NCAA Basketball: 10 potential March Madness Bracket-Busters

Furman Paladins

Furman has already made a name for themselves to start the season. They started 12-0 before falling on the road against a really good LSU team. They play a short bench and they count on everyone who plays to contribute in a variety of ways, This is a team full of underclassmen but they have a couple of upperclassmen who lead the way. Jordon Lyons and Matt Rafferty have led this team to a lot of early season success, which makes them a threat to beat nearly anybody.

Lyons is a 5-11 guard who is currently having a breakout season. Last season, during his sophomore campaign, he averaged just 8.3 points while starting in just eight games. So far through the first 14 games this season, he is averaging 17.4 points and has established himself as one of the premier 3-point shooters in the country. He is shooting 35% while attempting 10.9 three-pointers per game. He also had a huge 54-point performance in the win over North Greenville. Lyons has been inconsistent in some games but, on that day, he made 15 of 34 three-point attempts. It was one of the best performances of the college basketball season thus far.

Rafferty is the senior forward who has been playing at a high level. He gives them an inside scorer to go with Lyons. He is averaging 16.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. His ability to get it done on both ends of the floor is a big reason they got off to a 12-0 start. He is also averaging 2.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game this season. His consistency has been big for this team because they know they can count on him on a daily basis. His nine points against LSU was his only game without scoring double-digits.

These two guys are the leaders but they do have other really good players. This team has already shown how dangerous they are with wins over Villanova and Loyola-Chicago; make sure you know where they’re at when filling out your bracket.