When: Friday Nov. 7, 2025, 7 PM
Who: Furman (0-1/SoCon) vs. Troy (1-0/Sun Belt)
Where: Timmons Arena (2,750)/Greenville, S.C.)
Coaches: Furman-Bob Richey (181-82/9th yr); Troy-Scott Cross (104-87/7th yr)
Series: First-ever meeting between Furman and Troy
Opening Tip: Furman (0-1) returns to the hardwood Friday night in search of some answers as well as hoping the 97-71 loss to High Point in the Field of 68 Marathon was just an aberration and a substantial loss to a good team rather than warning signs of anything deeper.
One thing is for sure, the Paladins can't afford to dwell on the 26-point setback to open the season, as the Paladins get ready to face another quality opponent Friday evening with the Troy Trojans (1-0) slated to be the first official opponent in the newly refurbished Timmons Arena.
Unlike Furman's 96-71 loss to No. 13 Alabama in its only official exhibition game, there was a much more uneasy feeling about Furman's 2025-26 team coming out of the season-opening loss to High Point in the Field of 68's Opening Day Marathon than there was in the exhibition loss to the Crimson Tide.
It's rare to see another mid-major program beat Furman but such a substantial margin, and the way they were able to do it was force a young Furman team to do "un Furman-like" things, with the primary concern being the amount of times the Paladins turned the ball over in the loss to the Panthers.
There were 22 of them to be exact, which led to a 25-3 differential in points from turnovers in favor of the Panthers. The Panthers had 17 steals in the game, while the Paladins only had one and forced only six High Point miscues. But as concerning as that was, it wasn't the only concern to emerge in the opening game for Furman.
The other concerns include some un-Furman-like shooting percentages, with the Paladins able to connect on just 43.9% (25-of-57) from the field for the game, while finishing just 26.9% (7-of-26) from three-point range in the opener.
The Paladins also didn't shoot it well against the Crimson Tide, finishing that contest by connecting on just 35.1% (26-of-74) from the field in the game, including posting just a 25.0% (9-of-36) effort from three-point range. There were far more positives in the 96-71 setback to the Crimson Tide, including turning the ball over just nine times and pulled down a total of 19 offensive rebounds in the game.
But maybe it was more of a positive result against the Crimson Tide than it was against High Point simply because a program that is on the same level as you are, like High Point, shouldn't beat an elite mid-major like Furman has laid claim to being over the past decade under head coach Bob Richey.
While some of that is true to say, there's also always some perspective. The first thing is college basketball is in a way different universe now than it was when Bob Richey took over the program as the head coach in 2017-18. In fact, the 26-point loss to the Panthers to open the season was against a team that has anywhere from a 2.5-3 million dollar roster of players.
High Point is a mid-major program without football, however, has plenty of wealthy donors and a president that isn't scared to spend money on athletics and basketball in particular, to help take the program to the highest level possible, despite being a mid-major program, which plays in the Big South Conference.
The Paladins might have not played well, but it's not as if High Point and its highly paid roster of talent didn't have a lot to do with that. The other thing to keep in mind is that while Furman is talented, it also is young in the backcourt.
Furman has to get several things right before entering conference play on New Years Day against, and it has to play better on both ends of the floor. While the shooting wasn't great in the loss, it was only bested by the fact that Furman's defense was equally as concerning, as the Paladins allowed the Panthers to connect at a 58.0% (40-of-69) clip for the game, and that included a 45.0% (9-of-20) effort from three-point range.
High Point finished the night by owning advantages in the following categories: points in the paint (52-36), points off turnovers (25-3), total rebounds (41-28), steals (17-1), second chance points (12-9), fast-break points (14-4), total assists (17-13) and bench scoring (38-19). Furman owned advantages in free throw attempts (19-15) and points from the line (14-8).
Furman's 22 turnovers against High Point were its most since turning it over 22 times in a 117-110 double-overtime loss to Tulane on Dec. 14, 2023. It ranks as the most turnovers for a Furman team in regulation since Dec. 19, 2020, when the Paladins turned it over 23 times in an 87-71 loss at Winthrop.
