The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 145 is Furman basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Furman basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 1
- NCAA wins: 2
- Bids: 8
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 13.3
- Bids per season: 0.08
- AP Polls: 3
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 4
- NBA players drafted & played: 3
- Conference Players of the Year: 13
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 7
- Conference tournament titles: 8
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Furman basketball
Next up is another program that has really done well recently, the Furman Paladins.
Head coach Bob Richey has a 203-93 record in nine seasons with the program, guiding them to the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and 2026. He has never had a losing record with Furman, and has led them to seven 20-win campaigns. Before Richey, Niko Medved was the coach for four years, helping to bring the program out of the dumps. Together, those two head coaches have turned Furman basketball into the crown jewel in the SoCon.
But Furman was also a dominant team in the 1970s. From 1970-71 to 1979-80, they made six NCAA Tournaments and went to the Sweet 16 in 1974. Joe Williams was the coach for most of them, going 142-87 and also helping them win the SoCon regular season title three times. Eddie Holbrook brought them to the big dance in 1980, but didn’t fare well other than that.
Even further back, Frank Selvy played at Furman and was the number one overall pick in the 1954 NBA Draft. He was a two-time All-Star, not really living up to the pick, but still having a solid pro career.
So, for Furman, there have been two extremely dominant eras. They were one of the best, if not the best, mid-major programs in the 1970s. And now, over the past 10 or so years, the Paladins are once again a part of that group. And they should stay on top as long as Richey is the coach.