ETSU Pummels Furman

JOHNSON CITY, TN.--After being ranked in the Associated Press poll just a week ago, Furman dropped its second-straight game in convincing fashion, with a 79-56 setback to East Tennessee State before a rowdy crowd of 5,439 fans to take in Southern Conference basketball action Saturday night at Freedom Hall.

With the win, the Bucs improve to 11-4 overall and 1-1 in Southern Conference play, while Furman fell to 12-2 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Bucs have now lost 10 of their last 12. We can pretty much determine the Southern Conference race will be a war.

The Bucs shot a blistering 60% (30-of-50) from the field in the contest, while the nation’s top rebounding team did work on the glass, out-rebounding the Paladins 33-23 in the contest, and out-scoring Furman in the paint, 42-30. In the final 20 minutes of the game, ETSU shot 66.7% (16-of-24) from the field, exerting its inside dominance much of the way.

Furman shot below 40% for the seccond time in as many games, connecting on just 20-of-54 from the field, which equated to just a 37.0%. Furman is just 14-of-53 from three the past two games, which converts to 26.4%. In the past two meetings with ETSU, Furman has been held to 18.5% (9-of-48) shooting from three-point range and 37.5% (39-of-104) from the field.

In the two losses to LSU and ETSU, Furman has been out-scored in the paint, 92-52, and has been been out-rebounded 73-45 by both the Bucs and Tigers.

Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore forward Clay Mounce, which entered the LSU game last week averaging 12.9 PPG, but in his past two outings has been limited to a combined four points. It is important to note that the problems Furman has had over the past couple of games have been collective, and can’t be laid at the feet of one player.

ETSU had four players finish in double figures in the win, led by another outstanding performance from Jeromy Rodriguez, who led all ETSU players in double figures with 19 points, 11 rebounds and dished out two assists and also had a block.

The double-double for Rodriguez was his SoCon-leading seventh of the season. He entered the game tied for the conference lead with Rafferty, with both tied with six.

Eligible for just a little over a week this season, Oklahoma State transfer saw his first meaningful action and he didn’t disappoint, posting 13 points five rebounds and blocked three shots.

Freshman point guard Davien Williamson and sophomore Appalachian State transfer combined to connect on all seven of ETSU’s three-pointers, finishing with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Good wen 4-for-8 from downtown, while Williamson finished 3-for-4 from downtown.

Another key for the Bucs was superb perimeter defense, as the Bucs held Furman to just 22.7% (5-for-22) from three-point land. Matt Rafferty led Furman with 19 points, five boards and five assists, while Jordan Lyons and Noah Gurley contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively, to round out the double-figure scorers in the game.

The Paladins would trail by as many as 24 points (71-47) late in the second half, which was the largest deficit of the season in the loss. Furman’s loss to the Bucs marks its worst to another Southern Conference opponent since Feb. 22, 2015, when the Paladins were soundly beaten, 84-49, at UNC Greensboro.

The Paladins were 63-52 losers to ETSU back in March of 2018, ending the Paladins’ season one game short of the Southern Conference title game. The Paladins shot just 31.7% in that contest.

In addition to its dominance in the paint and on the boards, the Bucs also held significant advantages in fast break points (13-0) and assists (18-9).

Both Furman and ETSU return to Southern Conference action Thursday night, with ETSU hosting 11-win Samford at Freedom Hall, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Furman hosts Mercer Thursday night at TImmons Arena, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.

Southern Conference Power Rankings and Other Notes

Furman didn't suffer its first loss until final non-conference game of the season

Tidbits from Furman's First Loss:

• No. 24 Furman didn't suffer its first loss of the season until its final non-conference game prior to Christmas, dropping a 75-57 decision to LSU Friday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Paladins finish non-conference play with a 12-1 overall record, and already have a 90-88 double-overtime Southern Conference win over Western Carolina. 

• The Paladins were held to season lows in points (57) and shooting percentage (38.5%). The Tigers shot 55.4% for the night, connecting on 31-of-56 field goals in the contest. The Paladins also had a season-low eight assists in the setback.

• The story of the night was LSU’s dominance in the paint, out-scoring Furman, 50-22, in points in the paint, and 16-7 in second-chance points. The TIgers were a plus-18 on the boards (40-22), and finished with 12 offensive rebounds. The LSU bench also out-scored the Paladin bench, 32-8. 

• Senior forward Matt Rafferty, who started the season with 12-straight double-figure scoring performances and six double-doubles, was held below double figures for the first time this season. He finished with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals. Furman managed a season-low eight helpers. 

• Furman opens Southern Conference play in-earnest on Dec. 29, 2018, when it closes out the year with a trip to Freedom Hall to face East Tennessee State. 

Full Recap: LSU 75, Furman 57

BATON ROUGE,LA--No. 24 Furman suffered its first loss of the season when it invaded SEC country, as preseason No. 23 LSU posted a 75-57 win over the Paladins in a Friday night pre-Christmas clash at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Furman dropped to 12-1 overall and remain 1-0 in the Southern Conference. LSU improved to 9-3 overall. 

The Paladins were held to season lows in points (57) and shooting percentage (38.5%). The Tigers shot 55.4% for the night, connecting on 31-of-56 field goals in the contest. 

The Tigers were led by tremendous performances from Tremont Waters and Skylar Mays combined for 36 of the Tigers’ 75 points in the contest, while Furman guards Andrew Brown, Alex Hunter (15 pts), Jordan Lyons (13 pts) and Alex Hunter (12 pts) posted all but 17 of the Paladins’ points in the contest. 

Waters finished the night connecting on 7-of-18 shots from the field, incliuding 2-of-8 from three-point range and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. 

Senior forward Matt Rafferty, who started the season with 12-straight double-figure scoring performances and six double-doubles, was held below double figures for the first time this season. He finished with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals. Furman managed a season-low eight helpers. 

The story of the night was LSU’s dominance in the paint, out-scoring Furman, 50-22, in points in the paint, and 16-7 in second-chance points. The TIgers were a plus-18 on the boards (40-22), and finished with 12 offensive rebounds. The LSU bench also out-scored the Paladin bench, 32-8. 

Furman and LSU played both played sloppy in the opening moments of the game. LSU jumped out to as much as a five-point lead early in the contest, holding advantages of 10-5 and 13-8. Furman led the contest early 5-4 until a 6-0 run by LSU.

Throughout the half the LSU lead fluctuated between five and seven points, and the Tigers took a 2 -17 lead. LSU’s lead would grow to seven after stuff by Marlon Taylor on a pass from Waters, as the Tigers extended their lead to 24-17, with 6:45 left in the opening half. 

The Paladins closed the gap to four at the break, with a Matt Rafferty layup as time expired, as Furman trailed 31-27. The Paladin bigs were saddled with foul trouble in the opening half . Gurley, Mounce and Raffery picked up two fouls in the opening half. Furman shot only 35.7% (10-for-28) in the opening half, but stayed in the game by netting 13 points on 14 LSU turnovers. The Tigers shot 54.2% (13-for-24) in the opening half.

Less than a minute into the second half, Mounce picked up his third foul, and Mays countered with a three to briefly give LSU its largest lead at 36-27, but Brown answered with a three of his own. However, following Mounce’s fourth foul and a steal and alley-oop to Mays, LSU extended its lead to double digits (40-30) for the first time in the game, prompting a Bob Richey timeout at the 17:50 mark. 

Like Mounce, Rafferty picked up his third foul early in the second half, and Bigby-Williams extended LSU’s lead to 13 on a driving layup, however, Lyons’ driving layup gave him a chance for a three-point play the old fashioned way after Bigby-Williams picked up his second foul on the other end. Lyons knocked down the free throw, and the Paladins trailed 43-33 with 15:42 left. 

Moments later, a Gurley triple cut the LSU lead back to seven, at 45-38, prompting a Will Wade timeout with 13:51 left. Furman would eventually slice the LSU lead to five, at 49-44,. with 12:24 left following a Brown triple. A pair of dunks, with the last one by Taylor in traffic, put the lead back to nine for the Tigers. 

Moments later the LSU lead would swell back to 13 after a Darius Bay rebound and layup gave the Tigers a 61-48 lead, but the Paladins continured to hang around on a Clark layup in the lane on the other end. LSU held a 61-50 lead with 7:05 left. 

