Furman’s March Madness upset against Virginia draws interest to university

It’s remarkable what an NCAA Tournament victory can do for a university, especially a victory that hasn’t happened in nearly 50 years. Following the Furman Paladins’ win over Virginia in the last seconds of first round play, visits to Furman University websites and traffic from social media soared. WYFF News4‘s Aaron Baker spoke to Furman President Elizabeth Davis about the exposure March Madness ignited for Furman. “March Madness gets people to look at a lot of institutions. But that doesn’t mean everyone’s going to apply to those institutions,” Davis said. “So, it’s up to us to deliver the message that says, ‘you know what, The Furman Advantage is about you – you can be successful.’ And all we needed was this boost and visibility,” she added.

Baker also mentioned senior guard Mike Bothwell’s appearance on NBC’s “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” Davis applauded Bothwell for being the kind of student and athlete that represents all of Furman.

UpstateBizSC also ran a story about Furman’s bump in notoriety following the tournament, a phenomenon known as the Flutie Effect.