Furman’s 2019 season was admirable. They upset Loyola and Villanova in November, putting themselves on the map. They got rocked by LSU in December, making it clear they weren’t actually all that good. They lost to Samford in January, keeping safe from missing the NIT on the high side. They won the rest of their winnable games and quietly, respectfully, lost to Wofford and UNC-Greensboro to cement their position. As far as making the NIT as an at-large bid in a mid-major conference with some fortunately good conference opponents goes, it was a master class.
The NIT itself, of course, was more difficult. Furman drew Wichita State in the first round, and Wichita State did what one should probably have expected them to do: they began a string of road victories that culminated in an NIT Final Four appearance.
Still, it was a good season for Furman, and they’re following it up with a solid second act. If they beat East Tennessee State tonight in Johnson City, they’ll be in a good spot in the SoCon’s regular season race, most likely one game ahead of both ETSU and UNC-Greensboro with just three to go. Better yet, their résumé will get an unexpected boost with the road triumph, most likely propelling them into the field in this website’s NIT Bracketology come Friday.
With a loss, though, all hope is not lost for the Paladins. They still get UNCG on the road, which could provide another good victory, and they’d likely play UNCG again then in the SoCon semifinals, providing more food for the committee. But, they do want to win tonight. In case you were wondering.
With tonight so impactful, then, let’s take a look at Furman.
Name: Furman University
Named For: I don’t know. Guessing a guy named Furman, but hopefully a guy named something else who was just real hairy.
Where Is It: Greenville, South Carolina
Where Is That: Northwest corner of the state. Clemson’s around there too.
Do We Like Them: I can’t speak for you, but I have no ill will towards Furman.
What Do They Do for Fun: Probably nothing that unusual. Guessing the school parties a bit. Bet a subset of students enjoys the natural beauty accessibly found nearby.
Ok You Didn’t Really Answer Do We Like Them: Forced to choose, yes, we like them. We want them in the NIT.
Thank You: You’re welcome.
Anything We Should Know about the Basketball Team: Beyond what’s above, I think just that Clay Mounce plays for them, and he looks like someone personified Animal from the Muppets and cleaned him up a bit.
Was He the Fur Man: I don’t think so, but that’s a good point.
There you have it, folks. Furman.
