Furman delivered the first upset of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday as the No. 13 seed Paladins stunned No. 4 seed Virginia 68-67 in a Southern Region thriller. Virginia initiated a catastrophic turnover with less than 10 seconds left with a lead of two. The miscue led to a go-ahead three-pointer by JP Pegues with 2.2 seconds remaining.
Virginia’s Reece Beekman got a shot at the buzzer for UVa, but it ricocheted off the backboard and rim as the Paladins ran onto the field in celebration.
The win is Furman’s first win in the NCAA tournament since 1974, as the Paladins make their first Big Dance appearance since 1980. Furman will play either No. 5 seed San Diego State or No. 12 seed Charleston in the second round on Saturday.
The loss marks the latest first-round disappointment for the Cavaliers, who also lost as the No. 4 seed in the first round at the 2021 NCAA Tournament. UVa also became the first ever No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in 2018 when it lost to UMBC. UVa won the 2019 league title after that embarrassing loss, but hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since. Virginia is now only 3-4 in its last seven games against double-digit seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia took a 50-38 lead with less than 12 minutes remaining, but went cold from then on as it finished the game just 2 for 12 from outside the arc.
This story will be updated