Virginia basketball. No. 13 Furman deals No. 4 Virginia another early NCAA tourney exit

                               No. 13 Furman deals No. 4 Virginia another early NCAA tourney exit

The 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has already produced some shocking results, with No. 13 seed Furman pulling off a major upset over No. 4 seed Virginia in the first round. The game was a thrilling back-and-forth affair, but it was Furman who emerged victorious, sending the Cavaliers packing yet again in the early stages of the tournament.

The game got off to a slow start, with both teams struggling to find their rhythm on offense. However, as the first half progressed, Furman began to find its groove, thanks in large part to the play of senior guard Mike Bothwell. Bothwell, who finished the game with 28 points, was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 19 points and helping the Paladins build a 37-28 halftime lead.

Virginia, however, was not about to go down without a fight. The Cavaliers, who were coming off a disappointing season by their standards, came out firing in the second half, led by junior guard Kihei Clark. Clark, who finished with 20 points and 9 assists, helped Virginia cut Furman's lead to just two points with just over two minutes remaining.

But Bothwell and the Paladins refused to be denied. Furman's senior leader hit a clutch three-pointer to extend his team's lead to five, and the Paladins held on for a thrilling 75-68 victory.

The upset was a major surprise, not only because of Virginia's lofty seeding, but also because of the program's recent success in the NCAA tournament. The Cavaliers won the national championship in 2019 and were poised to make another deep run this year. But Furman, a mid-major program from the Southern Conference, had other ideas.

The win was a historic one for the Paladins, who had never beaten a team seeded higher than No. 5 in the NCAA tournament before. It was also a statement win for the Southern Conference, which has often been overlooked in the national conversation about college basketball.

As for Virginia, the loss will undoubtedly be a bitter pill to swallow. The Cavaliers have now been eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the first or second round in four of the last five years. The program will no doubt be looking to regroup and come back stronger next year.

But for now, the spotlight belongs to Furman, a team that has proven that anything is possible in March Madness. The Paladins will look to build on their upset victory and continue to shock the college basketball world in the coming rounds of the tournament.