NCAA Tournament 2023: Top 10 most likely 1st round upsets to happen
By Joey Loose
7. 13 Furman over 4 Virginia
The time has finally come for Bob Richey and Furman to have their chance to dance. This Paladins program has been really good in recent years and has finally finished the job by winning the SoCon Tournament and getting to the NCAA Tournament. The Paladins performed well this season and have a pair of very talented 5th-year seniors leading the charge in Mike Bothwell and Jalen Swanson.
Bothwell averaged 18 points per game and was the conference’s top scorer while Swanson was named SoCon Player of the Year after averaging 15.7 points and 7.1 rebounds a game. They form a dangerous 1-2 punch on a team with other young pieces like JP Pegues, Marcus Foster, and Ben VanderWal in the lineup. The Paladins actually led the nation in 2-point field goal percentage and are one of the most efficient offenses in the nation.
The Paladins have been incredible against their SoCon foes (both this year and in recent years), but how will they fare against an ACC foe? The bottom line is that Furman drew a fortunate matchup because Virginia has not been playing great basketball in recent weeks and is prone to upset, especially when their offense goes stale. If Bothwell or Swanson can breakout on college basketball’s biggest stage, then the Paladins might hand the Cavaliers another rough early exit from the Big Dance.