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Purdue in trouble? Social media weighs in on Boilermakers trailing No. 16 seed FDU entering halftime
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Purdue fans have experienced their fair share of March Madness heartbreak in recent history. That fact alone has to have Boilermaker fans on edge everywhere with the current scene from Friday night’s first half of action.
Facing the No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the East Region, the Boilermakers came out of the gate a bit sluggish. While Matt Painter’s squad did wake up after falling behind by 6 points, FDU carried a 32-31 lead into the half.
The Knights have employed a balanced attack against Purdue with 6 FDU players scoring 4 or more points in the first half. They also limited turnovers with 5 in the first 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, 3-point shooting was problematic for Purdue with the Boilermakers shooting 2-for-11 from deep. Zach Edey was phenomenal with a game-high 12 points to go with 6 rebounds, but Purdue had 7 turnovers in the first half with 5 coming from Braden Smith.
If Purdue doesn’t clean things up in the second half, it could result in a catastrophic and historic upset. Here’s how fans on social media reacted to the first half of action:
Purdue is sooo fraudulent even with an 8’ tall center 😭
— #NotesKnows (@TakeNotes_US) March 17, 2023
Purdue Farleigh Dickinson pic.twitter.com/ukFufEUcoq
— Brett Morey (@Brettmorey1) March 17, 2023
Purdue is ATROCIOUS
Anyone who actually watched them this year isn’t surprised at all
— Hoodie Maybin (@HoodieMaybin) March 17, 2023
Idk what FDU stands for, but I promise I will do my research if y’all beat Purdue.
— Adam (@OrlandoMcCain) March 17, 2023
Purdue seeing Ghosts pic.twitter.com/5xge3xIuzI
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) March 17, 2023
If Purdue doesn’t lose tonight, you better believe they’re losing to Memphis on Sunday.
— Colin Clegg (@ColinClegg4) March 17, 2023
Lol Purdue got so butt hurt when FDU’s coach said they could beat them… but here we are
— Jake Springer (@jakespringer13) March 17, 2023
The main difference I am seeing is FDU continually moves on offense & Purdue just doesn’t move the ball well or move off the ball well.
Purdue has got to rebound the ball better & give a better, focused effort on the defensive end.
— Jed Wilkinson (@PurdueWilkie) March 17, 2023
Purdue doing what they did in final 5 minutes of BIG Ten Championship game. Not trying to get hurt so they can advance. Meanwhile they burn peoples money.
— Bob Balfe (@bobbalfesports) March 17, 2023
Purdue already mid-tournament choking form already against a 16 seed
— Matt Hagy (@RealMatty_Ice) March 17, 2023
#16 Howard hung with #1 Kansas for 16 minutes.
#16 Northern Kentucky hung with #1 Houston for 29 minutes.
It happens. Let’s see how Purdue responds 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
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.