With LSU leading 61-53, Mounce picked up his fifth foul and the Tigers converted 1-of-2 foul shots with 5:53 remaining. The Paladins trailed 62-53 when Rafferty picked up his foul moments later, putting LSU in the bonus for the remainder of the night. 

Waters connected on both free throws to put the LSU lead back to 11 with five to play. The Paladins would get within double digits once more following a Rafferty layup with 4:05 remaining, but would never get any closer. 

LSU sealed its ninth win of the season by taking its largest lead of the night on a Waters layup, setting the final score, at 75-57, with 1:12 remaining. 

“They’ve got more stars then some of these recruits in the Big Dipper. You’ve got guys that are huge, so they did what they do. Unfortunately, we don’t have high major size. We got 3 rebounds total at the 4 spot tonight, and they were able to capitalize,” Furman head coach Bob Richey said. 

Furman opens Southern Conference play in-earnest, with a trip to East Tennessee State on Dec. 29. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in Johnson City.

Around the SoCon:

• East Tennessee State moved to the championship game of the Sun Bowl Classic in El Paso, TX following a dominating 76-53 win over Wyoming Friday night. In doing so, head coach Steve Forbes' Bucs accomplished a rare feat by holding the Cowboys to just one first-half field goal in the win. The Bucs became only the second NCAA Division I program in history since 1986 to hold a team to one field goal or less in the opening half of play. Wyoming shot just 3.8% from the field in the opening half, which was the lowest since Kansas State held Savannah State to 1-of-23 shooting from the field in the opening half  of a game back on Jan. 7, 2008. The win, which was highlighted by a 12-point, 14-rebound effort from Jeromy Rodriguez, helped the Bucs move to 9-4 on the season and into the championship game vs. Norfolk State Saturday. Tip-off for that contest is set for 9 p.m. Also of note this week was the immediate eligibility of  Oklahoma State seven-foot center Lucas N' Guessan. The Dutch-born player is now a full-go for SoCon play, and will give the Bucs one of the most-imposing front lines in the Southern Conference. 

• UNC Greensboro closed out the non-conference portion of its slate this past week, gutting out a 63-58 home win over Big South favorite Radford. The win over Radford extended UNCG's school-record homecourt winning streak to 16 games. The 11-2 Spartans will now open Southern Conference play with a 3 p.m. game vs. the Bulldogs in Birmingham. It will mark the first Southern Conference game for both teams, and will mark the 23rd all-time meeting between the two, with the Spartans holding the narrow 12-10 all-time edge. It will mark a matchup between two of the SoCon's three teams to reach double-digit win totals so far, with Samford entering the matchup having posted an impressive 10-3 record in non-league action. UNCG guard Francis Alonso, who enters averaging 18.1 PPG and 2.2 RPG, continues to be the leader for the Spartans in his senior season, and will be asked to do even more until injured center and defensive enforcer James Dickey is able to return from injury later this season. Samford continues to be led by jet-quick point guard Josh Sharkey, who is averaging 15.1 PPG and a league-best six assists per outing. Samford dropped its final non-conference game on the road, with an 83-70 setback to No. 3 Tennessee. 

• Wofford closed out non-conference play with a 98-87 loss to No. 17 Mississippi State last Tuesday night and will begin Southern Conference play in-earnest, traveling to Western Carolina to meet the Catamounts in a key Southern Conference game on Dec. 29 at the Ramsey Center. Tip-off for that contest is set for noon and will be televised on ESPN3. During non-conference play, sharp-shooting senior guard Fletcher Magee continued to establish himself as one of the best shooters in league history, and now heads into SoCon play with 401-career three-pointers to rank second in SoCon history. With 14 more triples this season, Magee will surpass Stephen Curry for the league's all-time three-point shooting mark for career makes. Wofford already has a SoCon win, having posted a 79-62 win over East Tennessee State back on Dec. 2. The Terriers have posted a 9-4 record, with three losses coming against ranked foes and all four to power five conference programs.

• The Citadel has won seven-straight games and posted by far its best non-conference slate, having played 10 so far. The Bulldogs took down Big South member Campbell, 82-76, earlier this week to collect their ninth win of the season. The Bulldogs will play one more non-conferene game on Dec. 29 against Longwood before beginning Southern Conference play on Jan. 3 against Wofford. The Bulldogs already have one SoCon win under their belts, with a 79-69 win over Mercer in Charleston back on Dec. 1. The Citadel is led by the SoCon's most prolific three-point shooter, Matt Frierson, who has knocked down a league-best 56 triples so far this season. All-SoCon center continues to be a big part of the Bulldogs' success, and earlier this week became the only player in program history to currently sit in the top 10 in program history in these 4 categories: points (10th, 1,354) rebounds (10th, 591) blocks (2nd, 163) free throws made (6th, 342).

• Mercer got some late-game heroics Friday night, with a three-pointer by freshman guard Luke Hamilton with 26 seconds remaining, as the Bears held off CAA member UNC Wilmington, 77-73, improving to 5-7. The Bears will have one more non-conference game remaining vs. Ivy League member Harvard before beginning SoCon play in earnest with a Jan. 3 trip to Timmons Arena to face Furman.

Power Rankings:

1. Furman 12-1, 1-0

1. UNCG 11-2, 0-0

3. Wofford 9-4, 1-0

4. ETSU 9-4, 0-1

5. The Citadel 9-2, 1-0

6. Samford 10-3, 0-0

7. Mercer 5-7, 0-1

8. Chattanooga 5-8, 1-0

9. VMI 5-7, 0-1

10. Western Carolina 3-10, 0-1

No. 23 Furman hammers UNC Wilmington

Furman redshirt sophomore Clay Mounce ties career-high

GREENVILLE, S.C.--Redshirt sophomore forward Clay Mounce matched a career-high with 26 points to lead four in double figures, as 23rd-ranked Furman downed UNC Wilmington, 93-50, in non-conference basketball action Saturday afternoon in front of a raucous crowd of 2,457 on hand at Timmons Arena.

With the win, the Paladins improve to 12-0 overall, and become the the first team in the nation to reach 12 victories. The Paladins improved to 7-0 at Timmons Arena this season and closed out the year strong in the friendly confines, and now have won 10-straight in the facility. UNC Wilmington, which was playing its first game in 10 days, dropped to 4-7 on the 2018-19 season.

Mounce finished with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, including 6-for-11 from three-point range in the win. Additionally, the native of Elkin, N.C., finished with five assists, two blocks and two steals in addition to his game-high point total. Mounce had a 26-point performance in the Paladins' overtime win over Gardner-Webb earlier this season.

Senior forward Matt Rafferty kept his streak alive of double-figure scoring performances, notching his 12th-straight game in double figures to open the season, and his sixth double-double in the opening 12 ball games. He finished the night with 13 points, 11 rebounds, dished out seven assists, recorded four steals and blocked two shots. He played 28 minutes and took only seven shots, finishing the game going 5-of-7 from the field, including 1-for-1 from three-point land. Rafferty missed a triple-double by just three assists.

After going scoreless against Charleston Southern, Jordan Lyons found his shot midway through the second half, posting 16 points, four assists and a steal. Rounding out the Paladins in double figures in the contest was Alex Hunter, who posted 14 points, three assists and three steals. It was the third-straight game for Hunter in double figures.

Furman would get 19 of its 40 first-half points from Mounce, taking a 40-23 lead into the halftime locker room. The second half would see the Seahawks get interested, cutting the Paladin lead to as lottle as 10 on three occasions early in the second half, however, the Paladins would respond in a big way. With the Paladins holding a 45-35 following a Davontae Cacok dunk off an alley-oop with 15:33 remaining in the game, Furman would proceed to take over the basketball game.

Following the Cacok slam, Furman would get a Lyons three pointer with 14:45 left. That would be the start of a 42-9 run that would see Furman provide its largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent this season., as the Paladins won going away by 43 points. It was Furman's largest home court win since an 85-37 win over Western Carolina on Jan. 25, 2017.

It was a defensive effort worthy of praise for the Paladins, especially against one of the nation's top post players, in Cacok, who came into the game averaging 14.9 PPG and 11.7 RPG. While he was the Seahawks lone player in double figures, he was held well under both averages, with 11 points and only five boards. The Paladins had a game plan vs one of mid-major's top players coming into the matchup.

"We tried fronting him from the post and eliminating his catches was one of our main goals and we went to double him if he caught it down low also. You know the kid's a beast and he's tough to play against but that was our main goal to limit his catches and keep him off the glass and get back in transition as well and those are the three things he does best," senior forward Matt Rafferty said.