In fact, it 262 games under Bob Richey prior to Monday night's season opener, the Paladins had only had seven games in which they turned it over 20 or more times, finishing 2-5 in those games. The only two wins came against South Carolina State (Dec. 3, 2022) and USC Upstate (Nov. 28, 2020). Furman's 22 turnovers in regulation was bested only once in Richey's tenure as head coach, and it ironically came in Rock Hill, as the Paladins finished with 23 turnovers in an 87-71 loss at Winthrop on Dec. 19, 2020. With Monday night's loss to High Point, the Paladins fell to 2-6 in games in which they have turned it over 20 or more times in 263 contests under head coach Bob Richey.
Furman hopes to recapture some of the magic that Timmons Arena has provided since it opened in 1997, as the Paladins have posted a 257-108 mark in all games played in the facility, and that includes a 109-19 mark in the facility from the start of the 2015-16 season through the 2023-24 campaign.
The loss to High Point offers a bit of unfamiliar territory for the Paladins, which opened with a loss to a season for the first time under Bob Richey, as well as the first time since opening the campaign with a 73-71 setback at Presbyterian. Interestingly, in that 2016-17, Furman rejuvenated their season the next time out in the state of Alabama, taking down a good UAB team, 84-74, ending the Blazers' 26-game homecourt winning streak in the process.
With that said, Furman now turns its focus to reigning Sun Belt Champion Troy in what will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs. It is a difficult way to re-open Timmons Arena, but each of these tests are designed to get the Paladins ready for what will be another grueling SoCon slate, which will begin on Dec. 31, with a visit from the Mercer Bears.
Previewing the Trojans: Troy is another program that is not only one of the best in mid-major basketball, but like High Point, has a good, winning culture inside the Sun Belt.
Unlike Furman, Troy got its season started off in strong fashion, getting a solid win over a good Kent State team, 103-97, in overtime on the road as a part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
The Trojans are under the direction of Scott Cross, who is in his seventh season leading the Trojans after unceremoniously being fired for after 12 years at the helm of UT-Arlington, which he helped reach an NCAA Tournament in 2008 and coached the Mavericks from 2006-18.
Cross was apparently fired for unmet expectations at Arlington, however, the Mavericks haven't reached the NCAA Tournament since reaching the NCAA Tournament under Cross in 2008. As for Troy, they have been a contender at the top of Sun Belt in most every season under Cross.
In fact, the Trojans' trip to the NCAA Tournament last March marked the first time Troy had reached the NCAA Tournament since doing it in 2017--a year prior to Cross' arrival--as the Trojans faced the Duke Blue Devils in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, dropping what was an 85-67 decision to the Blue Devils.
Last March, the Trojans returned to the NCAA Tournament under Cross' leadership, and after finishing in a four-way tie for first in the Sun Belt along with Arkansas State (13-5), James Madison (13-5), and South Alabama (13-5), the Trojans then went and knocked off Old Dominion (W, 75-59), James Madison (W, 79-60) and Arkansas State (W, 94-81) in the championship game in New Orleans to cut down the nets at the Superdome.
It marked the third trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history, and first in eight years, as the Trojans would face off against the Kentucky Wildcats in opening round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 14 seed. The Trojans would hang with the No. 3 seeded Wildcats for a while before the Wildcats' talent and depth won out in Milwaukee, as the Wildcats ended up posting a 76-57 win over the Trojans. The loss to the Wildcats saw the Trojans finish the season with an impressive 23-11 overall record.
As it is for most programs around the country in this new NIL/transfer portal era, a new season usually means a mostly new roster of players, and that's certainly the case for Troy, which returns just one starter from a year ago.
Furman's mantra under Bob Richey has been a culture founded on offensive precision and execution. For Cross' Troy Trojans, it's defensive mentality, grit and toughness that has been the recipe for success in his time as head coach at both Arlington and now at Troy.
That was the key ingredient in the Trojans run to the NCAA Tournament last March, but it's not the only thing the uber-athletic Trojans have done well under Cross, as Troy has been an excellent offensive rebounding team under Cross, as well as one that shoots the ball extremely well from the charity stripe.
