March Madness is off to the races with the first round in full swing. Tipping off Friday night, the second-seeded UConn Huskies will take on the 15-seed Furman Paladins in the East Region.
UConn enters as a 20.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Furman sits as a +1700 underdog. The game total is set at 136.5 points.
Furman vs. UConn preview
Furman went 21–10 and won the Southern Conference Tournament to punch its ticket to the Big Dance. The Paladins closed the season with five wins in their last six games, including three straight. They are 15–16 against the spread and have fallen under the game total in 17 of 31 qualifying matchups.
The leap in competition is a concern for Furman, which ranks 283rd out of 365 qualifying D1 teams in strength of schedule. The program’s lone Quad 1 matchup this season was a 70–54 loss to UNI, and it also went 0–2 in Quad 2 contests. The Paladins rank 159th nationally in scoring, 96th in offensive rating, and 49th in field-goal percentage, but just 260th in three-point accuracy. Defensively, they sit 89th in opponent scoring, 120th in defensive rating, 81st in opponent field-goal percentage, and 99th in opponent three-point efficiency.
Alex Wilkins headlines the production with 17.7 points and 4.7 assists per game. Cooper Bowser adds 14 points and six rebounds, while Asa Thomas chips in 12.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest. Charles Johnson, Tom House, Ben Vander Wal, and Eddrin Bronson also play notable roles.
UConn has won two of the past three National Championships, but was eliminated in the second round of last year’s tournament. The program launched into March Madness this season with a 29–5 record, rising as high as No. 2 in the country. The Huskies are 13–21 against the spread, and have fallen under the game total in 18 of 34 games.
Dan Hurley’s team leans on its strong defensive identity. They hold teams to the 11th-fewest points in the country, while also ranking 24th in defensive rating, 19th in opponent field-goal percentage, and 23rd in opponent three-point percentage — virtually shutting down the perimeter. On offense, UConn sits 138th in scoring, 54th in offensive rating, 34th in field-goal percentage, and 109th in three-point percentage.
Tarris Reed Jr. leads the team with 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Solo Ball isn’t far behind, posting 13.5 points per contest. Alex Karaban offers championship experience, along with 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Braylon Mullins and Silas Demary Jr. also average double-digits, while Eric Reibe and Malachi Smith each play key roles.
Furman vs. UConn pick, best bet
While not quite the championship team of years past, UConn remains one of the best teams in college basketball. I have reservations about their outlook in the tournament, but the Huskies should leave no doubt in their first-round matchup.
Furman deserves credit for reaching its first March Madness berth since 2023. However, it took the Paladins winning three straight games in the conference tournament — including two where they entered as underdogs — to reach the NCAA Tournament. They have not played a defense like UConn’s and should struggle greatly, their shooting woes exacerbated by the Huskies’ swarming perimeter pressure. Furman is just 1–10 when held below 72 points in a game, and UConn has held opponents below that number in 26 of its 34 games this season.
Dan Hurley demands perfection from his group and likely won’t let the team take its foot off the gas until the game is all but over. Ten of UConn’s 29 wins this season have come by 20 or more points, including against far more formidable competition than Furman.
Expect the Huskies to gradually stretch their lead into a blowout, comfortably covering the 20.5-point spread and advancing to the second round with emphasis.
