On March 17th, 2023, No. 13 seed Furman defeated No. 4 seed Virginia 69-63 in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. This is the second time in the past four years that Virginia has suffered an early exit from the tournament, having lost to No. 16 seed UMBC in 2018.
Furman, a team from the Southern Conference, entered the game as a heavy underdog against Virginia, who were the ACC regular season champions. However, Furman came out strong and took a 34-28 lead into halftime. They continued to play well in the second half, maintaining a lead for much of the period despite Virginia's attempts to rally.
Furman's success was due in part to their strong shooting from beyond the arc, where they made 11 of 24 attempts. They also out-rebounded Virginia 37-26, which helped them control the pace of the game.
Virginia struggled with turnovers throughout the game, committing 16 in total, which allowed Furman to capitalize and score points in transition. They also had difficulty shooting from the field, making just 40% of their attempts.
Despite the loss, Virginia had a strong individual performance from guard Kihei Clark, who scored 24 points and had 7 assists. However, it was not enough to overcome Furman's well-rounded team effort.
This loss marks another early exit for Virginia in the NCAA Tournament, and raises questions about the team's ability to perform in high-pressure situations. It is also a major upset for Furman, who will advance to the second round to face the winner of the No. 5 vs. No. 12 seed matchup.
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