It was a physical Furman team that met the Seahawks in Timmons Arena Saturday afternoon and one that head coach Bob Richey noted after the game.

"That was fun - one of our most complete performances of the year. I thought the most impressive thing was the fact that we were great teammates today," Furman coach Bob Richey said. "It permeated through the whole game. I thought our bench brought a ton of energy. I thought we were determined to be connected defensively and that's where it started."

Furman held major advantages in points in points off turnovers (25-2), fast break points (34-7), assists (24-11), field goal percentage (47.4%-35.0%), blocks (7-1) and total rebounds (47-36). Furman also held advantages in points in the paint (38-26), bench points (20-16) and second chance points (17-9).

Cacok was the only Seahawks player in double figures with 11 points and five boards. Cacok finished the night connecting on 5-of-9 shots from the field.

For me, Furman's performance Saturday solidified its Top 25 ranking, which is something that, as an attempting to be objective journalist, I tried to do. I held out until Saturday. I can no longer question this Furman basketball team and its worthiness of being mentioned among the nation's 25 elite teams. Saturday was a game-changer for me. I questioned that ability, but now I don't.

Furman returns to action Friday when it faces LSU in Baton Rouge. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. EST.


Notes:

-- Furman improved to 7-0 at Timmons Arena and 45-8 since the start of the 2015-16 season. The Paladins have won 10-straight games at home dating back to last season.
--Furman is now 3-0 as a ranked team
--Furman is one of nine undefeated teams in the nation, and continues its best start to a season by any SoCon team since 1963-64.
--Furman has won 18 of its last 19 regular-season games dating back to last season, including having won 18-straight. The 12-game winning streak to open the season is the longest streak for the Paladins since the 1952-53 season.

Clay Mounce and Matt Rafferty postgame comments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=3iJx_v2fSTg

Bob Richey postgame comments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iJx_v2fSTg

A Historical Look at Furman Basketball

Furman senior forward Matt forward Matt Rafferty

It's been another interesting week of basketball to start the month of December in Southern Conference basketball. In case you missed it, Furman is ranked for the first time in program history, coming at at No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this past Monday 

The Paladins debuted that ranking in an actual game a day after the polls were released, and the then-25th ranked team in the country defeated the Elon Phoenix, 98-77. Furman went on to improve to 3-0 as a ranked team with a 74-60 win at USC Upstate and defeated Charleston Southern this past Tuesday night to move to 11-0 on the season. That makes Furman the first team in NCAA Division I Basketball this season to reach 11 wins.

Let's be honest with ourselves, Furman didn't arrive here overnight. Of the significant milestones the Paladin basketball over its 106-year history, the Top 25 ranking is among the best. 

The Paladins have now won 18 of their last 19 games, and the 11-0 start marks the program's best starts in school history. Below is a milestone of both good and bad moments for Furman basketball during that timespan.

Of course earlier this season saw Furman defeat a pair of Final Four teams from a year ago, with wins over both No. 8 Villanova (76-68) and Loyola-Chicago (60-58). Both of those impressive wins came on the road. Villanova is the NCAA Division I reigning national champion, and have won two of the last three national titles. 

Despite being ranked in the AP Top 25, the fact remains the Paladins have not been a part of the NCAA Tournament since the 1979-80  season. Heading into Saturday afternoon's game vs UNC Wilmington at Timmons Arena, Furman has 87 wins, with 76 of those victories coming since the start of the 2016-17 season. Furman's current run of success started with a run to the championship in the Southern Conference championship game as the No. 10 seed in the 2015 Southern Conference tournament. 

Many point to Feb. 22, 2015 as the exact turning point for Furman basketball. That particular afternoon saw the Paladins drop an 84-49 humiliating loss to UNC Greensboro. The very next day, the Paladins had a three-hour practice without one basketball being bounced. The point was driven home, and Furman's basketball culture has been different ever since that day.

Furman's Basketball Timeline and Milestones:

--Feb. 13, 1954 Furman's Frank Selvy scores 100 points in a game vs. Newberry; Selvy finished the season as the nation's leading scorer and First-Team All-American. Selvy finished his Furman career averaging 32.5 PPG and 2,538 career points, which are both tops in school history. Selvy averaged 41.7 PPG in 1954-54. 

--In 1955, Furman forward Darrell Floyd posted 67 points in a 130-117 home loss to Morehead State.

--The 1970-71 season marked the first in which the Paladins would qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Paladins finished the season with a 15-12 record under the direction of head coach Joe Williams. Despite finishing fifth in the final regular-season standings, the Paladins finished strong, winning in the SoCon Tourament title, with a 68-61 win over Richmond in Charlotte to claim the SoCon Tournament title. Furman bowed out in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament, with a 105-74 loss to Fordham.

--The 1971-72 season didn't quite live up to the expectations created by the program's first SoCon Tournament title run, but the Paladins did finish 17-11,which was good enough for a second-place finish in the SoCon standings. Furman's Roy Simpson scored 45 points in a game vs. East Carolina in a 107-84 win.

--The 1972-73 season would see Furman enjoy its second NCAA Tournament appearance as a program, and would finish the season with a 20-9 record and claimed a 99-81 win over Davidson in the Southern Conference title game. The Paladins would bow out of the NCAA Tournament with a narrow 83-82 loss to Syracuse. 

--In 1973-74, Furman repeated the feat from the previous season by finishing the season with a 22-9 record and an 11-1 record in Southern Conference. The Paladins claimed both the regular-season and tournament titles. Led by players like Clyde Mayes and Roy Simpson, the Paladins would go on to hold off Richmond in the SoCon title game, with a 62-60 win in the SoCon Tournament title game. The Paladins would claim their first NCAA Tournament win in history, defeating in-state rival South Carolina 75-67 in Philadelphia. The Paladins bowed out of the tournament with losses to Pittsburgh (L, 78-81) and Providence (L, 83-95).

--Furman made it three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1974-75 under the direction of Joe Williams, posting a 22-7 overall record and a perfect 12-0 mark in Southern Conference play. The Paladins would cut down the nets at the Memorial Auditorium in Greenville after claiming a 66-65 win in the Southern Conference championship game over the William & Mary Tribe. In the NCAA Tournament, the Paladins took on Boston College in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, dropping an 82-76 game in Charlotte. 

--In 1977-78, Furman would continue its dominance of the Southern Conference under head coach Joe Williams, as the Paladins posted a 19-11 record overall and a 7-5 record in league action. Though the Paladins finished fourth in the final regular-season standings, the Paladins would get hot in the tournament, knnocking off Chattanooga (83-73), Appalachian State (72-68), and Marshall (69-53) to claim the Southern Conference Tournament crown. The Paladins were led that season by the likes of Jonathan Moore, Bruce Grimm and Mel Daniel. In the NCAA Tournament opening round, Furman dropped a heartbreaking, 63-62, game to Indiana in Charlotte. Of note that season, Furman claimed wins over both North Carolina State (68-67) and North Carolina (89-83) in the North-South doubleheader. Furman also claimed another ACC scalp that season with an 87-69 win over Clemson.

--Following the 1977-78, Furman's most successful basketball coach in its history--Joe Williams--left to become the head coach at Jacksonville, who had made the Final Four in 1970 and was an emerging basketball program at the time. Eddie Holbrook took over the helm of Furman basketball for the 1978-79 season, leading the Paladins to a 20-9 overall record and a 9-3 record in conference play, which was good enough for a second place finish in the regular-season standings. Furman would drop a 86-83 game to the Bobby Cremins-led Appalachian State Mountaineers in Boone, N.C., in the Southern Conference Tournament title game. 

--Holbrook would end up leading the Paladins back to the NCAA Tournament in 1979-80, and the Paladins would enjoy one of their best seasons as a basketball program, finishing the season with a 23-7 record overall and claimed the Southern Conference regular-season title with a 14-1 mark. Furman's 23 wins were a program standard to be later matched by the 2016-17 and 2017-18 teams. Led by Jonathan Moore, Mel Daniel and Ron White, the Paladins would claim the Southern Conference Tournament title in Roanoke, VA, with an 80-62 win over Marshall. The Paladins bowed out in the opening round with an 80-69 loss to Tennessee in Greensboro.

