Who is Fairleigh Dickinson playing in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament?

Now that the first game Wednesday’s First four slate between the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and Texas Southern Tigers is complete, and the Knights have won the right to advance, here’s a look at who they’ll play in the first round on Friday.

2023 March Madness bracket

Who is Fairleigh Dickinson playing in first round?

The first round opponent for Fairleigh Dickinson is the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers (29-5, 15-5 Big Ten) in the East region with the game set to tip off at 6:50 p.m. ET on Friday. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten regular season and tournament championship, but the committee said they’re the worst No. 1 seed among the four in the field.

Purdue’s strength is hard to miss with 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey averaging a double-double with 22.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game this season on his way to being named the Big Ten Player of the Year. The Boilermakers enter the NCAA Tournament rated seventh in KenPom including seventh in adjusted offensive efficiency and 26th on the defensive end of the floor.

The Boilermakers lost four of their last six games in February including three of four, and they weren’t very dominant in March. Purdue won all five of its contests this month, but four of them came by five points or less.