At the Sun Belt's preseason basketball media day last month, the Trojans were selected to finish fourth off of last season's 23-11 record and Sun Belt Tournament and shared regular-season title.
Troy's 2025-26 roster is not only once again athletic, but it appears to be a better shooting team than the one that went on to win the Sun Belt Conference title a year ago. One glance at the stats sheet seems to back up the claim that this Trojans team might have more pure shooters than that championship team of a year ago, as the Trojans connected on 52.4% (33-of-63) of its shots in the season opener, including a 46.2% (12-of-26) clip from three-point range in the season-opening win over the Golden Flashes.
The leading returnee for the Trojans from last season's team is 6-8 junior forward Thomas Dowd (19.0 PPG, 13.0 RPG), who is coming off a solid opening act to the season against Kent State, which saw him finish the game with 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 35 minutes of floor time. Dowd was the lone Troy player selected to the preseason all-conference squad.
In the opener against the Golden Flashes, Dowd connected on 7-of-14 shots from the field, which included a 2-for-5 effort from three-point range. As a sophomore last season, Dowd found his way into double figures on 15 occasions, which included nine in the final 11 games of the 2024-25 season. Dowd was key for the Trojans in Pensacola in the tournament, garnering all-tournament honors after averaging 14.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG, and 1.3 BPG, showing he is a complete player that does the job on both ends of the floor.
Dowd's 43 triple led the Trojans last season, and he finished the campaign connecting on 42.0% from the field, but just 29.9% from three-point range. He's a player that the Paladins will have to be aware of from the perimeter, but more importantly a guy to be aware off on the offensive glass, as he led the Trojans with three of those in the road win over Kent State.
Teaming with Dowd underneath the basket will be graduate student Theo Seng (24.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG), who got his 2025-26 season off to a flying start with his performance in the season-opening win over Kent State, as the 6-9 center finished with a team-leading 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-5 effort to match Dowd from three-point land. In addition to his 24 points, he also added four rebounds, a steal and a block to the Trojans cause in the opener.
Seng is in his third season in the Troy program, and after backing up Dowd in the paint last season, finds himself starting alongside him this season for Scott Cross' team. Similar to Dowd, Seng is a stretch four that is versatile enough to hurt teams with his ability to shoot from the perimeter. He is also skilled and takes good care of the basketball.
The graduate student appeared in all 30 games last season for Troy, logging one start and averaging 14.3 MPG, while shooting 42.4% from the floor and 30.9% from three-point range. He shattered his previous career-high of 18 points in a home contest against Arkansas State last season by going for 24 in the opener vs. the Golden Flashes.
Rounding out the projected starters underneath the basket for the Trojans will be 6-7 junior forward Victor Valdes (23.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.0 APG), who was Troy's second-leading scorer in the season opener, adding 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and was 2-of-5 from three-point range against the Golden Flashes, and like Seng, ended up with a career-high in the win.
Valdes hails from Monterrey, Mexico, and would make a former Mexican star like Oklahoma's Eduardo Najera proud, as well as national pride for that type of performance in the opener. Like Seng, Valdes is poised to see his role increase for the Trojans this season. In addition to his 23 points, Valdes also dished out six assists, snagged three rebounds and recorded a pair of steals. For what Valdes lacks in overall athleticism, he makes up for in basketball IQ, as well as his ability to use his 6-7, 235-lb frame positionally to his advantage in the paint.
Rounding out the projected starters for the Trojans heading into the second game of the season are backcourt brothers, in point guard Cooper Campbell (19.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 8.0 APG) and shooting guard Cobi Campbell (10.0 PPG, 3.0 APG, 2.0 RPG). Cobi Campbell redshirted last season after having hip surgery and transferring in from North Idaho College, and the two Campbells, who were playing their first collegiate game on the floor together shined, as the two combined for 29 points and both ended up in double figures, which must've been a special moment for their father, Scott Campbell, who is an assistant on the sidelines for the Trojans.