--Furman would enter some lean years following the 1979-80 season. Holbrook retired after four seasons as the head coach at Furman following the 1981-82 season, and Jene Davis took over as head coach in 1982-83. Under Davis, the Paladins went just 28-58 overall and 16-33 in conference play over the next three seasons. Davis would be relieved of his coaching duties following the 1984-85 season.

--In 1985, Furman hired successful Division II basketball coach Butch Estes from just down the road at Presbyterian College to become Davis' successor. Estes would bring a young staff to Greenville with him, which included future PC coach Gregg Nibert and current Charleston Southern head coach Barclay Radebaugh. Estes would spend nine years as head coach in Greenville before stepping down following the 1993-94 season. 

--After the Paladins struggled in the 1985-86 season, the Paladins would get things turned in the right direction under Estes in the 1986-87 campaign, as the Paladins finished with a 17-12 mark and a 10-6 mark in the Southern Conference, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the league standings. The 1986-87 saw a streak of six-straight losing seasons come to an end. 

--Furman would improve on that win total by one game in 1987-88, finishing 18-10 and an 11-5 record in the SoCon saw the Paladins finish second in the league standings at season's end. The Paladins would knock off Wake Forest, 80-68, during the regular-season, but would bow out of the Southern Conference Tournament in the quarterfinals, with a 78-73 loss to VMI. The 1987-88 team included standout guards like David Brown and Shawn Reid, as well as forward John Castile. 

--The 1988-89 made some noise of its own, however, the Paladins still could not get over the hump in the SoCon. Furman finished 17-12 overall and 9-5 in the Southern Conference, which was good enough for a second-place finish in the 1988-89 season. Furman did record some high-profile wins during the 1988-89 season, which included a 90-86 home victory over eventual league champion and NCAA Tournament represenative East Tennessee State early in the league slate. 

--Furman finished a disappointing 15-16 and seventh-place in the Southern Conference regular-season standings, however, the season did feature at least one memorable moment, with a 77-73 win over Villanova on Dec. 23, 1989. One of the more tragic moments of the season occurred during the Southern Conference Tournament. In Furman's 82-77 overtime win over Marshall in the SoCon quarterfinal, Paladin starting point guard Neal Garrison's father suffered a heart attack and would pass away at the hospital later that evening. Furman lost its semifinal game, 79-62, to Appalachian State the following day. 

--The 1990-91 season would turn out to be a breakthrough season for Furman under head coach Butch Estes. Names like Hal Henderson, Bruce Evans, Tracy Garrick, David Stamey and Steven Hines had become household names to Furman fans and media. The Paladins completed the regular-season sharing the regular-season crown with East Tennessee State and Chattanooga. One of the more memorable moments during this particular season came on Feb. 11, 1991, as the No. 10 East Tennessee State team rolled into Greenville to face Furman at Memorial Auditorium. The Paladins won the game 103-94 in front of a capacity crowd over nearly 6,000 fans on hand, and that win remains one of the benchmark wins in Furman basketball history. The Paladins would lose on the final day of the regular-season at Chattanooga to force a three-way tie for first in the conference standings. Furman finished the season 20-9 overall and 11-3 in SoCon play. The Appalachian State Mountaineers ended Furman's NCAA Tournament hopes for a second-straight season, with an 87-82 win over the Paladins in the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, N.C. The Paladins finished well enough to receive a postseason invite to the NIT, however, where they suffered an opening round, 86-67, loss to West Virginia in Morgantown.

--Estes would begin to see his program to slowly descend in 1991-92, and in the next two seasons following the 1991-92 season, the Paladins would suffer losing seasons and lower tier finishes in both. That would see Furman make a change at head coach for the 1993-94 campaign. 

--Former VMI boss Joe Cantafio was hired to succeed Estes in 1995, and despite a pair of solid recruiting classes, which included the likes of big man Chuck Vincent, wing Andre Kerr, and shooting guards Jason Stewart and Bubba Smith, the Paladins could not find success under Cantafio. Despite those two recruiting classes, Furman finished with a combined 20-30 record in Cantafio's first two seasons. Stewart and Kerr would eventually end up transferring out. The 1996-97 season would be the final one for Cantafio as head coach of the Paladins, matching his previous two campaigns with another 10-17 record. The Paladins finished 5th out of six teams in the SoCon South Division in Cantafio's final season as head coach. All told, the Paladins were 30-51 under the direction of Cantafio.

--Minnesota assistant Larry Davis was selected to take the reins of the Furman basketball program in 1997-98, and Davis would be in charge and would benefit from having a brand new, on-campus facility to play in his first season. Davis had been an assistant under the notorious Clem Haskins, who led the Golden Gophers to the 1997 Final Four, however, also got the program on probation for a number of NCAA violations. Davis would end up leading the Furman basketball program for nine seasons before moving on to become an assistant at Cincinnati following the 2005-06 season. For the most part, Furman underachieved on Davis' watch. In 1997-98, Furman big man Chuck Vincent was the Southern Conference Player of the Year. He did manage to hire a young, up-and-coming recruiter and eventual head coach, Niko Medved, in 1999. Medved would go on to recruit some outstanding players. During his first stint at Furman, Medved procured Minnesota Mr. Basketball Eric Webb, who chose Furman over Minnesota and several other bigger programs to play for Davis and the Paladins. The 2003 signing class was one of the best recruiting in the recent history of Furman basketball. The recruiting class included the likes of Moussa Diagne, Robby Bostain, Malaye Ndoye, Quan Prowell, Eric Webb. The addition of these five talents helped the Paladins helped Furman take a step towards joining the talent level of some of the bigger teams in the SoCon, like East Tennessee State and Chattanooga. The 2004 recruiting class, which included future 1,000-point scorers Bostain, Webb and Diagne, would finish as the highest scoring freshman class in Division I college basketball.

--The 1999-2000 season would see Furman come within a game of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1980, however, would drop a heartbreaking SoCon semifinal game, 60-56, vs. eventual champion Appalachian State, thanks in large part to the play of Mountaineer point guard Tyson Patterson, who scored 12 of his team's final 14 points en route to leading the Mountaineers come-from-behind win. Appalachian State would go on to defeat the College of Charleston and become the SoCon's NCAA Tournament represenative. 

--The most significant moment of the 2000-01 season would be a win over an ACC foe. The 2000-01 team was highlighted by players like French-born Karim Souchu, Brazilian born Guillherme Da Luz and Sengalese standout Malaye Ndoye. Furman posted a 79-74 overtime win over Florida State on Dec. 4, 2000 in Tallahassee.The Paladins would go on to finish the 2000-01 season with a 10-16 record overall, and a 5-11, last-place finish in the SoCon's South Division. 

--Davis would lead the Paladins to the Southern Conference title game in 2002 against Davidson. Furman was looking to become the first team in the modern era to claim the SoCon title, winning four games in four days, but came up just short against Bob McKillop's Wildcats, as the Paladins dropped a 62-57 decision to the sharp-shooting Wildcats at the North Charleston Coliseum. Furman knocked off Kevin-Martin-led Western Carolina (65-61), Georgia Southern (73-70) and College of Charleston (44-43) to make the title game against Davidson. The win over College of Charleston marked the last for legendary CofC head coach John Kresse's career, as he retired. Furman finished 17-14 overall and 7-9 in league play, which was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the SoCon South Division. Juniors Karim Souchu and Guillherme Da Luz were among the leaders of the team, as was newcomer and talented forward Maleye N'Doye. 

--The 2002-03 season was pretty much uneventful, as the Paladins stumbled to a 14-17 overall record and the 8-8 mark in Southern Conference play was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the South Division. The Paladins would see the careers of two outstanding players come to an end, with the graduations of both Karim Souchu and Guillherme Da Luz. The Brazilian-born Da Luz finished his career with 668-career assists, which still ranks as the most for a career in school history. The French-born Souchu finished his career ranked fourth on the school's all-time scoring ledger, posting 2,014 career points. 

--In 2003-04, with the likes of one of its best recruiting classes in recent memory, which included the likes of Minnesota Mr. Basketball Eric Webb, forward Quan Prowell, guard Robbie Bostain and Sengalese center Moussa Diagne were part of an excellent class put together by recruiting coordinator Niko Medved. That quartet would see Furman finish the season with college basketball's highest-scoring freshman class. The Paladins finished the season with a 17-12 overall record and an 8-8 record in the SoCon's South Division, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the division. Furman would knock off Kevin Martin and Western Carolina, 73-68, in the opening round of the SoCon Tournament at the North Charleston Coliseum before getting knocked out of the tournament by eventual champion East Tennessee State, with a 94-84 setback against the Tim Smith-led Buccaneers. Furman had a significant conference win over Wofford at Timmons Arena, knocking off the Terriers, 91-55, inside the friendly confines of Timmons Arena. Maleye N'Doye averaged 16.0 PPG en route to garnering All-SoCon and all-tournament honors. Webb was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year. 

