Furman's 2019-20 season comes to an abrupt end due to Coronavirus Pandemic

Furman senior guard Jordan Lyons

Mar. 12, 2020

Furman third-year head coach Bob Richey and senior guard Jordan Lyons had hoped the 2019-20 season would once again see the Paladins receive a postseason bid to a prestigious college basketball tournament on Thursday, however, college basketball season has come to an end at all levels due to the pandemic spread of the Novel Coronavirus, which is also more commonly referred to COVID-19. 

Richey and Lyons had hoped to have the opportunity to set at least one more record in the 2019-20 season, which was receive a second-straight bid to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), and being able to claim a 26th win on the season, which would have eclipsed the 25 victories the Paladins achieved last year and matched this season.

The Paladins finish the 2019-20 season with a 25-7 overall record, which was the second-best record in the Southern Conference this season behind only East Tennessee State’s 30-4 record. Furman saw its season come to an end in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament, dropping a 77-68 decision to arch-rival and No. 7 seed Wofford.

At the time, it was thought the Paladins would likely receive an invitation to the National Invitational Tournament  (NIT), however, the week started with the official release by the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. When Utah Jazz forward Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus Wednesday night prior to tip-off between the Jazz and Oklahoma Thunder, the season was suspended indefinitely.

The dominoes would fall in quick succession following news of the remainder of the NBA season being canceled, as 14 conference tournaments followed suit by cancelling their tournaments and by Thursday late afternoon, both the NCAA Tournament and NIT were canceled in a statement released by NCAA President Mark Emert. 

Furman finished the season with a school-record 15 Southern Conference wins, finishing second overall in the league with a 15-3 record in league play. The Paladins were one of two teams that were able to take down East Tennessee State during the regular-season, positing an impressive 65-56 win over the Bucs back on Jan. 4 at Timmons Arena. For the first time in school history, Furman went 12-0 at its on-campus facility.