Furman to face High Point in Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon
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You know you’re getting close to the start of all things college basketball when parts of the schedule begin to be announced.
Furman, which is coming off a 25-win season and NIT appearance in 2024-25, will open the 2025-26 season on Nov. 3 against 2024-25 Big South Champion and NCAA Tournament participant High Point it was announced earlier this week by the “Field of 68”, which has become college basketball’s most comprehensive and informative podcast, with some of the best analysts that cover the sport, including but not limited to: Jeff Goodman, John Fanta, Terrence Ogelsby and Rob Dauster to name a few.
One more week to go… keep pushing ⚔️🔥#BetterTogether // #ALLDIN pic.twitter.com/BrD2xa6AB0
— Furman Basketball (@FurmanMBB) August 1, 2025
Three years ago, the Field of 68 offered its first live broadcast live on X, as John Fanta and Rob Dauster were on location at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena to broadcast Furman’s thrilling 72-70 win over Stephen F. Austin, as Mike Bothwell’s baseline jumper with less than a second left, allowing the Paladins to post a 72-70 win over the Lumberjacks.
The Paladins will face off against a High Point team in the 6:30 p.m. contest at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center in Rock Hill, S.C., and will be part of a slate that includes six games in two different venues. In Rock Hill, the day will get started with Winthrop facing off against Queens in an 8 AM clash, which will also have plenty of local appeal. That will be followed by an 11 AM clash between St. Bonaventure and Bradley.
Roster revealed 🔓
Tag a friend who’s as hyped as we are for 2025-26 line up ⬇️🔥
🗞: https://t.co/qdEi7GVD7A#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl pic.twitter.com/Ql8GZeUdq4
— HPU Men's Basketball (@HPUMBB) July 3, 2025
Like Furman, both the Bonnies and Braves were part of the NIT last season and both are coming off 20-win seasons. The Braves would be knocked out of the NIT by eventual champion and Southern Conference member Chattanooga, 67-65, in the NIT quarterfinals. St. Bonaventure won 22 games last season, while Bradley finished with 28 victories on the season.
Murray State and 2025 NCAA Tournament qualifier and Summit league champion will kick off the games in the Sioux Falls venue at the Pentagon in a 1:30 p.m. contest, which will be followed by reigning Missouri Valley champion Drake, which won 31 games last season, facing off against Big Sky member Northern Arizona, which finished 18-16 last season. That game will tip at 4 p.m. EST.
Furman will then face off against the High Point Panthers in a 6:30 contest at Rock Hill Sports and Events Center in a 6:30 p.m. contest, which will close out the games for the day in Rock Hill. The final game of the day will see South Dakota State and Merrimack facing off against one another at the Pentagon. Merrimack finished 18-15 overall last season, which included a 14-6 mark in the America East Conference, which was good enough for a second-place finish. The Jackrabbits won 20 games last season and finished third in the Summit League last season.
📆: November 3rd
The Dins will take on High Point in Rock Hill, SC! @TheFieldOf68 #BetterTogether // #ALLDIN https://t.co/sVq1OASeOE
— Furman Basketball (@FurmanMBB) July 29, 2025
More on Furman-High Point…
The Paladins and Panthers will be facing off against each other on the hardwood for the first time since Dec. 6, 2022, as the two will represent the nightcap of the opening day event at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center.
The Paladins welcome the return of five players, who have starting experience, while High Point is coming off a 2024-25 season, which saw it post a 29-6 record and a first-ever Big South title and trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Panthers dropped a 75-63 contest to No. 4 Purdue in Providence, RI.
The Panthers will have a new head coach leading the way when they take the floor to open the 2025-26 campaign against the Paladins, as Flynn Clayman succeeds Alan Huss, who left his role as the head coach of the Panthers to become the coach-in-waiting at Creighton whenever Doug McDermott calls it a career. During his two years leading the High Point basketball program, Huss established himself as one of the top coaches at the mid-major level of hoops, leading High Point to an impressive 56-15 record over a two-year span before moving on.
Clayman was Huss’ top assistant during his time at High Point and was part of both teams that helped win nearly 60 games over the past couple of seasons. He inherits a team that still has some veterans around that helped lead the Panthers so that NCAA Tournament success last season, and the Panthers will likely find themselves as a team picked to be in the mix for a Big South title on the hardwood once again in the 2025-26 season.
Swingman Terry Anderson and shooting guard Chase Johnson are the two main veterans returning to the fold for the Panthers heading into upcoming season. Johnson is one of the better shooters on the team, and he comes off a season, which saw him start 34 of 35 games for the Panthers, averaging 6.9 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.0 APG last season. Johnson blistered the nets to the tune of 42.5% last season, connecting on 71-of-167 shots from long range. He posted 213 of his 241 points from three-point range last season, and his 71 threes led the Panthers for the season, averaging 4.8 made threes per game.
Let’s continue the work Coach 👉#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl pic.twitter.com/59f2CSdh09
— HPU Men's Basketball (@HPUMBB) August 3, 2025
Terry Anderson is a 6-6 swingman that comes off a 2024-25 season that saw him appear in 26 games in his first season with the Panthers after transferring in from Lamar prior to the 2024-25 season, averaging 4.5 PPG and 2.8 RPG in those 26 games he logged action in a year ago.
Much of the roster that saw the Panthers break through and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament last season has moved on, either via the transfer portal or due to being out of eligibility all together.
The season-opening clash will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the two, with Furman owning the 3-1 series edge. The last time the two played was Dec. 6, 2022, as the Paladins would drop an 85-82 contest at Timmons Arena. It was one of just eight losses the Paladins would suffer the entire season, as Furman won a school-record 28 games, including an NCAA Tournament win over Virginia (W, 68-67) after returning to the Big Dance after a 43-year hiatus.
Game Five: @HPUMBB x @FurmanMBB
The nightcap in Rock Hill is gonna be 🔥🔥
Streaming on @TheFieldOf68 YouTube and X 📺 pic.twitter.com/2amcPLukpY
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) July 29, 2025
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