By MONTE DUTTON Tarris Reed Jr. (UConn photo) Click here. The controversial quotation, from Vince Lombardi, was: “Winning isn’t everything. It is the only thing.” The Green Bay Packers head coach, who lost one postseason game in his career, meant his remark to be aspirational. Winning is the only goal worth seeking. Connecticut (30-5), a …
Tag: NCAA Tournament
Anatomy of an upset
By MONTE DUTTON Alex Wilkins (Furman photo) Click here. Furman must go into Friday night’s game against Connecticut with illogical expectations. A cynic would call it delusions of grandeur. The Paladins must believe they are going to win. Period. There’s no other way. When Furman hits the Xfinity Mobile Arena floor, every corner of the …
Paladins set sights on UConn, Philly
By MONTE DUTTON Alex Wilkins (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. Furman University is practicing football, competing in numerous spring sports, and dancing. Basketball is not over. Not yet. The Paladins are headed to Philadelphia, Pa., City of Brotherly Love, and where Furman pulled an NCAA first-round upset of South Carolina on March 9, 1974. I’m …
Short-term hoops fatigue
By MONTE DUTTON Click here. “Six Days on the Road (and I’m A-Gonna Make It Home Tonight)” was written by Earl Green and Carl Montgomery. It’s my favorite trucker song. I don’t have a lot. A man who drives pickups doesn’t count as a trucker. I was, however, on the road for six days. I …
Furman closes deal with gusto, 76-61
By MONTE DUTTON Alex Wilkins (44) changed jerseys after ripping the front of his No. 10 (Monte Dutton photos). Click here. ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- The Southern Conference tournament is a meeting of warring tribes. Most times when a team pulls out a game at the end, fans take a breath, smile and say, Had it …
Proximity but not prestige
By MONTE DUTTON 'New' Timmons Arena (Monte Dutton photos) Click here. Furman University and Bob Jones University have little in common as basketball rivals, other than both being in Greenville. They may be rival institutions but not athletics rivals. Last season, the Paladins played a couple games at BJU’s Davis Fieldhouse while Timmons Arena was …
Blue Hose demolish Bulldogs, 69-41
By MONTE DUTTON Carl Parrish (Monte Dutton photo) Click here. Presbyterian and Citadel played in the Harrah’s Cherokee Center, which annually hosts the Southern Conference Tournament, on Sunday. The Bulldogs exited in the first round of that Asheville, N.C., affair earlier this year, and little familiarity was apparent in the Blue Hose’ 69-41 victory. Statistically, …
Paladins fall with grace, composure
By MONTE DUTTON Trey Hedden set a school record for passing yards (Monte Dutton photo). Click here. Surprisingly, I didn’t drive to Clemson on Saturday. I couldn’t go through all the hassles of big-time football just to watch the Paladins fall with a thud. I’d watched a thud on Friday night, though that had nothing …
Thomas shines in victory over Ohio Christian
Asa Thomas (Furman photo) Click here. I had never heard of Ohio Christian University except that it has a Wikipedia page and 1,600 students, and it brought a good NAIA record into Wednesday night’s visit to Furman. It stood to reason that the Trailblazers would hang in for a while, then the Paladins would pull …
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Clemson gets ‘Cowboyed up’
By MONTE DUTTON Click here. Now, I’m kidding, okay? The last two times I’ve watched Clemson play basketball, the Tigers have come from hopelessly behind to losing barely. Against Louisville, if not for an unbelievable “no call,” they may well have won. Against the McNeese State Cowboys on Thursday, Clemson was way back. Yet the …
Nightrider's Lament 