Cooper Campbell finished his contest off against the Golden Flashes by matching Dowd's scoring total, as he added 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range, as well as adding on a 4-of-6 effort from the charity stripe. He also added a team-leading eight assists, six rebounds and added a team-best three steals.
Cobi Campbell played his first game in over a year, and his debut at the NCAA Division I level ended up being pretty impressive, as he added 10 points, three rebounds and an assist.
Redshirt freshman guard Austin Cross (3.0 PPG) saw 18 minutes off the bench and is the son of head coach Scott Cross. He added three points in the opener, connecting on 1-of-5 from the field and 1-of-3 shots from long-range in the road win.
The only other player to see double-digit minutes in the season-opening win for Troy was 6-5 sophomore forward Kerrington Kiel (2.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG) who saw 14 minutes off the bench and scored two points on 1-of-2 shooting from the field.
Kiel, who is an extremely athletic player, found his way onto the floor in 30 games last season, with a pair of starts. He finished the season averaging 1.4 PPG. Kiel turned in his best performance of the season and career against Louisiana Monroe last season, as he finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a career-high 28 minutes of floor time.
All told, Troy's starting five scored 95 of their 103 points in the season-opening overtime triumph over the Golden Flashes and truthfully, only go about seven deep. However, those seven players can all score and affect the game in a variety of ways, and like Furman, most of the offensive prowess for the Trojans resides in the frontcourt, though Cooper Campbell is one of the best players in the Sun Belt even though he wasn't recognized on any of the preseason all-conference teams, which mostly relies heavily on last season's numbers.
Campbell's ability to create off the dribble is very similar to what Furman encountered in the season opener against High Point point guard Rob Martin, although maybe not quite as quick.
The stats sheet reveals that the Trojans shot the ball extremely well from all areas of the floor in the season-opening win, connecting on 52.4% (33-of-63) from the field and 46.2% (12-of-26) from three-point range, which offensively, are Furman-like numbers.
Defensively, the numbers were also solid, limiting the Golden Flashes to just 38.0% (30-of-79) from the field and 38.7% (12-of-31) from three-point range, as the three-point shot was able to keep the Golden Flashes in the game most of the way, even though the Trojans led the contest for over 39 of the 40 minutes in regulation. Kent State did manage to take one lead in the game, with just under a minute-and-a-half left, as Rob Whaley Jr. connected on a three to give the Golden Flashes a two-point, 86-84, lead.
However, the Trojans showed the grit and toughness of a team with some championship pedigree, as Cooper Campbell went coast-to-coast and to score a layup in heavy traffic in a high-pressure situation to tie the game, 87-87, with just one second left, sending the game to overtime.
Both Cooper Campbell and Theo Seng scored seven points apiece and combined for 14 of the Trojans' 16 total points in the extra session to lead them to the win. It looked as though the Trojans might coast to the road win against a team, which won one more game than Troy did a year ago, as the Trojans jumped out to a 16-3 lead in the opening five minutes of the game. But Kent showed why they are a perennial power in the MAC, and forced Troy to outscore them 16-10 in an extra five minutes of basketball to ultimately emerge with the Trojans' first win of the 2025-26 season.
If there is one weakness that perhaps Furman can exploit in the opener, it might be rebounding. The Golden Flashes outrebounded the Trojans 28-23, which included 22 offensive boards, which they converted into a 23-10 advantage in second-chance points, allowing them to obviously keep in touch with the Trojans on the scoreboard, despite struggling to shoot the ball well in spots. However, shooting the ball at a 38.8% clip from three point range on 12 makes is also a solid performance and also one that kept the Trojans within striking distance throughout.
Noting Furman:
G-Asa Thomas--Came off the bench to score 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from three-point range and has been Furman's most prolific three-point shooter through the exhibition game and season opener against High Point. The Clemson transfer has connected on 6-of-12 threes combined in the exhibition loss to Alabama (3-of-9) and the season-opening loss to High Point (2-of-3). It was obvious he was at the top of the scouting report for both Alabama and High Point, as he struggled to find any opening whatsoever to get a shot off. If there's a guard that has to step up and score for Furman, Thomas is absolutely one of those guys. This all can't be laid at the feet of three freshmen to do. That's too much pressure, and so Thomas absolutely has to manage some of that scoring load if possible.
