LAS VEGAS—Maybe the easiest way to explain Furman’s begin to the season might be summed up by the lyrics of Furman’s tune which may as nicely be its theme tune throughout participant introductions—”Forgot About Dre”—that includes Eminem and Dr. Dre and was launched in 1999.
Although it’s the acoustic model, the tune has been a component of participant introductions for the previous three seasons, and this season it’s taken on extra which means with even a little bit of a refined message after Furman was picked fifth within the preseason by the league’s head coaches and by numerous preseason publications.
Relying on what preseason publication you subscribe to, the Paladins had been thought as a middle-of-the-pack Southern Convention crew underneath eighth-year head coach Bob Richey (162-71), who helped the Paladins return to the NCAA Match following a 43-year absence simply two years in the past, and never solely that, the Paladins had a first-round win over Virginia (W, 68-67).
Richey has been within the lab together with his pen and pad placing collectively a formulation to attempt to right final season’s title protection woes. Furman now seems to be like a totally totally different crew than it did a yr in the past and Richey may simply be doing his greatest teaching job but, nonetheless, most just like the tune says of Dr. Dre, forgot about Furman.
The reasoning behind the consensus low rankings for Furman? Properly, for one the Furman basketball program appeared to be one with out many on- or off-the-court flaws for seven years till final season after they had been the preseason choose to repeat however stumbled to a 17-16 season and worst end within the league for the reason that 2014-15 season, because the Paladins completed fifth.
With 71.5% of its scoring misplaced (56.5 PPG of 79.4 PPG) from a yr in the past to the Switch Portal, Furman had little or no left over from the crew that knocked off the No. 4 seed Virginia Cavaliers in Orlando, together with the silencer himself—level guard JP Pegues—who led the Paladins in scoring at 18.4 PPG. Had he returned, he would have been the favourite to say the SoCon Participant of the 12 months honor.
Richey, who has in some way by no means received SoCon Coach of the 12 months Award in eight years, regardless of extra wins than some other coach within the league over that span and an NCAA Match look, was pressured to reply quite a lot of questions he wasn’t accustomed to doing in his earlier tenure as a head coach, which is navigate the Switch Portal for a number of gamers.
Furman had introduced in three gamers from the portal in his seven earlier seasons, and a type of had already come and gone, as Carter Whitt determined to spend his ultimate season in Nashville with Belmont.
Richey and workers hit the portal arduous on the lookout for the correct items to repair the puzzle that in some way bought badly broken final season within the afterglow of the very best crew in program historical past. After having set a Southern Convention single-season document two years in the past with 401 3-pointers three years in the past and linked on 34.4% and 340 threes within the championship marketing campaign of 2022-23, the Paladins main difficulty offensively was its lack of taking pictures capacity from the perimeter.
He discovered perimeter taking pictures with the Paladins that includes 4 gamers at present taking pictures 50% or higher from 3-point vary this season, together with all three portal additions. The truth is, Furman has a complete of 5 gamers taking pictures 40% or higher from 3-point land this season.
Furman’s movement offense is majorly influenced by creating house via ball motion, excessive ball screens, and most significantly, reducing off the ball. The truth is, Furman’s crew creates extra by what others sacrifice by screening and reducing on actions off the ball than anybody ever does with the basketball. Furman, which shot higher than 34% from 3-point vary in each season underneath Richey, stumbled to simply 32.4% from lengthy vary final season.
Furman now heads to the Excessive Desert to face off towards Seattle (2-3) in what would be the first-ever assembly between the 2 packages. It’ll even be doubtless one of many Paladins’ hardest challenges to-date, with Seattle having been an rising mid-major in latest seasons.
The Paladins sit atop the SoCon within the early parts of the season for 3 main causes: They’ve shot the ball gentle’s out via the primary three video games, have performed wonderful protection,and have showcased nice depth.
After I say the Paladins are taking pictures the ball nicely, I imply significantly from 3-point vary, because the Paladins at present head into Thanksgiving Week rating thirteenth nationally in 3-point subject aim proportion (41.9%), whereas rating ninth nationally in efficient subject aim proportion (60.8%). By way of Furman showcasing its depth, the Paladins at present rank twenty eighth nationally in bench scoring (35.2 PPG), which is the very best the Paladins have been in Richey’s eighth season on the helm.
Defensively, the Paladins at present rank 14th nationally in scoring protection (58.3 PPG), holding three opponents to lower than 50 factors via the primary six video games of the season. Two of these foes have been non-Division I foes, in wins over Ogelthorpe (W, 124-48) and Columbia Worldwide (W, 104-46), nonetheless, Furman’s greatest defensive efficiency of the season got here towards NCAA Division-I competitors, because the Paladins held Charleston Southern to simply 46 factors, which was the bottom complete for an NCAA Division I opponent since Feb. 7, 2019, when the Paladins had been in a position to restrict Western Carolina to simply 45 factors in what was a 64-45 street win.
Furman restricted the Bucs to simply 31.5% taking pictures for the sport in Saturday afternoon’s blowout win. The Paladins at present rank thirty second nationally in subject aim proportion protection (36.9%) and third nationally defending the three, because the Paladins are permitting opponents to shoot simply 21.5% (29-of-135) from 3-point land this season.
