Furman basketball vs. Virginia scouting report, score prediction in March Madness

Furman basketball will try to do something that has not been done by the program in nearly 50 years.

Win an NCAA Tournament game.

The Paladins (27-7), champions of the Southern Conference, were given a No. 13 seed in the South Region and will play Thursday (12:40 p.m., TruTV) against No. 4 seed Virginia at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The Cavaliers (27-5) were ACC runners-up to Duke in the ACC tournament.

Furman is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980, when it lost to Tennessee, 80-69. The Paladins have made it seven times, their only win coming in 1974 under the late coach Joe Williams against South Carolina, 75-67, in a 25-team tournament.

Virginia won the national championship in 2019 but didn’t make the tournament last season. The Cavaliers in 2018 became the first No. 1 seed to lose a first-round game, falling to UMBC. They also lost in the first round two years ago to Ohio from this same No. 4 seed.

Time, TV channel for Furman basketball vs. Virginia

• What: No. 13 seed Furman (27-7) vs. No. 4 seed Virginia (25-7) in opening round of South Region play in NCAA Tournament

• When: 12:40 p.m. Thursday

• Where: Amway Center; Orlando, Florida

• Odds: Virginia by 5.5

• TV: TruTV

• Radio: The Fan Upstate, 97.7 FM, 1330 AM (broadcast begins at noon)

Here are some other things to know about Furman basketball against Virginia and a score prediction:

IT COULD HAPPEN: Here's how Furman basketball could pull upset of Virginia in March Madness NCAA Tournament

PATH TO TITLE: March Madness: Scouting the path to the championship for South Carolina women's basketball

CLEMSON IN NIT: Clemson basketball a 1-seed in 2023 NIT, will face Morehead State in tournament opener

Contrasting styles in Furman basketball vs. Virginia

Virginia led the ACC and ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense. The Cavaliers play deliberately on offense and rely more on their ability to guard the ball. Furman, meanwhile, will try to speed things up. The Paladins rank No. 11 nationally at 82.1 points per game and they’re doing it with high efficiency as the best two-point shooting team in the country (59.1 percent). Virginia doesn’t allow much dribble penetration, but Furman ranks eighth nationally in assists (three players with more than 100). The Paladins will whip it around quickly to create a crease or an open look.

Furman-Virginia basketball matchup of veterans

Furman’s top players, Jalen Slawson and Mike Bothwell, are both fifth-year seniors. Slawson (15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds) is the Southern Conference player of the year. Bothwell leads the team in scoring (18.0 points). … Four of Virginia’s top five scorers are seniors or graduate students – guard Armaan Franklin (12.5 points), forward Jayden Gardner (12.1 points), guard Kihei Clark (10.9 points) and forward Ben Vander Plas (7.4 points), who won’t be able to play because of injury. The youngster of the group is junior Reece Beekman (9.4 points).

Furman basketball vs. Virginia score prediction

Furman 74, Virginia 71 – If this were a No. 12 vs. a No. 5 matchup, always a favorite place for upsets, everybody would be picking Furman. Well, 13 vs. 4 seems like the magic spot this year in the South Region. The Paladins are well-rested and will be well-prepared to pull of the biggest victory in program history.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Furman basketball vs. Virginia scouting report, score prediction