NCAA win turns Paladins into media darlings

With a gutsy game and a winning clutch 3-point splash, the Furman Paladins men’s basketball team became the Cinderella story of the NCAA Tournament’s first round. Hundreds of outlets, from the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to nearly every niche sports publication, talk show and podcast were talking about the Paladins. Some were wondering what a Paladin is and some were answering that question. Here’s a list of many, but not nearly all, of the news and sports outlets that covered Furman’s big win.

The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell, Good Morning America and The Today Show (Hoda Kotb chose Furman on her bracket) all highlighted the Paladins’ win.

WYFF and Fox Carolina covered Furman fan celebrations. The Greenville News reposted Furman photos of fans celebrating.

GVL Today highlighted the game on its popular email. The Post and Courier covered the game. The Greenville News wrote about our cheerleaders’ appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Draft Kings Nation reported that Furman’s win busted 16.3 million brackets, out of 20 million, leaving just 10.67 percent of brackets perfect. MSN later reported that Furman and Princeton, who beat favored Arizona, busted 99.9 percent of NCAA brackets on the first day of play.

Last Call with Jamion Christian and John Fanta with Fox Sports had post-game video interviews with Coach Bob Richey. Website Sportskeeda took a look at Richey’s impressive record.

CNN wrote that Furman capitalized on Virginia’s late blunder.

Fox Sports Radio said Furman is the “perfect Cinderella.”

Sports Illustrated said Furman delivered a last-second (really two seconds) dagger.

24/7 Sports reported on University of Florida Head Football Coach Billy Napier’s ’03 support for his alma mater.

CBS Sports and the Associated Press summed up the win in a post-game news story.

Yahoo! Sports said our win helped March Madness live up to the hype.

The Bharat Express News announced that Furman emerged as the must-watch underdog.

ESPN and The Sporting News helped explain what a Paladin is and Yahoo! Sports told everyone where Furman is.