Greenville, S.C. – The No. 15 seed Furman Paladins will face No. 2 seed UConn in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship on Friday at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa., it was announced Sunday evening on the NCAA Selection Show, which aired on CBS.
 
Tip-off time and broadcast information for Friday's first round matchup will be announced later in the evening. The winner of Friday's Furman-UConn contest will take on the winner of No. 7 seed UCLA and No. 10 seed UCF in second round action on Sunday in Philadelphia. Click here to purchase NCAA Tournament tickets.
 
Furman (22-12) earned its eighth NCAA Tournament bid and second in the last four seasons with a 76-61 victory over No. 1 seed ETSU in the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Monday, March 9, in Asheville, N.C. The sixth-seeded Paladins downed No. 3 seed Samford, No. 7 seed UNC Greensboro, and the Buccaneers en route to claiming the SoCon Tournament crown.
 
Freshman point guard Alex Wilkins, a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award (national freshman of the year) and Lou Henson Award (mid-major player of the year), garnered most outstanding player honors at the SoCon Tournament. The Mattapan, Mass., native, who totaled 65 points over three games in Asheville, including a career-best 34 in the Paladins' 81-75 triumph over UNCG in the semifinal round. Junior Cooper Bowser totaled 21 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Paladins in the championship game.
 
Furman will be making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2023 when the No. 13 seed Paladins stunned No. 4 seed Virginia, 68-67, in opening round action in Orlando, Fla., before falling in round two against eventual national finalist San Diego State.
 
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