Fairleigh Dickinson delivered on coach Tobin Anderson's pre-game optimism as they beat Purdue, but he was not content to settle for "one of the most unbelievable stories of all".
FDU became just the second 16-seed ever to advance at the NCAA Tournament with Friday's sensational 63-58 win.
Purdue had won the regular season title and the Big Ten Tournament this year, but Anderson was confident his underdogs could cause an upset.
Indeed, following the Knights' win in their play-in game, Anderson told the team: "The more I watch Purdue, the more I think we can beat them. Let's go shock the world."
FDU did exactly that, with the coach gushing in his latest post-game message to his players – while he also outlined a desire to keep this fairytale run going.
"We outplayed them for 40 minutes, we were the better team for 40 minutes," Anderson said.
"Our style was tremendous. We played how we had to, we played how we had to play. Unbelievable team effort, unbelievable approach.
"Listen, you just made history boys. You just made friggin' history, college basketball history tonight. After four wins last year, this whole team together... it is one of the most unbelievable stories of all – and that's all on you guys.
"Listen, we're playing pretty damn well now. Hydrate, do all the stuff we have to do, and we can do something even more.
"Hey, we are going to enjoy this, and I am so proud of you. What an unbelievable, special moment for the rest of our lives."
This will go down as perhaps the biggest upset in March Madness history, yet it also felt painfully familiar for Purdue.
The Boilermakers lost to 15-seed Saint Peter's last year, becoming the first team to lose consecutive NCAA Tournament games against 15-seeds or worse – excluding the First Four.
Purdue coach Matt Painter acknowledged his team would have to "sit in it", adding: "There's nothing you can say that's going to change it, right?
"I mean, it stinks. They outplayed us. They out-coached us. I think that's the one thing as a coach that you always face, and you'll get ridiculed. You'll get shamed, you'll get whatever.
"It's basketball. You've got to get better. You've got to keep fighting to get yourself in this position and then be better. And that's what we have to do."
Boilermakers center Zach Edey had been one of the most dominant players in college basketball this year, averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, but his 21 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks were not enough.
There will be discussion now around Edey's future amid doubts about his suitability to the NBA, with Painter saying his "level-headed" star would "take the information in and make a decision and do what's best for him".
The coach added: "He's a good dude. It's too bad. He deserves better than this. He deserves better."
Fever's Clark scores career-high 31 to win final matchup with fellow rookie Reese
Before a sellout crowd of 9,445, Caitlin Clark scored a career-high 31 points to go with 12 assists in her final regular-season matchup with fellow rookie sensation Angel Reese to lead the Indiana Fever to a100-81 rout of the reeling Chicago Sky on Friday night.
Clark became the only player in league history with three games of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in a season. She was 8 for 14 from the field, including 5 for 9 from 3-point range, in her 11th double-double.
Reese tallied 10 points and 11 rebounds, breaking a tie with Tina Charles for rookie double-doubles with 23 and passing Sylvia Fowles for the Chicago season record. Reese got the record with 1:32 remaining, long after Clark and the other Indiana starters left the game. She also has a rookie record 399 rebounds.
Clark may have locked up the top spot in the much-hyped Rookie of the Year race as the Fever (16-16) beat the Sky (11-20) for the third time in four matchups, solidifying their probable playoff berth while Chicago is barely hanging on to the last spot as the season winds down.
Warriors, Curry agree to one-year, $62.6million contract extension
The Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry have agreed to terms on a one-year, $62.6million contract extension that will keep the four-time NBA champion with the only franchise he’s ever played for through the 2026-27 season.
That campaign will be the 18th in the NBA for Curry, who is slated to earn $55.7million next season and $59.6million in 2025-26.
Curry, who captured a gold medal with Team USA at the Paris Olympics earlier this month, has won four NBA titles and two league Most Valuable Player Awards while also earning 10 All-Star selections.
The 36-year-old guard was the MVP of the 2022 NBA Finals as well as the MVP of the NBA All-Star Game that season, and he’s been named to the All-NBA First Team four times.
Drafted by Golden State with the seventh overall pick in 2009, Curry is the all-time NBA leader with 3,747 made 3-pointers and is 10th in league history with a 42.6 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
Curry is also the best free-throw shooter in NBA history at 91.0 percent.
Caitlin Clark continues record-breaking rookie season with latest landmark
Caitlin Clark has again written her name into the record books following her latest performance for the Indiana Fever.
Clark, the first overall pick in this year's draft, has already set a number of benchmarks in her rookie WNBA season.
And that continued on Saturday even as the Fever lost 90-80 to the Minnesota Lynx.
Clark finished with 23 points and eight assists, and in doing so improved her seasonal tally to 520 points and 240 assists.
She is now the youngest player in WNBA history to pass 500 points and 200 assists.
Clark had already set a new record for assists in a rookie WNBA season, with her performances keeping the Fever on course for the playoffs.
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