Furman Punches March Madness Ticket
Furman punched their ticket to March Madness by winning the SoCon title, marking their second appearance in four years https://x.com/i/status/2031247042048086139, https://x.com/i/status/2031174796944306289. Two more auto-bids were clinched today as the brackets fill https://x.com/i/status/2031247042048086139.
Furman defeated East Tennessee State 76-61 to win the Southern Conference Tournament on March 9, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament took place at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina. Cooper Bowser led Furman with 21 points in the championship game. This will be Furman's eighth appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Their last appearance was in 2023, ending a 43-year drought. As a No. 13 seed in 2023, they upset No. 4 Virginia 68-67 in the first round. Furman is coached by Bob Richey, who has a 138-53 record in his six years as head coach. The Paladins had to win three games in the tournament to secure the SoCon's automatic bid. They defeated Samford and UNC Greensboro before facing East Tennessee State in the final. Greenville, South Carolina, is set to co-host the NCAA Men's Tournament first and second round games in 2026. Furman also co-hosted the tournament in 2022, which generated over $10 million in economic impact for Greenville.