--Furman would follow up its 2003-04 season with a 16-13 overall mark and a 9-7 record in the Southern Conference in 2004-05, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the SoCon South. It marked the first time Furman had recorded back-to-back winning seasons on the college basketball hardwood since the 1990-91 and 1991-92 Paladins pulled off the feat in consecutive campaigns under the direction of Butch Estes. It also marked Furman's third winning season out of four for the Paladins. Led by Eric Webb, Quan Prowell, Robbie Bostain and Moussa Diagne, Furman would be garner the No. 4 seed in the South and would face No. 5 seeded East Tennessee State in the North in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament. ETSU, which was playing in its final Southern Conference Tournament for the forseeable future, bounced the Paladins out of the Southern Conference at Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena, taking an 87-84 upset win. Prowell, who had been suspended much of the season due to academic suspension, decided to transfer to Auburn following the season.

--The 2005-06 season would be the final one in charge for head coach Larry Davis, as he would take a job as Mick Cronin's top assistant with the Cincinnati Bearcats following a 15-13 overall mark and an 8-7 finish in Southern Conference play, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the SoCon South. The Paladins, which had a bye in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament, were upset in the opening round by an upstart Citadel team, which canceled Furman's plans of a deep run in the conference tournament, with a 65-53 win over the Paladins at the North Charleston Coliseum. Furman would be led by juniors Eric Webb, Moussa Diagne, and Robbie Bostain led the Paladins. One of the bright spots came in a non-conference, bracket busters game against North Dakota State, as the Paladins defeated the Bison, 73-61, in late January at Timmons Arena. Furman's 70-66 win over Davidson snapped what had been a nation-best 27-game winning streak in Southern Conference play. It also ended what had been a 16-game series losing streak for the Paladins against the Wildcats. Davis finished his career with a 124-139 record at the helm of the Furman basketball program. Davis led the Paladins to three-straight winning seasons and four winning campaigns in the last five in his time as the Furman head coach. 

--The 2006-07 season would usher in a new era for Furman hoops, with former Vanderbilt assistant and New Hampshire Jeff Jackson hired to succeed Davidson. Jackson would have the deck stacked in his favor when taking over the Furman basketball program. Seniors Eric Webb, Robbie Bostain, Moussa Diagne and Gerad Punch were part of an experienced lineup expected to make waves in the SoCon in Jackson's first season as the head coach. He would help the Paladins to a hugely successful non-conference record, however, the Paladins disappointed with their talent in conference play, and finished with a losing record of 15-16 overall, but did finish third in the SoCon South Division, which offered the opportunity for a bye in the Southern Conference Tournament.One of the more impressive wins of Jackson's first season came against eventual Sweet Sixteen qualifier Vanderbilt, as Jackson's Paladins pulled off a 70-62 win on the road against Jackson's former employer. After posting a 73-71 in a SoCon quarterfinal matchup with UNC Greensboro, the Paladins eventually suffered a 91-68 loss to Davidson in the SoCon semifinals. The Wildcats went on to win the tournament, led by the mecurial freshman guard Stephen Curry.

--The next two seasons under Jackson were abysmal for Furman basketball, and the Paladins posted just a 13-47 record in back-to-back seasons, which is the worst record in combined seasons in Furman basketball history. Let that sink in. Furman won just six games in the 2008-09 season. The Paladins were 0-16 away from Timmons Arena during the 2008-09 season. Furman had a young guard emerging, however, named Jordan Miller. The sophomore finished the season leading Furman in scoring average, at 13.8 PPG. Furman went 1-29 away from Timmons Arena in back-to-back seasons. 

--The 2009-10 season would start to see some turnaround for Furman basketball, buoyed by the addition of South Florida transfer Amu Saaka, who was an immediate impact player for the Paladins. Saaka, an explosive athlete, helped change the general direction in which the program was headed. Players like Noah States, Justin Dehm, Colin Redick and Charlie Redick were also instrumental in helping Furman's improvement. The Paladins finished the 2009-10 season with a 13-17 overall record, including a 7-11 record in Southern Conference play, which was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the six-team South Division. The 13 wins by the Paladins matched the win total from the previous two. The Paladins were knocked out of the Southern Conference Tournament after only one game, dropping a 66-65 game to UNCG in Charlotte at Cricket Arena. 

--The 2010-11 season would prove to be a breakthrough season for Jackson and Furman basketball, as the Paladins finished with their first 20-win season since 1990-91, finishing 22-11 overall and 12-6 mark in SoCon play, which was good enough for a third-place finish in the SoCon South. Led by Amu Saaka, Colin Redick, Jordan Miller, Darryl Evans, Justin Dehm and Noah States, the Paladins were impressive all season. Furman pulled off a road win at eventual champion Wofford, and had some impressive non-conference wins, including ones at Middle Tennessee State and on a neutral court vs. Northeastern. However, most Paladin fans will readily call a 91-75 win over South Carolina just before Christmas at Timmons Arena. The Paladins also rode that success into Southern Conference play, taking a 73-68 overtime win at eventual SoCon champion Wofford in late January. The Paladins would make a decent run in the Southern Conference Tournament as well, as the Paladins ended up knocking Samford (61-48) and hometown favorite Chattanooga (61-52) before bowing out in the conference semifinals, with a 63-58 loss to College of Charleston. Leading scorers Amu Saaka and Jordan Miller both graduated, as did walk-on and lightning-quick point guard Darryl Evans. With its performance in the regular-season and with its 22 wins, Furman made its first appearance in a college basketball postseason of any sort since the 1990-91 season, qualifying for the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The Paladins bowed out in the opening round, however, dropping a 76-63 contest at then Atlantic Sun member East Tennessee State. Bob Richey was added the staff in June of 2011. 

--The 2011-12 season saw the Paladins do a little better than expected on the hardwood, in a season which was expected to be a rebuilding campaign for head coach Jeff Jackson and Co. The Paladins ended up finishing out the season with a 15-16 overall record and 8-10 mark in Southern Conference play, which was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the SoCon South Division. The Paladins opened the SoCon Tournament with a 75-66 win over Samford before dropping a 73-54 contest to Davidson in the SoCon quarterfinals to bow out of the tournament and effectively end the season. Gone were some important pieces which had been part of a Furman's rise back to respectability as SoCon basketball program, with the graduation of guys like Colin Redick and Bryson Barnes. 

--The 2012-13 season would once again signal alarm bells for the Furman basketball program, and it would prove to be the final one in charge for head coach Jeff Jackson, who was fired at season's end. Furman finished the 2012-13 campaign with just a 7-24 record--the third season of seven or fewer wins in Jackson's seven seasons as the head coach--and the Paladins could only muster a 3-15 record in conference play, which was sixth out of six teams in the SoCon South Division. Furman won its opener in the SoCon Tournament, with a 55-51 win over Samford before bowing out of the tournament in the quarterfinals to Appalachian State with a 74-60 setback. The Paladins were plagued by injuries during the season, and at one point in a game, dressed only eight players in a game late in the season at Chattanooga. One of the few bright spots in Jackson's final season as the head coach was the emergence of SoCon All-Freshman guard Stephen Croone, who would finish his career as the program's fifth all-time leading scorer, and would be part of the rebuilding project and foundation of the Furman basketball program in future seasons. Jackson would complete his career in Greenville with an 85-131 record in seven seasons at the helm.

--Niko Medved, who was hired to succeed Jeff Jackson as the head coach in April of 2013, would begin rebuilding Furman basketball from scratch in 2013-14. One of the first wise decisions Medved would make would be to keep Richey on staff and leave him in charge of recruiting. That would prove one of the major factors in Furman rebuilding its program.Furman would stumble to a 9-21 record and bow out of the SoCon Tournament with an opening-round, 65-50, loss to Georgia Southern. Furman posted just a 3-13 record in SoCon play, which saw the Paladins finish 10th in the SoCon standings. One of the few bright spots of the season would be sophomore guard Stephen Croone. In an 86-83 home win over Liberty on Dec. 20, 2013, Croone became the first Paladin to score 40 or more points in a game since 1972, scoring 40 against the Flames. Croone was the SoCon scoring champion in 2013-14, averaging 19.3 PPG. 

