Furman vs. UConn Game Notes
 
Philadelphia, Pa. – Furman opens play in the NCAA Tournament on Friday night when the 15^th-seeded Paladins take on No. 2 seed UConn in first round action at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. 
 
Friday night's 10:00 p.m. matchup in the East Region will air live on TBS. Fans can listen to Dan Scott and Tom Van Hoy call the action on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg. The first-round tilt will also be available online at TheVarsityNetwork.com. Links for the live audio and live statistics are available at FurmanPaladins.com.
 
Furman (22-12) earned the automatic bid from the Southern Conference after claiming its eighth league tournament title and second in the last four seasons with a 76-61 victory over No. 1 seed ETSU on March 9, in Asheville, N.C. The Paladins are making their eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and looking to advance past the first round for the third time in school history.
 
After making its first NCAA appearance in 1971, Furman secured its first victory with a 75-67 triumph over instate foe South Carolina in the opening round of the 1974 tournament at the Palestra in Philadelphia. In 2023, the Paladins made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1980 and capitalized on the opportunity by toppling No. 4 seed Virginia, 68-67, in first round play in Orlando, Fla., on JP Pegues' three-pointer with under three seconds to remaining.
 
The 2023 tournament run ended for Furman with a 75-52 loss to San Diego State in the second round. The Aztecs went on to reach the national championship game before falling to UConn. The championship marked the first of back-to-back titles for UConn, who enters this season's Big Dance at 29-5 after finishing as the regular season and tournament runner-up in the Big East. 
 
Friday's contest will mark the third all-time meeting between the Paladins and Huskies. UConn rolled to an 87-68 victory in the first meeting on December 28, 1991, at the Connecticut Mutual Classic in Hartford, Conn., before scoring an 83-58 win over the Paladins in the most recent meeting on November 21, 2015, in Storrs, Conn.
 
Furman has been led this season by freshman Alex Wilkins' 17.7 points and 4.7 assists per game. The point guard from Mattapan, Mass., earned second team All-SoCon honors following the regular season and was named the most outstanding player at the SoCon Tournament after totaling 65 points over three games, including a career-high 34 in the Paladins' 81-75 victory over UNC Greensboro in the semifinal round. Junior Cooper Bowser has added 14 points and six rebounds per game despite missing 10 games due to injury, and Asa Thomas has added 12.4 points per game this season while missing seven games with a lower body injury.
 
Leading up to Friday night's game, Furman will have an open practice session at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday, March 19, from 3:30-4:10 p.m. On Friday, Furman fans will gather at the Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square, Furman's official team hotel, for a social and gameday sendoff. Start time for the event will be announced on Furman's social media accounts, including @FurmanPaladins and @FurmanMBB on X/Twitter and furmanpaladins and furmanmbb on Instagram.
 
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