Cal State Fullerton received the 15th seed in the East Region of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Sunday and will face second-seeded Purdue Friday in Detroit.
The Titans (20-11) will be making their third tournament appearance in school history and first since 2008. Fullerton won two tournament games in 1978, reaching the Elite Eight, before a 61-58 loss to Arkansas in the West Region final. Fullerton lost to Wisconsin, 71-56, in a first-round game in 2008.
Ladies & Gentlemen your 2018 Big West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Champions, @FullertonHoops! ????
Congrats @CSUF! ???? #DreamBig @BigWestMBB pic.twitter.com/acevKcePW7
— Honda Center (@HondaCenter) March 11, 2018
The Boilermakers (28-6) tied for second in the 14-team Big Ten Conference and lost to fifth-seeded Michigan, 75-66, in the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament last Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
Purdue won 19 consecutive games between Nov. 24 and Feb. 3. The Boilermakers are 5-4 since then.
The Titans have never faced Purdue.
Fullerton earned the tournament berth with a 71-55 victory over UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament final Saturday night in Anaheim.
Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the No. 2 seeds are 8-124 against the No. 15 seeds in first-round play The most recent victory by a No. 15 seed over a No. 2 seed came in 2016 when Middle Tennessee defeated Michigan State, 80-61.
–City News Service