The 2023 NCAA Tournament has brought us some thrilling finishes and the first was Virginia’s stunning 68-67 loss to the Furman Paladins. Clad in vibrant purple, Furman had earned their ticket to the tournament for the first time in 43 years after winning the SoCon Championship Game.
It was Virginia’s final minutes that sealed their fate though – they ran a version of the Princeton offense (or as some would call it, South Harmon Institute of Technology’s S.H.I.T. offense) that failed to bring them through in the end. Early in the second half, it appeared Virginia was on its way to staking its dominance… until Furman switched to a 1-3-1 zone midway through and proceeded to chip away at Virginia’s double-digit lead. It seemed familiar: this is what happens when Tony Bennett System teams face off against spunky mid-majors – UVA robots forget how to function!
15% of 63Games picked Furman to Upset Virginia and rose to the top of the standings with the bonus points.