Greenville, S.C. – The Furman Paladins, preseason favorites in voting by the Southern Conference's coaches and media, open defense of their 2023 league title when they travel to face UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night.
 
Tip-off at the Greensboro Coliseum is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the action on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, on 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg, or via the Audacy app. Links for the video stream, audio feed, and live statistics are available at FurmanPaladins.com.
 
Wednesday night's game marks the 45^th all-time meeting between the Paladins and Spartans with UNCG maintaining a 23-21 series advantage. Furman and UNCG have split the regular season home-and-home series in each of the last five seasons with the visiting team winning on the opponent's home court in three of the five years. Last season, the Spartans rallied from a double-digit deficit to down Furman, 88-80, in overtime at Timmons Arena before the Paladins claimed a 69-57 victory in the rematch in Greensboro, N.C.
 
Since head coach Bob Richey took over the Furman program prior to the 2017-18 season, Furman has posted a league-best .727 winning percentage against SoCon opposition with an 85-32 record, including a 78-27 mark in regular season SoCon contests. UNCG ranks second with a .725 winning percentage and 87-35 mark.
 
Furman opens conference play at 6-7 on the season following a stunning 79-74 defeat at the hands of NCAA Division II Anderson on Saturday. Anderson's Garrett Denbow scored a game-high 27 points while the Paladins went just 2-for-20 from three-point range and missed on 14 trips to the foul line. The loss snapped Furman's 10-game home winning streak. Garret Hien, who notched his first career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds versus Presbyterian on December 19, paced the Paladins again with a career-best 20 points and nine boards.
 
The injury-riddled Paladins have not played a full game this season with all scholarship players healthy and preseason All-SoCon picks Marcus Foster and JP Pegues have combined to miss seven games due to injury. All told, Furman has used 10 different starting lineups through its first 13 games.
 
UNCG enters SoCon competition at 9-4 on the season. The Spartans, who boast a victory over SEC foe Arkansas in November, dropped a 72-37 decision at Texas in their last outing.
 
Following a trip to Chattanooga on Saturday, Furman returns home to host The Citadel in its SoCon home opener on January 10. Tickets are available and can be purchased online at FurmanPaladins.com. Fans can also purchase a SoCon Super Weekend Pack. The package, available for just $60, includes a ticket to each of the Paladins' six Southern Conference weekend home games, beginning with a clash versus ETSU on January 13.