--The 2014-15 season looked as if it would be another dismal campaign for the Paladins. Late in he season, Furman suffered an 84-49 setback at UNC Greensboro. The next day, then head coach Niko Medved challenged the Paladins and their collective mental toughness--a three-hour practice without a basketball will do that. The Paladins then started to play well down the stretch. The Paladins closed out the home slate in 2014-15 against Western Carolina and a powerful Wofford team that ranked as high as No. 54 in the RPI that particular season, and also had an early non-conference win over North Carolina State. In what was far from anything considered to be a basketball masterpiece, the Paladins were able to gut out a 53-49 win over defensive-minded, tough Western Carolina. The Catamounts had handed the Paladins a 70-52 setback in early January at the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts, who would end up taking the No. 5 seed for the upcoming league tournament, were shut down by a stingy Paladin defense. Despite shooting just 28.3% for the game, Furman's defense would limit head coach Larry Hunter's Catamounts to just 25.8% shooting from the field. Though it was not a pretty win, it would be the start of a very bright future on the horizon for Paladin basketball. Junior guard Stephen Croone provided one of his gutsiest performances of the season, finishing with a team-leading 15 points, while Kris Acox showed his toughness by adding a double-double of 12 points and a career-high tying 17 boards. Then a young freshman from Toledo, OH., sharp-shooting Geoff Beans came off the bench to post 11 points, including nine during a crucial 14-0 run that had seen Furman turn a four-point deficit (33-37) into a 10-point lead (47-37). It was the first time the Paladins showed the kind of toughness, leadership and killer instinct that would come to define this senior class over the next three seasons. The 2015 regular-season finale provided even more adversity and drama. It was going to be hard enough to face league juggernaut and tournament favorite Wofford with Stephen Croone in the lineup. However, without him, it seemed nearly impossible for the Paladins to have a fighting chance of thwarting any SoCon regular-season title hopes of the visiting Terriers. 

--Furman's mettle would be tested, however, it would be another freshman--John Davis III--that would step up and shine for the Paladins, helping keep things interesting all the way through in the absence of the Paladins' leading scorer. Davis posted a then career-high 20 points in the Paladin loss, and his shot from three to tie at the buzzer just caromed out for the freshman guard, as the Paladins dropped a 62-60 decision without the services of Stephen Croone in the lineup. The Paladins would arrive in Asheville as the No. 10 overall seed, but would prove to be the most dangerous lower seeded team in the history of the Southern Conference Tournament. Furman would start the 2015 General Shale Southern Conference Tournament by facing The Citadel in its opening game of the 95th edition of the Southern Conference Tournament. Furman would go on to win games against #7 The Citadel (73-56), #2 Chattanooga (69-67) and No. 3 Mercer (52-49). The Paladins would eventually drop a heartbreaking 67-64 game in the championship to top-seeded Wofford (64-67). Furman had three players make the SoCon All-Freshman team, with Daniel Fowler, Geoff Beans and Devin Sibley all ending up on the postseason scroll, with Sibley having been named SoCon Freshman of the Year.

--2015-16 The 2015-16 season saw the Paladins break through and reach the cusp of a 20-win season, finishing 19-16. The Paladins won their first postseason tournament game since 1975, with an opening round buzzer beater from Daniel Fowler that allowed the Paladins to down Sun Belt Conference member Louisiana Monroe in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com, as the Paladins escaped with a 58-57 win. The Paladins lost in the next round of the tournament to Louisiana Lafayette (L, 80-72), but it was the start of things starting to take a turn for the better in Greenville and momentum followed forward for the next two seasons. One of Furman's top wins of the season came in the regular-season against juggernaut Chattanooga, which at the time, sported a Top 50 RPI. The Paladins downed the eventual SoCon champions and NCAA Tournament participant Chattanooga, ending the Mocs' eight-game winning streak for the SoCon favorites, as the Paladins triumphed, 70-55, in early January inside the friendly confines of Timmons Arena. The Paladins also had a thrilling, buzzer-beating win over Wofford on a Stephen Croone tip-in at the buzzer in a 63-62 thriller. Croone, a senior, was named Southern Conference Player of the Year. The Paladins finished the season posting a an 11-7 record in SoCon play, which was good enough for a sixth-place overall finish in the league standings. The Paladins bowed out of the SoCon Tournament in the semifinals, with an 84-76 setback contest to ETSU. The Paladins tied a school record with 14 home wins, and finished 14-2 on their home floor, including going 9-0 against SoCon teams. It would be the end of a stellar four-year career, and Furman graduated a couple of other instrumental foundational parts of their current run, in guard Larry Wideman and post Kendrec Ferrara. Matt Rafferty was named to the SoCon's All-Freshman team.

--In the 2016-17 season, the Paladins would tie with both ETSU and UNCG for the Southern Conference regular-season title, finishing 14-4 in league play. It would prove to be the final season for head coach Niko Medved, who moved on to become the head coach of Drake just days before Furman's CIT semifinal contest vs. Saint Peters--a game which the Paladins would lose by 26 points under interim head coach Bob Richey--but that would turn out to be the exception rather than the rule after the interim tag was removed for Richey and he was hired as the full time head coach. He currently is 33-11 as the head coach of the Paladins. Prior to the loss to Saint Peter's and Medved's departure in the CIT semifinals, Furman claimed wins over both USC Upstate (79-57) and Campbell (79-64), and both wins came on the road. But it can't be overlooked that Medved cared about Furman, and while some may have questioned the move, the truth is he left Furman in a great situation to be successful under Richey, and you can't say that for all head coaches. Medved's genuine care for the program allowed the Paladins to keep a high-level recruiting class intact and on-board under Richey. Richey, in turn, would elevate the program to the next level with some quality assistant coaching hires over the past two seasons, with the only turnover coming as a result of guys getting a better opportunity for their respective families. The Paladins completed the season with a 23-10 overall record, and lost in the SoCon quarterfinals to Samford in upset fashion. The Bulldogs claimed a 67-63 quarterfinal win over Furman to end the Paladins' hopes of an NCAA Tournament. The Paladins would graduate some great players like All-SoCon forward Kris Acox, which was instrumental in helping Furman start the momentum back towards the place it is now. The 23 wins for the Paladins were their most in a season since 1979-80, and the SoCon regular-season title was the first since 1990-91. Devin Sibley wins Southern Conference Player of the Year honors, marking the second-straight season a Paladin has won the award. Furman's Jordan Lyons claimed SoCon All-Freshman team honors.

--The 2017-18 season saw four senior leaders return for newly hired head coach Bob Richey, and the coach who had been there during some of the program's worst years, started to recruit and coach the Paladins into uncharted territory. Furman would finish the 2017-18 season falling short of their preseason projection of SoCon champions and NCAA Tournament participant, however, the Paladins did win 23 games for a second straight season and finished with a 23-11 overall mark and a 13-5 conference mark, which was good enough for the third seed in the Southern Conference Tournament. The Paladins ended Western Carolina's season, with a 97-73 quarterfinal win. The Paladins bowed out of the tournament with a 62-54 loss to East Tennessee State, and opted not to participate in the SoCon Tournament. Four seniors: Devin Sibley, Geoff Beans, Daniel Fowler and John Davis III were huge pillars of Furman's turnaround. The quartet was part of 76 wins, a SoCon regular-season title, and program-tying, back-to-back 23-win seasons. The group was also responsible for helping Furman to its first postseason wins in a non-conference sponsored tournament for the first time since 1975.

