Furman Basketball: 3 keys to upsetting Virginia in 2023 NCAA Tournament

Virginia can struggle shooting from the outside

The second key to an upset comes on the defensive end for Furman and also involves the perimeter. It will be beneficial for Furman if they can make Virginia settle for jump shots. One thing that should play into Furman’s hand with this is Virginia’s propensity to play the 3rd slowest tempo in college basketball.

The Cavaliers shoot just 38% from the mid-range and 35.4% from three-point land which is 201st and 128th respectively. During their three-game run to the ACC title game Virginia shot just 28% from deep on 49 attempts, so it would probably behoove the Paladins to extend their defense from the pain out and dare Virginia to beat them from the outside.

Defensively this may deviate a bit from what Bob Richey likes to do, usually, only a third of their opponents’ shots come from beyond the arc. When teams do shoot it from deep, Furman defends it very well allowing opponents to shoot just 32%. Another thing that may help keep Virginia on the perimeter is the 6.8 steals per game that Furman registers. In the type of low-possession game that Virginia likes to play, that might deter them from wanting to probe the middle of the floor.

Keep an eye on the perimeter early, if Virginia is launching jump shots and three-pointers that could very well be by design by Furman and bode well for them should they get a lead, forcing a team not designed to come back offensively to do just that.