The 2023 NCAA men's basketball tournament has just begun, but the chaos has already started courtesy of the Furman Paladins.
The Paladins, a 13-seed in this year's tourney, knocked off the No. 4 seed Virginia Cavaliers in a wild 68-67 contest. After being down by 12 with 11:31 left, Furman rallied back to make it a two-point game with seconds remaining in regulation. Paladins forward Garrett Hien stole a UVA pass and passed it to guard JP Pegues, who sank a game-winning 3-pointer with just over two seconds left. Virginia guard Reece Beekman missed a last-second 3-pointer, sealing the upset victory for Furman.
Thursday's loss could feel like déjà vu for many Cavaliers fans. Exactly five years ago, Virginia, a No. 1 seed, lost to the No. 16 UMBC Retrievers 74-54 in the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament, the first time ever a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed. Since UVA's 2019 championship, it has not made it past the first round of the tourney (there was no tournament in 2020 because of COVID-19).
VIRGINIA GOES DOWN IN THE FIRST ROUND EXACTLY FIVE YEARS APART 😱 pic.twitter.com/FLodXxpTUH
— ESPN (@espn) March 16, 2023
After the Paladins' huge win, stars flocked to social media to offer their opinions on the game and their brackets:
Busted brackets
The Paladins' win busted a lot of brackets. According to ESPN Stats & information, only 8.25% of ESPN's Tournament Challenge brackets remain perfect after the contest.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Los Angeles Sparks guard Lexie Brown and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward all faced the reality of their imperfect brackets after Furman's upset.
Lol brackets 0 for 2 already
— Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) March 16, 2023
bracket done already pic.twitter.com/HDDoKEWmvN
— Lexie Brown (@Lexiebrown) March 16, 2023
Wow scrap everyone's bracket
— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) March 16, 2023
Furman fiesta
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and former WNBA star Renee Montgomery were impressed by Furman's performance. Former NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant was among the viewers who saw UVA's demise coming.
Paladins just took care of business 👀
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) March 16, 2023
Furman has not been to the NCAA TOURNAMENT in 43 years and gets the first round upset! #MarchMadness
— Renee Montgomery (@ReneeMontgomery) March 16, 2023
I HAD A STRONG FEELING https://t.co/LR6XwcxQ6q
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) March 16, 2023
