7uRJEnz
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 18, 2023