Whereas PJay Smith Jr. (21.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.0 SPG) has been Furman’s prime participant this season, they’ve proven to be a complete crew by way of scoring distribution this season. The Paladins have six gamers averaging eight or extra factors per sport and 7 averaging over 6.0 PPG. Smith Jr. is the two-time reigning SoCon Participant of the Week, and he has scored in double figures in all 5 video games wherein he has logged motion this season. One of many causes most of these publications gave as a reasoning for Furman’s fall was its lack of a real level guard. Smith has shortly put that query to mattress.
It’s at all times robust to know precisely how portal gamers will likely be within the total equation, however Furman has picked some good ones in terms of being selective of gamers that matches coach Richey’s total crew id. Guards Nick Anderson (11.0 PPG, 2.8 PPG) and Tom Home (9.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG) have been a pair of gamers which have given the Paladins a lift offensively, with each exhibiting maturity and taking pictures capacity.
Taking an opportunity on 6-foot-11 ahead Charles Johnston (10.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG) has been completely an ideal choice. The native of Sydney, Australia, by means of Cal State Monterey Bay has been excellent this season for the Paladins, which features a 25-point effort in an enormous Furman house win over Jacksonville. He went 8-of-9 from the sector and was a powerful 4-of-5 from 3-point land.
As necessary as Furman’s newcomers have been, it’s been a core that options three gamers that had been instrumental in that championship run of two years in the past which were important to Furman’s robust begin. Garrett Hien (9.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.3 APG), who scored seven factors and nabbed perhaps the most important steal and subsequent help in Furman historical past, has been an enormous motive for Furman’s success. Tyrese Hughey (5.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG) and Ben VanderWal (4.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG) have given the Paladins two glue guys which were via loads of battles and have as a rule, come out on the correct aspect of the battle when confronted with adversity.
In Hien, the Paladins have an x-factor kind participant, and it’s not his scoring, rebounding, or defending which might be as necessary to the crew as his passing. Hien prides himself on being an excellent passer and his talent at having the ability to slice aside a protection with one go is maybe the factor that makes him a participant work so seamlessly at occasions. His robust begin is why Furman is 6-0.
Cooper Bowser (6.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 51.7 FG%, 2.1 BPG) has made strides offensively whereas being a power on the defensive finish and on the boards. He provides Richey an choice to go massive by placing him with Hien and Johnston all on the ground on the identical time.
The Paladins will tackle a tricky Seattle (2-3) crew developing on Tuesday evening in a sport that will likely be nationally-televised by ESPNU, with tip-off for that contest set for 11:30 p.m. ET.
The Redhawks are coming off a 23-14 marketing campaign, profitable the Faculty Basketball Invitational (CBI), with a 77-67 championship sport win over Excessive Level. The 23-win marketing campaign final season marked a third-straight 20-win season for the Redhawks underneath the path of head coach Chris Victor.
The Redhawks are off to a 2-3 begin this season, with losses to Japanese Washington (L, 93-86), Liberty (L, 66-64) and Cal Poly (L, 75-71), whereas having posted wins over UC San Diego (W, 84-71) and Northwest College (W, 80-52). The loss towards an excellent Liberty crew in a sport that would have gone both means is an effective indicator of how robust the Redhawks are as a basketball crew.
The Redhawks posted an 11-9 mark within the WAC this previous season, which was ok for a fourth place end within the league standings. The Redhawks’ pursuit of a WAC Match title would come to an finish by the hands of eventual convention match champion and NCAA Match participant Grand Canyon, who handed the Redhawks an 80-72 setback within the semifinal spherical of the Hercules Tires WAC Match.
Like Furman’s Richey, Victor has made his mark as one of many younger and upcoming head coaches on the mid-major degree. Victor sports activities a powerful 171-77 document in eighth seasons as a head coach, which features a 68-38 document in three seasons as the pinnacle coach of the Redhawks.
The Redhawks are a crew on the rise in faculty basketball but stay in the hunt for their first NCAA Match look since 1969. Nevertheless, with its rise within the ranks the previous three seasons, a return to the heyday of the Nineteen Sixties for Redhawks basketball appears lots nearer now than it did just some years in the past. The Redhawks made six NCAA Match appearances within the Nineteen Sixties, together with a run to the Candy Sixteen in 1964.
Following Tuesday evening’s check in Las Vegas, the Paladins will then shift focus to the Midwest the next Saturday, touring to fulfill one of many favorites to say the 2024-25 nationwide championship, within the Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks head into their matchup towards No. 11 Duke, which can be a part of the Las Vegas Showdown and precedes the Furman-Seattle matchup, because the Blue Devils face the highest ranked crew Jayhawks at 9 p.m. ET.
The Paladins, who’re receiving votes within the AP High 25 for a second-straight week, began 12-0 in Richey’s second season as head coach en path to this system’s first-ever nationwide rating. That yr, they defeated defending nationwide champion Villanova and Loyola-Chicago, who made the Remaining 4 only a yr earlier.
With every triumph comes a brand new problem, and the subsequent three video games for Furman will inform us lots about what this present group is manufactured from, beginning with Seattle this night.
