The Furman Paladins Pull Off the First Big Upset of March Madness
AP Photo / Chris O'Meara
ORLANDO, Florida (PSF) - The chaos and crazy endings of college basketball games in March Madness began early this year. The first official Round of 64 game was a one-possession victory for Maryland against West Virginia, who had a chance to win it at the buzzer. Then in just the second game between the Furman Paladins and the Virginia Cavaliers, we were treated with a fantastic finish and an improbable upset.
Although it was a common upset pick and Virginia was just a five-and-a-half point favorite, victory certainly seemed improbable for Furman at many times throughout the game. They got out to a slow start, and Virginia started fast with an 8-0 run to begin the game. Furman was down double digits at times in both the first and second halves, but they hung around. Their leading scorer, Mike Bothwell, dealt with foul trouble for most of the game and fouled out with over six minutes left.
Then the Paladins were down 4 with just 19 seconds left. They needed a quick score, and forward Garrett Hein was able to draw a foul with 12 seconds remaining. He was able to make both to cut it to a two point game, but Furman would still need to try to force a turnover or foul. They got a great trap in the corner, and even though Virginia had a timeout, a bad pass was picked off at midcourt by Hein who found guard JP Pegues. With a good look at a three, he took the shot and drilled it, leading Furman an incredible win, 68-67.
For the Paladins, Jalen Slawson led the scoring with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Marcus Foster added 14 points and 5 rebounds. Pegues and Bothwell finished with 11 points each, with Bothwell’s points coming in just 20 minutes of action due to his foul trouble.
Kadin Shedrick had a nice double-double for Virginia with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Reece Beekman contributed 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Isaac McKneely added 12 points off the bench.
It was another heartbreaking loss for the Cavaliers, who have quite a baffling last four tournament appearances. In 2018, they became the first one seed to lose to a 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament when they lost to UMBC, only to win the National Championship over Texas Tech the next season. In 2021, they lost as a four seed to Ohio in the first round, and obviously lost in the first round again this year and again as a four seed.
As for Furman, they will take on the San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday in the Round of 32. This Furman team is one of the better offensive teams in the country, but they struggled at times against a good Virginia defense. San Diego’s State is a great defensive team, but the Paladins showed us that they can compete. Will they become the next great Cinderella story?