Supplemental Articles on Furman Basketball:

Niko Medved

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2015/10/9/9478123/2015-16-season-preview-neko-medved-resurrecting-furman

Bob Richey

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2016/1/20/10803784/furman-owes-plenty-of-gratitude-to-assistant-coach-recruiting

Jordan Lyons

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2018/9/25/17897844/jordan-lyons-is-ready-to-help-furman-to-cement-its-own-legacy-in-2018-19

Furman Flashback: The Big Brown Box

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2016/2/17/11037196/furman-flashback-the-big-brown-box-part-1

Daniel Fowler buzzer-beater vs. Louisiana Monroe

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2016/3/15/11243642/furmans-fowler-sinks-buzzer-beater-and-louisiana-monroe-in-cit

Stephen Croone buzzer-beater vs. Wofford

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2016/1/23/10821414/croones-buzzer-beater-sinks-wofford


Other Sources:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2015/11/04/mid-major-college-basketball-march-madness-cinderella-stories/75105316/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qyh1T50MJM&t=39s (FU on Sportscenter)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-3Oj-nm0i0 (Croone Highlights)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Ar7XhOnfI (Rick Barnes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBLFMgDDz14 (John Beilein)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9kn63pe1qw (Jay Wright)

Furman Moves To 3-0 in Overtime Games; Remains Unbeaten

GREENVILLE, S.C.--Furman got 29 points from junior guard Jordan Lyons, and 21 points and 15 boards from senior forward Matt Rafferty, as the Paladins held on for a 90-88 double-overtime win in Southern Conference basketball action in front of a rowdy crowd of 2,131 fans Saturday night at Timmons Arena.

Lyons finished the contest going 10-for-26 from the field, including 6-for-17 from three-point range, and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Rafferty went 9-for-15 from the field and 3-for-7 at the line. Rafferty has now scored in double figures in all eight games this season, and has four double-doubles.

Lyons and Rafferty were joined in double figures by Clay Mounce, who posted a double-double of his own, with 17 points and a career-high 13 boards, while sophomore guard Alex Hunter also added a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists in the Furman win.

With the win, Furman improved its best start in school history to 8-0 and 1-0 in the SoCon, while Western Carolina fell to 2-7 overall and 0-1 in league action. Furman improved to 25-3 in SoCon games at Timmons Arena since the start of the 2015-16 season, and improved to 3-0 in overtime games this season. The Paladins also have posted overtime victories over both Gardner-Webb (88-8) and No. 8 Villanova (76-68) so already this season. The win also marked the 15th win in its last 16 games for Furman.

The double overtime win was Furman's first since Feb. 16, 1991 when the Paladins downed The Citadel, 89-81, in Charleston. 

Furman found themselves in a dogfight for the entire night, trailing 66-62 with 38 seconds remaining, Furman sophomore point guard Alex Hunter made a pair of foul shots with less than 30 seconds left. Onno Steger was fouled immediately by redshirt freshman for Noah Gurley, who committed his fifth, and the Paladins needed him to miss one. 

With the score at 67-64, Steger missed the front end of a two-shot foul, but made the second, ensuring Furman would have a chance to tie. Lyons knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game 67-67, with 22.5 seconds to play. Western Carolina's Halvorsen miss a three-pointer at the buzzer, and the game went to overtime. 

In the first extra session, the Paladins would run out to a lead by as many as five twice, with the last coming at 76-71 with 2:23 remaining in the first extra session following an Alex Hunter layup. But the Catamounts simply kept clawing, using a Carlos Dotson layup and a triple from Kameron Gibson, tying the game, 76-76,  with 1:21 left. Furman and Western would both miss on their final attempts at a game-winning shot, and the game went to a second extra session. 

In that second extra session, Furman would take control of the game for good.A Lyons three-pointer and another bucket by Dotson left the score, at 79-78, in favor of the Paladins with 4:23 remaining in the second overtime. The Paladins would eventually assume a five-point lead once again, at 87-82, following a layup by Rafferty with 59 seconds remaining. Following a missed three-pointer by Matt Halvorsen, which caromed out of bounds, the Paladins would extend their lead to seven following a pair of Clay Mounce free throws following a foul by Steger to make it a 89-82 Paladins with 33 seconds remaining.

The Catamounts would score the next four points on a Dotson layup and a steal by Kameron Gibson and subsequent layup by D.J. Myers to cut Furman's lead to three, at 89-86, with nine seconds left. After Hunter was fouled, he connected on 1-of-2 free throws to make it 90-86. A Marc Paul Gosselin layup with a just under a second left, sliced Furman's lead to two, at 90-88, however, with the inbounds pass Furman ended the game and the scare, holding on for the two-point home court win.

In the opening half of play, the Catamounts shot the ball better from three-point land better than from two-point range, connecting on 47.1% downtown, as the Catamounts connected on 8-of-17 shots from long range, and 39.3% (11-for-28) from the field to trail the Paladins by just one, 34-33, at the half. The Paladins held a 53-45 edge on the backboards.

Furman also held advantages in points in the paint (50-42), fast break points (18-4), and second chance points (19-13), and field goal percentage (46.6%-41.3%). Western Carolina claimed advantages in points off turnovers (20-5) and bench points (11-9), and three-point field goal percentage (27.0%-25.0%).

The game was tied on 16 occassions, while featuring 17 lead changes. Western Carolina was led in scoring by Dotson, who finished the contest 27 points and 14 rebounds in another strong effort from the JUCO transfer. Dotson has now posted double-doubles in four out of his first nine games for the Catamounts. He finished the night connecting on 12-of-20 shots from the field. Dotson scored all of his points in the second half in what was one of the more remarkable second half performances by an opponent at Timmons Arena in quite sometime.

Dotson was joined in double figures by Gosselin's 16 points and 13 boards, while Steger added 14 points, and Gibson chipped in 17.

Furman head coach Bob Richey acknowledged the strong play by Dotson, but also echoed the Paladins have much work and much improvement to work on defensively as the season progresses.

"You know what foul trouble or no foul trouble I don't think we guarded worth a darn all night to be honest with you," head coach Bob Richey said.

"I think that is a coverage that takes multiple people and we're going to ask Matt [Rafferty] to guard Carlos Dotson then that's not fair, and you know if we're going to ask Matt [Rafferty] to guard Krautwig at Loyola that's not right. We've never done that and we left him on an island too much tonight and we weren't as connected as we needed to be post defense, and they do have four shooters and that makes it a little harder because who have you got to come off of, but we just have to do better and the ball pressure on the post entry has to be bette and the fronts and the three quarters have to be better,  and they did some nice exchanges on the back side and when they exchanged the back side, out back side help wasn't there."

Lyons continues to be a big-game player for the Paladins this season, and especially hitting the key big shot in big moments. He did that against Gardner-Webb and Loyola-Chicago in wins earlier this season, as well as Saturday night against Western Carolina in the SoCon opener.

"You've got to have a shooter's mentality. You can never worry about your last shot," Lyons said. "I shoot a lot of shots because I every one of them's going in. That's a testament to my teammates and coaches for putting that kind of confidence in me as well."

Furman returns to action Tuesday night to face CAA member Elon at the Schar Center. Tip-off in the brand new facility is set for 7 p.m.

UNCG Goes in Search of Another Big Early Season Win For the SoCon

Spartans go in search of another big win for SoCon

UNC Greensboro (7-1) at No. 10 Kentucky (6-1)

When: Dec. 1, 2018

Where: Rupp Arena (23,000)

How To Tune In: ESPN2/1 p.m. EST

Series: First Meeting

The SoCon basketball season appears to be setting up as one of the strongest in the recent history of the conference. We have all seen the publicity and the noise that Furman and Wofford have made early on this season, with victories No. 8 Villanova, Loyola Chicago and South Carolina already this season. 

With much of the attention focused on three SoCon games Saturday, at least some should shift some attention to the national scoreboard on Saturday and check in on the UNC Greensboro and Kentucky score periodically Saturday afternoon. The game has the potential to be yet another major conference win for the league that has looked as if it will make a habit of it during the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Kentucky has already faced one Southern Conference team on the hardwood a couple of weeks back, notching a 92-82 win over VMI. Saturday afternoon's between the Spartans and Wildcats will mark the first-ever clash between the traditional SEC power and the emerging mid-major power.

As successful as UNCG has been over the past few seasons, the Spartans have never beaten an AP Top 25 program since moving to Division I basketball in 1991-92. The Spartans are 0-30 all-time against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 all-time. 

The Spartans already faced one SEC program in the non-conference,  having dropped a 97-91 decision on the road to No. 23 LSU, despite connecting on 19 three-pointers and 32 points from Kyrin Galloway.

Kentucky enters the matchup having reeled off six-straight wins after that season-opening loss to VMI. The Wildcats have been solid since, but UNCG likely will offer the Wildcats their first major test since the season opener. That season-opening loss to Duke raised more than a few eyebrows throughout the college basketball landscape, with the Blue Devils blasting the Wildcats, 118-84.

The Wildcats have shown some signs of improvement since that season-opening setback to the Blue Devils. Kentucky got its largest win of the season last time out against Monmouth, posting a 90-44 win.

