Tag: Furman basketball

2023 NCAA Tournament: Get To Know The Furman Paladins

San Diego State will take on upset-minded Furman with a Sweet 16 bid on the line. We learn more about the Paladins from Mid-Major Madness.

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2023 NCAA Tournament: Get To Know The Furman Paladins

After surviving one upset bid, San Diego State will take on a Furman team that’s already notched one of their own. We learn more about the Paladins with help from Mid-Major Madness.

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Could the glass slipper fit the Paladins?

The San Diego State Aztecs began their NCAA tournament journey with a hard-fought win over the College of Charleston, but things won’t get much easier from in round two against the Furman Paladins.

After snapping one of college basketball’s longest Big Dance droughts by winning the Southern Conference, Furman gave the tournament’s first day an electric dose of madness by stealing victory away from the Virginia Cavaliers in the final seconds.

With a date against either Alabama or Maryland on the line, however, they certainly won’t rest long on their laurels. To learn more about what we may expect from Furman, we reached out to Nick Lorensen, who writes for SB Nation’s Mid-Major Madness.

Mountain West Wire: Before yesterday’s big upset of Virginia, it had been quite a while since Furman had made an appearance in the NCAA tournament. In a sentence or two, what do you think has been the season’s biggest driver of the Paladins’ first big breakthrough since 1980?

Nick Lorensen: It was experience through adversity. Last season, Furman lost in the SoCon title game on a half-court heave and it obviously took a huge toll on them. The core of their team this season, Jalen Slawson and Mike Bothwell, returned to Furman after testing the waters. So, they felt as if they had some unfinished business at hand. Not only winning the SoCon title but making the program’s first NCAA Tournament since 1980 and winning their first game since 1974.

MWW: Jalen Slawson certainly made his mark against the Cavaliers with a double-double, which probably shouldn’t be a surprise given that he was the Southern Conference’s player of the year. What is it about his game that makes him such an effective scoring threat?

NL: He is a high-level scorer and finisher around the rim. Every game, he seems to send in a huge dunk and he had one of those early on Thursday afternoon. It also helps that most of the team’s possessions run through him; he averaged over 30 minutes per game and is an elite turnover-creator on the defensive end.

MWW: By contrast, Mike Bothwell had a relatively quiet game against Virginia, but he can’t be overlooked as he, like Slawson, was recently named a Lou Henson Award finalist as the nation’s top mid-major player. What would you say is his main strength on the floor?

NL: Bothwell was more silenced because he had three fouls at halftime and it didn’t take long into the second half for him to pick up a fourth. Just like Slawson though, Both is an elite offensive player, ranking 59th in the country in offensive rating and 81st in true shooting percentage.

MWW: I noticed that, despite the victory, Virginia actually out-rebounded and hit more free throws than Furman in the first round. Which of those do you think could be the bigger concern if it comes down to another tight contest against San Diego State?

NL: The size, as mentioned. Nathan Mensah had a really nice game on Thursday, although it might not exactly reflect in the stat sheet. He owned the interior, especially in those opening minutes of the second half, picking up a couple of big defensive stops and holding the Cougars almost silent from inside. Furman only has one player over 6’8″.

MWW: Beyond picking things up on the boards and at the charity stripe, what’s the one thing Furman has to improve upon from round one and/or their season at large to have a serious chance at another upset?

NL: They’ve learned how to come from behind because there were times this season that they would fall behind early, almost sleepwalking, and expecting to win. For example, The Citadel game in Charleston in mid-February, which they lost. They showed on Thursday that if they fall behind and still keep it respectable enough, that they can fight back and make it a game.

MWW: Finally, San Diego State won’t take Furman lightly after their own first-round battle with College of Charleston. How do you think the game between the Paladins and Aztecs will go and who will earn a spot in the Sweet 16?

NL: San Diego State is playing some of the best basketball in the country right now and will be tough to stop. Personally, I don’t think that Furman has enough of size to keep up with the Aztecs, so give me SDSU in like a 60-48 kind of game.

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Furman’s Jalen Slawson wrote an eerily prescient message on his shoe ahead of Virginia upset

Jalen Slawson’s shoe said it all for Furman.

Furman senior forward Jalen Slawson has become one of the best stories of the 2023 NCAA tournament so far.

After the Paladins stunned Virginia in the first round of this year’s tournament, Slawson’s performance catapulted him to fans across the country.

He even sparked a viral moments that’s sure to be remembered for the rest of March Madness.

Slawson’s afternoon seemed to be predicted by his shoe. On it, he wrote an inspiring message to himself that likely helped fuel Furman’s big upset.

The message read: “You ain’t come this far to only come this far.”

Now that’s the kind of rallying cry to propel you to an NCAA tournament upset.

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We bet that Slawson keeps that message on his basketball sneaker for the rest of Furman’s run in the tournament.

The round of 32 is up next for the Paladins, and if Slawson’s shoe is any hint, the team isn’t ready to turn back now after such a monumental victory.