G-Tom House--Tom House is another potential breakout player for the Paladins this season and he was a preseason all-conference selection. Against High Point, House got the start after not starting in the exhibition game against Alabama. He posted eight points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-for-8 from three-point range. He also finished with three rebounds and turned it over twice. House was one of Furman's best players down the stretch during the 2024-25 season and became the first play in program history to finish a perfect night shooting from three-point range when he posted a 6-for-6 performance in a 19-point effort in Furman's Bon Secours Wellness Arena finale against The Citadel last season. He also posted a career-high 26 points in a late-season win over Mercer, while finishing with a 21-point effort in Furman's 95-78 SoCon Tournament win over Samford last March. House added 11 points off the bench in Furman's exhibition loss to Alabama.
G-Collin O'Neal--Collin O'Neal might already be one of Furman's best on-ball defenders this season, and that became evident in the first game against Alabama, when Labaron Philon had trouble getting the ball down hill against his physicality and strength. After a strong defensive effort in 12-and-a-half minutes of action against the Crimson Tide, as he finished with four points, two assists and one rebound against the Crimson Tide. That earned him a little more time on the floor against High Point, which he transitioned by being Furman's primary backup point guard ahead of Eddrin Bronson. O'Neal posted just over 18 minutes of action against the Panthers Monday night finishing with four rebounds, two points, one assist and three turnovers. O'Neal's hustle and effort on the defensive end will likely earn him more and more time on the floor, and it wouldn't at all be shocking to see him earn his first start against Troy on Friday evening.
G- Alex Wilkins--Was responsible for six of Furman's 22 turnovers in Monday night's loss, but looked solid with 10 points and two assists and only one turnover in the 96-71 exhibition loss to No. 13 Alabama, fouling out of the contest against the Crimson Tide with 12:23 left. He finished with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the and 1-of-3 from long-range, adding a pair rebounds and two assists against High Point. Wilkins is a four-star recruit out of Boston, MA, playing his prep basketball at Brooks Academy.
Notable games against Sun Belt Foes at Timmons
Nov. 19, 2014: Furman 84, Appalachian State 65
--Furman faced off against in recent former SoCon rival for the first time since the App State knocked Furman out of the SoCon Tournament in 2012, as the Paladins got a then career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds from Kris Acox, while juniors Larry Wideman and Stephen Croone added 10 and nine points, respectively in what was a comprehensive win over the Mountaineers.
Mar 15, 2016 CollegeInsider.com Tournament First Round (CIT): Furman 58, Louisiana Monroe 57
--Daniel Fowler beats the buzzer with a putback jumper off a missed layup attempt and Furman knocks off Lousiana-Monroe, 58-57 in a Timmons Arena instant classic game. The win marked the 11th-straight at Timmons Arena, as Furman improved to 14-1 on its home floor and established a new school record for home wins in a single-season. Furman went on an 11-0 run less than two minutes after having trailed 57-47 with 1:53 left.
Mar. 19, 2016 CollegeInsider.com Tournament Quarterfinals (CIT) Louisiana-Lafayette 80, Furman 72
--Kasey Shepherd led the way for the Ragin' Cajuns, scoring 18 points as Louisiana Lafayette built as much as an 18-point first half lead and held off the Paladins in the second half to end Furman's 2015-16 breakthrough season under then head coach Niko Medved. It was also the end of Stephen Croone's Hall-of-Fame Paladin career, as the 2016 SoCon Player of the Year scored 29 points in his final game with the 'Dins to finish ranked fifth in Furman history with 1,936 career points.
Dec. 10, 2021 Furman 73, App State 65
--Furman placed three in double figures, as Mike Bothwell added a team co-leading 16 points to become the 49th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone in a career. Jalen Slawson, who was fresh off the school's first triple-double in program history against Winthrop, also added 16 points, as Furman connected on 49% from the field in what was a fiercely competitive game.
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