Perhaps the Southern Conference men’s basketball season reaches full intensity each winter when Furman plays Wofford for the first time.
The late Keith Jackson sometimes previewed a SEC football rivalry by saying, in his inimitable style, “These two teams just do not like each other.”
One reason for the Paladins and the Terriers is that they are just too damned much alike. They’re not much more than a half hour away and frequently intimately involved in the SoCon championship race.
Last year, for instance.
Tipoff at Timmons Arena is scheduled for 5 p.m. and follows a 2 p.m. game between the women’s team of Furman and Western Carolina. The Furman-Wofford contest is sold out and fans are encouraged to arrive early. Steve Max, the Master of Simon Sez, will provide halftime entertainment for the men’s game.
Saturday’s Furman-Wofford game is to be televised on Nexstar Media affiliates throughout the southeast, among them The CW 62, and streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can also listen to Dan Scott and Tom Van Hoy call the action on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg, and via the Audacy app.
Furman (13-5, 4-1) claimed its third consecutive win and 12th in its last 14 outings with a 77-73 triumph at Samford on Wednesday night.
Freshman Alex Wilkins, who leads the Paladins, averaging 17.5 points and 5.1 assists per game, paced the Paladins with a career-high 28 points while senior Charles Johnston totaled nine points and 14 rebounds. The victory came despite the Paladins playing with just eight available scholarship players due to injury.
Saturday’s home matchup marks the 159th all-time meeting between Furman and Wofford with the Paladins holding a 93-65 series advantage. The Paladins have won six of the last nine meetings, but Wofford claimed two of the three meetings last year, including a 92-85 decision in the SoCon Tournament finals in Asheville, N.C. This weekend’s encounter will be the first between the schools at refurbished Timmons Arena since Feb. 24, 2024.
The Terriers (11-7, 3-2) are looking to rebound from a 77-69 home defeat against Chattanooga on Wednesday evening. Sophomore guard Khamare Holmes leads Wofford, averaging 17.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Women’s tennis hosts Iowa and Presbyterian Saturday at Mickel Tennis Center. Free doughnuts will be available for fans prior to the match against the Hawkeyes, which is slated to begin at 11 a.m. Furman will take on the Blue Hose starting at 3 p.m.
The match versus Iowa marks the season opener for both teams. The Hawkeyes return five letter winners from last year’s team, which posted a 13-11 overall record and 7-6 Big Ten mark. The teams last met in 2023, when Iowa defeated Furman, 5-2, to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Presbyterian opens the season on Saturday, as well. The Blue Hose recorded a 6-17 overall mark last year, with two wins in Big South play. Furman leads the all-time series, 19-2, after beating PC, 7-0, in Greenville in 2021.
During the 2025 season, Furman notched a 21-4 overall record and was a perfect 7-0 against SoCon opponents. After winning the regular season championship, the Paladins claimed the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by capturing their 22nd SoCon tournament title. Furman, which finished the season ranked 46th nationally and ninth among mid-major programs, recorded wins over several ranked opponents in 2025, including then 22nd-ranked Alabama.
Men’s tennis begins its spring season this weekend when it travels to face the Ole Miss Rebels and Alabama Crimson Tide in non-conference action.
The Paladins kick off the season Saturday afternoon facing Ole Miss in a doubleheader with match times slated for 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. Furman then heads to Alabama on Sunday for a 12 p.m. contest versus the Crimson Tide.
Women’s soccer will add 11 newcomers to its roster for the 2026 season, it was announced recently by Paladin head coach Andrew Burr.
Hayden Barnett (Snellville, Ga./Troy), Kylie Brookfield (Highlands Ranch, Colo./George Mason), Sierra Davis (Simpsonville), Natalie Gullo (Virginia Beach, Va.), Jayden Irby (Greenville), Kate Kuzemka (Clifton, Va.), Marlie Nagle (Mount Pleasant), Riley O’Bryan (Louisville, Ky./USC Upstate), Emmy Rikard (Greenville), Katie Villiger (Simpsonville), and Camryn Zimmerman (Raleigh, N.C.) will join the Paladins for the 2026 season.
“This year’s class features 11 outstanding young ladies who will fill needs for us at a variety of positions on the field and add solid depth to our team,” said Burr. “We look forward to this group making an immediate impact in our program and believe they are each a great fit within our team and at Furman University.”
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Things should lighten a tad soon. For now, I apologize for losing in a game of catch-up. I’ll soon have more time to devote to my modest craft.
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