Go 'Dins! Three things to know about the Furman Paladins

Southern Conference basketball is often a lot of fun for the casual fan because the games are high-scoring and it's usually due to high-level shot-making.  The conference is a breeding ground for low-major players transferring up, and the coaches in the league are all highly coveted, including Bob Richey, who yet again guided his team, the Furman Paladins, through the conference tournament to secure the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

The Paladins won the tournament as the 5 seed and have now qualified for their 8th NCAA Tournament.  The last time Furman was in the NCAA Tournament, they hit a late three to beat Virginia and became the talk of the tournament at least over the first couple of days.  Furman is likely to be a 15 seed but has a chance to sneak up to a 14 seed, though not likely.  Here are some things to know about Furman before their first game tips off.

Bowser Brothers

This is not a Super Mario Bros. reference, but rather a reference to two of the Paladins' stars: Cooper Bowser and his younger brother, Cole Bowser.  The two big men are from the same family, but could not be more different players.  The Paladins need both of them, and both players will contribute to the team's success in different ways.

Let’s start with Cooper, the junior big man, who was part of the last tournament team and the win over Virginia, but he wasn’t a huge piece to the Paladins' plans. That has changed now, and many Furman fans would tell you that without Bowser, the Paladins would not be in the NCAA Tournament at all.  That's a hard fact to argue with, considering he shoots 78% from the floor. That is not a typo.  78% from the floor, add that to his 6 rebounds, the fact that he can guard every position on the floor, and that he has over a block a game, and you get a very valuable piece of an NCAA Tournament team.

Cole Bowser is the younger brother of Cooper, and the younger Bowser gets 22 minutes a game, shoots threes, and is also extremely efficient inside the three-point arc.  The younger Bowser doesn’t have the role his older brother does, but he is a good rebounder and a nice option off the bench for 5-7 points every night.  Sometimes those are the players you need to help separate late in an NCAA Tournament game.

Inside the Arc

Watching Furman play basketball under head coach Richey, one thing quickly becomes noticeable: the sheer volume of threes the Paladins take.  This year, the still rings true as they take about 28 threes every night, which is on brand for Furman.  Coach Richey would probably like to make more than 32% of them, but the Paladins have been able to keep the pressure on defenses by shooting over 60% inside the three-point arc.  That is the 10th-best percentage in the country.

I am surprised it isn’t more when looking at the breakdown of the offense.  Furman currently has two starters shooting over 70% from the floor.  Bowser, who was already discussed, and big man Charles Johnston.  There is also a starter, Ben Vander Wal, at 69%. Those three you can add to the other starters, shooting 55% and 49% respectively.  That is an extremely efficient starting 5, and it's no wonder they are in the tournament. 

These numbers also suggest that the Paladins should go inside a little bit more, given how good they are inside the arc. Cementing this further, it's also easier to take this many threes knowing that when you do go inside, it is likely going to be a basket.  It is always a nice security blanket to have when the threes are not falling.

Freshman Star

As the articles get written and the bracket gets released, there are going to be stories written about a lot of different things, but hopefully one of them is about the star freshman who wears Purple and White.  Alex Wilkins is one of the best freshman scorers in the country, and because he plays in the Southern Conference, he isn’t going to get much recognition.

Wilkins is option number 1 for Furman, and he has repaid the coaches' trust in him by scoring 18 points per game, shooting 46% from the floor, 32% from three, and 55% from inside the arc.  He gets buckets, and he is at the top of the scouting report for every team Furman plays.  The point guard also averages 5 assists per night.  The turnovers are a little high for my liking, but most of them are within the offense.  

Wilkins, when paired with Bowser, is one of the most efficient duos in the sport, and the two of them can go on a 15-0 run by themselves. Teams know how good Wilkins is, but he takes teams by surprise with his athleticism, and there are very few players who can put up points as fast as he can.  If he has zero at half, don’t be surprised when he ends with 25 and keys the entire Paladins comeback.