Grant Leonard is not phased by the additional media attention that comes with his first March Madness appearance. The Queens head basketball coach took pleasure in calling out his first “fake news” report on social media ahead of a first-round matchup with Purdue.

Leonard fell for the trap when a small parody account known as ‘Shane Tuttle' posted a quote claiming the 45-year-old coach said “every mid-major wants to play Purdue” because “they get upset every year.” Still, Leonard acknowledged the comedy while rejecting the sentiment.

“Ummm, no,” Leonard responded on X, formerly Twitter. “Fake news lol, but funny.”

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Leonard might not have said it, but Purdue has suffered several major upset losses in the last decade. The Boilermakers are on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in March Madness history when they became only the second one-seed to lose in the first round to 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson.

Purdue also lost to 15-seed Saint Peter's, albeit not in the first round, and bowed out early to Little Rock in 2016.

Regardless, the 2025-2026 Purdue team enters its matchup with Queens off a massive win over Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. The Boilermakers have won their last four games entering their 11th consecutive March Madness appearance.

Likewise, Leonard has Queens riding a three-game win streak and on a 9-2 run in its last 11 games. The Royals have been one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country all season and have scored at least 85 points in all but five games since Jan. 1.