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UMBC’s Twitter feed rubbed it in with Virginia after Furman’s shocking March Madness upset

The Retrievers are probably the LAST team Virginia wanted to hear from.

It was a tough day at the office for the Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball team.

After starting their 2023 NCAA tournament run as a No. 4 seed in the South Region, Tony Bennett’s bunch blew a 12-point second-half lead and lost 68-67 to the Furman Paladins. With the Cavalier men missing last year’s tournament, the loss to potential NBA lottery pick Jalen Slawson and Co. is undoubtedly an even bigger disappointment.

One team that Virginia probably wanted to hear from the least after its defeat was UMBC. Five years ago to the day, the Retrievers pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the men’s NCAA tournament when they beat the No. 1 Cavaliers as a No. 16 seed.

So, the sassy UMBC Athletics Twitter account simply couldn’t help itself but rub in Virginia’s latest upset loss once it went final:

A GIF has never screamed, “it happened again, huh?” more than UMBC’s usage here. March 16th continues to be a notorious day in the calendar for Virginia men’s basketball.

Kevin Harlan’s call of Furman’s game-winning shot against Virginia is an instant classic

Kevin Harlan’s call of the Furman game winner against Virginia is INCREDIBLE.

Leave it to Kevin Harlan to give the perfect call for the game-winning shot of a March Madness upset.

As No. 13 seed Furman stunned No. 4 seed Virginia in the opening round of the South Region in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, Harlan couldn’t help but toss out an instantly iconic call of Furman sophomore guard JP Pegues’ incredible 3-pointer.

On the crucial sequence, Furman got a last-second steal, and Pegues was in perfect position to knock down the trey that gave the Paladins a 68-67 win over the Cavaliers.

It’s the kind of bracket-busting upset game that instantly anoints a Cinderella, especially if the team can make it out of the round of 32 this weekend.

Harlan’s call will give you goosebumps.

You can hear the pivotal Furman shot called beautifully by Paladins radio, too.

Harlan also underscored the upset victory with the right amount of gravitas with Furman’s win coming on its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 43 years.

Furman’s upset victory helped bettors hit the +5.5 spread, the 130.5 over and the +200 moneyline.

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Pegues didn’t at all seem afraid in what was sure to be the biggest basketball moment of his career so far.

As for the Cavaliers, the loss highlights Virginia head coach Tony Bennett’s struggles in the tournament. Even though Bennett led the Cavs to an NCAA championship in 2019, his team hasn’t fared quite as well in other seasons.

His Virginia teams have especially struggled with underdogs as of late.

No matter what, Pegues’ game-winning bucket and Harlan’s incredible call will mark what will certainly be a “One Shining Moment” highlight this year.

The special moment also demolished most of the 2023 bracket predictions.

Chattanooga vs Furman College Basketball Prediction, Game Preview

Chattanooga vs Furman prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Monday.

Chattanooga vs Furman prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Monday, March 7

Chattanooga vs Furman How To Watch

Date: Monday, March 7
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Asheville, NC
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Chattanooga (26-7), Furman (22-11)
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Chattanooga vs Furman Game Preview, SoCon Conference Tournament Final

Why Furman Will Win

Just when it seemed like the Mocs were done after a rough three-game losing streak – including a 64-58 loss to Chattanooga – it picked a great time to go on a run winning four of its last five games to get here.

Now it’s a win away from going to the NCAA Tournament. If it gets there, it’s going to be the team no one wants to face in the first round.

And why?

Threes, threes, and more threes.

Few teams take more threes than the Paladins, few teams make more, and it’s all starting with great ball movements and an aggressive backcourt that generates a ton of steals.

It’s been shooting the lights out over the last few games from all over the floor – including the free throw line – and it always has a shot to get and stay in games because of its O. However …

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Why Chattanooga Will Win

No one’s better in the SoCon at stopping the three than Chattanooga.

Opponents are hitting fewer than 30% from three against this group, and that includes Furman, who only made 3-of-20 tries in the last game – but it made 9-of-23 in the first loss.

This is hardly a dominant Moc team defensively, but it’s consistent offensively with one of the nation’s best shooting teams, and that defense …

Only one team has hit 40% from three against the Chattanooga D in the last 12 games.

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Chattanooga vs Furman: What’s Going To Happen

This is going to be fun.

Furman might have lost its first two meetings with the Mocs, but it was right there with plenty of chances to push through and pull it off. They were low scoring games, though, and that favored the Chattanooga defense.

The problem for Furman will turn out to be free throws. It makes them when it gets to the line, but it shoots so many threes that it simply doesn’t get enough opportunities.

Chattanooga only had 23 attempts in its two wins, but it’ll come up with a few more chances and do a bit more defensively from three when it needs to.

Chattanooga vs Furman Prediction, Lines

Chattanooga 69, Furman 65
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING

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Must See Rating: 3.5

5: College basketball starting … now
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