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NEW YORK – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team will play its first game of the 2016 NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio.  The Knights (18-14) will take on the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast (20-13) in the First Four and will have the honor of being the tournament's first game.

The Knights and FGCU will be meeting on the basketball court for the first time on Tuesday in Dayton.  Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on television by TruTV and on radio by Westwood One.

2016 NCAA Tournament First Four
#16 FDU (18-14) vs. #16 FGCU (20-13)
Where: Dayton, Ohio | UD Arena (13,455)
When: Tuesday, Mar. 15 | 6:40 PM
TV: truTV - Talent: Andrew Catalon (PxP) | Steve Lappas (Analyst) | Jamie Erdahl (Sideline)
National Radio: Westwood One - Talent: Craig Way (PxP) | Kevin Grevey (Analyst)

The Game: The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 and the #16 seeded Knights (18-14) have the honor of playing in the bracket's very first game as they take on fellow #16 seed Florida Gulf Coast (20-13).  The Knights, out of the Northeast Conference, and the Eagles, of the Atlantic Sun, are playing the first game of the First Four with the winner moving on in the East Region to play #1 seed North Carolina. 

How the Knights Got Here:  The Knights defied all the predictions and earned the #2 seed in the NEC Tournament behind the conference's top offense.  FDU won home playoff games against Saint Francis U (74-72) and Mount St. Mary's (80-75) before going on the road and defeating top-seeded Wagner, 87-79.  The victory gave the Knights their fifth NEC Tournament title and the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Knights' NCAA Tournament History:  This is the fifth NCAA Tournament berth for the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and the first since 2005.  The Knights are 0-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament having played a #1 or #2 seed in all four contests.  The Knights nearly pulled off the ultimate upset, a #16 over a #1, in their very first NCAA Tournament game in 1985 as the Knights fell 59-55 to Michigan.  Three years later in 1988 the Knights were again a #16 seed and this time fell 94-79 to #1 Purdue.  In 1998, the Knights earned a #15 seed and played #2 seed UConn, falling 93-85 to a team that would go on to win the NCAA Championship the next year.  FDU's Elijah Allen made a name for himself in that game with 43 points against the Huskies.  In FDU's last trip to the Big Dance, the Knights were again a #16 seed and fell, 67-55, to #1 Illinois.

Series History:  This is the first all-time meeting between these programs in men's basketball.

The One Year Turn Around:  The FDU men's basketball team was picked ninth in this season's NEC preseason poll.  The spot was largely the result of the team's poor finish to the 2014-15 season as the Knights stumbled in conference and finished with an 8-21 record and a 3-15 mark in the NEC.  However, the predictions were wrong.  The young, but talented Knights captured the #2 seed in the NEC Tournament thanks to a high scoring offense that outpaced its NEC peers in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage.  The Knights improved their conference performance by eight wins and finished with an 11-7 record.  The Knights completed the turnaround by defeating Wagner to win the NEC Tournament title and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.  The team improved its overall win total by 10 to enter the NCAA Tournament with an 18-14 mark on the season.  

The Bigger Picture:  Now in his third season, head coach Greg Herenda has guided the Knights to an 18-14 record this year.  His 36 wins over his first three seasons at FDU represent a 21-win improvement over the three-year period immediately before his arrival.  Between the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons the program posted an overall record of 15-74 and a 7-47 mark in NEC play.  Herenda has already won 20 games in NEC action.

Dynamic Duo:  Sophomores Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ) and Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, Md./Archbishop Spalding ) have been the dynamic duo for the Knights all season and they proved that again by combining for 55 points in the NEC Championship Game.  Anderson scored 28 points and Potts 27, but neither player was simply a scorer in the contest.  Anderson finished with 28 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Potts posted 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists.  The duo was a combined 19-of-35 shooting from the floor and 6-of-12 from long range.  Potts was named NEC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and Anderson also earned a place on the All-NEC Tournament Team.