The Wildcats also have wins over Southern Illinois (71-59), North Dakota (96-58), VMI (92-82), Winthrop (87-74), and Tennessee State (77-62). For the 10th-ranked team in college basketball, it's not exactly a greatly impressive resume' for a team ranked 10th nationally coming into the matchup.

Still, the Wildcats are a program built on success and championships, whether or not they have looked good or not rebounding from that season-opening trouncing at the hands of Duke. A win by UNCG Saturday night would most certainly represent the biggest regular-season win in the history of Spartan athletics.

It would also be another feather in the cap of head coach Wes Miller, who has seemingly stayed to course to build this program where it has in terms of how it is thought of in the minds of those who follow mid-major basketball and college basketball in general.

UNCG's success over the past three seasons has been beneficial to the Southern Conference. Along with Wofford, ETSU and Furman, the Spartans have helped raise the bar of the SoCon hoops brand over the past few seasons.

Probable Starting Five For UNCG:
G--Francis Alonso (19.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 24-of-52 from 3pt range, 46.2%)
G--Malik Massey (4.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG)
G--Demetrius Troy (8.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG)
F--Kyrin Galloway (13.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG)
F--James Dickey (7.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 17 blks)

Off The Bench:
G--Isaiah Miller (13.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG)

Probable Starting Five For Kentucky:
G--Keldon Johnson (16.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG)
G--Immanuel Quickly (7.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.0 APG)
G--Tyler Herro (10.9 PPG, 1.7 SPG)
F--Reid Travis (13.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG)
F--PJ Washington (12.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG)

Final Prediction: UNCG 77, Kentucky 73

Three SoCon Games on Tap Saturday

Wofford and East Tennessee State meet in a huge Southern Conference clash Saturday night in Spartanburg

Coaches around the Southern Conference have begun to prepare their teams for a much anticipated season in the SoCon, beginning with three early-December league tilts. Below are previews for the games set to open league play this Saturday.

The Big One:
East Tennessee State (6-2, 0-0) at Wofford (5-2, 0-0), 7 p.m.
Venue: Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (3,400)
TV/Internet: ESPN+
When the SoCon schedule was released, more than a few raised eyebrows around the league. For the media, those eyebrows were raised in anticipation of the matchup, however, for both head coaches Mike Young and Steve Forbes, they were likely raised with surprise and dislike.

It’s no secret that coaches around the SoCon aren’t big fans of early December SoCon matchups, and one of this magnitude this early could actually have a huge effect on the league race. Though I haven’t asked their two head coaches of well-respected programs whether team’s are a finished product on Dec. 1, I imagine I probably already know how to answer the question.

That being said, how from a media or fan’s perspective can you not be excited about Saturday night’s clash? Wofford-ETSU is an emerging rivalry in the SoCon. It’s a matchup between two teams picked second and third, respectivrely, in the SoCon preseason media and coaches poll. Wofford was picked second in both polls, while ETSU was picked third in both.

The Wofford-ETSU rivalry has become one of those to keep an eye on around the league, and when the two meet Saturday, it promises to be no different. The two will be meeting on the college basketball hardwood for the 47th time, with the Bucs holding a commanding 35-11 all-time series edge. The two teams split the season series last season with each winning on the other’s home floor.

ETSU head coach Steve Forbes brings a Bucs program into the contest that has won five-straight, and a team starting to find its way. A great rebounding team (+16.3), the Bucs will offer the Terriers one of the biggest challenges in the low post, with forward Jeromy Rodriguez (11.4 PPG, 12.5 RPG) and center Mladen Armus (10.0 PPG, 9.4 RPG). It will be a big must for Mike Young’s club for Cam Jackson (13.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG) to avoid foul trouble in the contest for this very reason.

Obviously it’s no secret Young’s Terriers can shoot the basketball. The Terriers enter Saturday night’s clash ranking second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (40.1%), and third in the SoCon in three-pointers made (81/11.6 PG). That prolific, accurate shooting from the perimeter was on full display Monday night at South Carolina, as Wofford took South Carolina behind the woodshed on the Gamecocks home floor, with an 81-61 win. Nathan Hoover’s (13.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG) nine triples were part of a career-high 30-point performance in the win.

He team’s with one of the SoCon’s most prolific shooters in history, Fletcher Magee (17.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG, team-leading 11 steals), as the two combine to form one of the most lethal shooting duos in mid-major hoops. Magee and Hoover are a combined 26-for-27 from the charity stripe through the first seven games this season, with Magee a perfect 13-for-13 this season. Magee’s 379 career triples are third-most in SoCon history and needs just 17 more to surpass former College of Charleston great Andrew Goudelock.

The good news for the Bucs is they could have their best on-the-ball defender Bo Hodges (10.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG) back. The 2018 co-SoCon Freshman of the Year has missed the last five games with a groin injury. JUCO transfer Tray Boyd III (13.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG) will cause Wofford problems defensively with his quickness, while Appalachian State transfer Patrick Good (10.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG) has looked as if he will emerge as one of the SoCon’s top perimeters this season.

Purple Haze:

Western Carolina (2-6) at Furman (7-0), 4 p.m.

Venue: Timmons Arena (3,500)

TV/Internet: ESPN+

There’s a new face on the sidelines for the Western Carolina side of purple to this SoCon rivalry. His name—Mark Prosser. Prosser will face off against Furman in his first-ever SoCon game as a head coach. He replaced Larry Hunter, who retired, shortly after the Catamounts dropped a 97-73 SoCon Quarterfinal to Furman last season. Sadly Hunter passed away this past April due to complications from a stroke.

The Catamounts have been nothing short of exciting and resilient under Prosser so far, nearly rebounding from an early 18-point (21-3) deficit to beat Wake Forest for what would have been a historic upset for Prosser’s Catamounts against his father’s former program. However, the Demon Deacons were able to hold off the Catamounts late, posting a 71-64 win.

Sure, we have all seen that Furman has beaten two 2018 Final Four teams early on. However, the SoCon is still a one-bid league and head coach Bob Richey knows. The second phase of the season now takes shape for his 7-0 Paladins, and that comes with the start of league play. Furman will look to maintain the level of success it has enjoyed early this season, with Matt Rafferty (18.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG) having posted seven-double figure efforts and three double-double efforts to begin his senior season.

Countering Rafferty for Western underneath the basket will be JUCO transfer and local product Carlos Dotson (12.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG). Dotson has managed to be one of the best posts and newcomers in the SoCon through the early portion of the season. Saturday’s individual matchup between he and Rafferty will be one to watch. Dotson played his prep basketball just up the road from Greenville at Dorman High School in Spartanburg. He’ll likely have plenty of fans and friends in the stands at Timmons Arena Saturday.

In the backcourt, few will soon forget Jordan Lyons’ (20.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG) 54-point performance against North Greenville a couple of weeks back. He also tied the NCAA record for three-pointers made in a game with 15. Matching that shooting prowess in the backcourt for Western will be sophomore guard and leading scorer Matt Halvorsen (14.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG). Halvorsen currently leads the team with 25 made threes this season, shooting an impressive 41.0% from long range.

Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Furman is 24-3 against SoCon foes at Timmons Arena.

Pace-Setter:

Mercer (4-3, 0-0) at The Citadel (5-2, 0-0), 1 p.m.

Venue: McAlister Fieldhouse (6,000)

TV/Internet: ESPN+
Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman and Mercer head to Charleston to take on The Citadel in yet another intriguing SoCon clash. The Citadel is my darkhorse in the SoCon this season, and have looked solid through the early portion of the non-conference play, including a resounding, 112-87, win over High Point earlier this week. The Citadel connected an incredible 23 triples in the contest, with eight of them coming from sophomore guard Kaiden Rice (13.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG)

The Bulldogs have the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, Lew Stallworth (17.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG), who is also The Citadel’s leading scorer through the early portion of the season. Stallworth teams with the league’s most prolific outside shooter, Matt Frierson (17.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG), through the early portion of the season.

Mercer counters with a backcourt that has been effective in helping replace Jordan Strawberry and R’ian Holland, who have both graduated. Serbian-born Djordje Dimitrijevic (15.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG) and Ross Cummings (13.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG) have become the go-to-guys for more guard-oriented Bears team than in recent seasons.

The Citadel leads the nation in scoring (103.0 PPG), while Mercer ranks second in the SoCon in field goal percentage defense (38.4%) and scoring defense (62.0 PPG). That certainly makes for an intriguing matchup.