Furman (0-2; 0-0 SoCon)
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | Hometown | PPG | RPG |
| G | 15 | Marcus Dilligard | 6-4 | 190 | Fr. | LaBelle, Mo. | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| G | 24 | Bubba Smith | 6-4 | 190 | Jr. | Hendersonville, Tenn. | 13.0 | 2.0 |
| F | 22 | Andre Kerr | 6-6 | 220 | So. | Augusta, Ga. | 9.0 | 4.0 |
| F | 31 | Chuck Vincent | 6-7 | 235 | Sr. | Durham, N.C. | 14.5 | 7.0 |
| C | 32 | Daniel Quigley | 6-7 | 205 | Jr. | Tipton, Ind. | 13.5 | 10.0 |
Winthrop (0-2; 0-0 Big South)
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | Hometown | PPG | RPG |
| G | 20 | Roger Toxey | 6-3 | 180 | Fr. | Monroe, N.C. | 6.0 | 3.5 |
| G | 22 | Franklin Butts | 6-3 | 180 | Sr. | Richmond, Va. | 8.5 | 4.0 |
| F | 33 | Heson Groves | 6-7 | 200 | Jr. | Powder Springs, Ga. | 16.0 | 9.5 |
| F | 40 | Andrew McFalls | 6-7 | 210 | Sr. | McLean, Va. | 12.0 | 8.0 |
| C | 41 | Marcus Laster | 6-6 | 225 | Sr. | St. Louis, Mo. | 16.0 | 6.5 |
Furman: Larry Davis (Asbury '78)
Winthrop: Dan Kenney (East Carolina '75)
Saturday's Furman-Winthrop game will mark the seventh meeting in basketball between the two schools. Furman is 5-1 versus Winthrop in basketball, but the Eagles captured the last encounter, taking a 78-77 decision in Rock Hill during the 1989-90 season.
Furman is 4-0 versus Winthrop in Greenville. In two meetings in Rock Hill, the Paladins and Eagles have split a pair of games.
Saturday night's Furman-Winthrop matchup will mark Furman head coach Larry Davis' first encounter with the Eagles. Winthrop mentor Dan Kenney will also be facing Furman for the first time in his 13 years as a head coach.
FURMAN SHOCKED IN SEASON OPENER...Furman was stunned 70-69 by NCAA Division II member Newberry (S.C.) College last Saturday night in Greenville in the 1997-98 season opener for both schools. Jeff Knauff's 3-pointer with less than one second to play completed the impressive comeback that saw Newberry erase Furman's seven point lead (66-59) over the final 2:19. Furman's Daniel Quigley gave the Paladins a 69-67 lead by converting one-of-two free throws with 10 seconds left in the game, but Newberry's Guy Lucas hit Knauff with a crisp inbounds pass along the left baseline, and Knauff converted the 3-pointer for the win. Newberry's win snapped a 16-game losing streak to Furman dating back to the 1951-52 season.
VANDERBILT ROCKS PALADINS...After playing Vanderbilt even for the game's first 10 minutes, Furman wilted under the Commodores' strong shooting and quality depth on the way to a 102-55 defeat. Vanderbilt connected on 39-of-59 field goal attempts (66.1%) and shot a blistering 66.7% from 3-point range (12-of-18) in handing Furman its worst loss since the 1971-72 season when North Carolina routed the Paladins 118-66 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
THINNED RANKS...Due to injuries to three players, Furman only dressed nine players Tuesday night against Vanderbilt, leaving the Paladins with no scholarship substitutes taller than 6-foot-4. Furman's thin roster is due to injuries to three players: sophomore forward/center Patrick Garner, junior forward/center Will Coles (stress fracture), and sophomore guard Michael Campbell (broken nose). Garner's injury was sustained last Saturday in the Paladins' 70-69 season opening loss to Newberry, and he is listed as probable for Saturday's Winthrop game. Coles, who has been on the bench since early in the pre-season, is tentatively scheduled to return for the William & Mary game on Dec. 3, as is Campbell.
HOT AND COLD...Through two games Furman has converted only 5-of-22 3-point attempts (22.7%) while opponents have scorched the nets on 21-of-41 3-point shots (51.2%).
FURMAN IN PRE-SEASON POLLS...Furman was a consensus Southern Conference South Division third place pick in a pair of pre-season polls conducted by league head coaches and media. Chattanooga, which last year advanced to the NCAA Tournament's "Sweet 16", was the consensus pick to repeat as the SoCon's South Division champion, and The Citadel was selected second in both polls. Furman finished last (fifth) in the South Division last year with a 10-17 overall record and 4-10 league mark.
VINCENT NAMED SOCON PRE-SEASON PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR...Furman senior forward/center Chuck Vincent was selected by Southern Conference head coaches as the league's pre-season player-of-the-year three weeks ago at the conference's annual tip-off in Greensboro, N.C. A three-year starter, two-time all-conference performer, and former league freshman-of-the-year pick, Vincent averaged 16.2 points and a league leading 9.7 rebounds per game a year ago. He entered the 1997-98 season ranked 20th on Furman's all-time scoring ledger and 12th on the school's career rebounding chart, and has already moved up to 10th in rebounding (732) after grabbing four boards in the Paladins' 102-55 loss to Vanderbilt Tuesday night. If Vincent makes good on the pre-season tab, he will become the first Paladin to earn Southern Conference Player-of-the-Year honors since Jonathan Moore (1980).
VINCENT, KERR NAMED TO PRE-SEASON ALL-SOCON TEAM...Furman senior forward/center Chuck Vincent and redshirt sophomore forward Andre Kerr were named to the Southern Conference's pre-season all-conference team. While Vincent's selection was no surprise, Kerr's pick comes after the 6-foot-6 Augusta, Ga., product missed virtually all of the 1996-97 season with a sore back. Two years ago Kerr was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team after averaging 12.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. In the last five games of the 1995-96 campaign, Kerr shot 63.2% from the field and averaged 20.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Included in that stretch was a season high 29-point performance against eventual league tournament champion Western Carolina.
PALADINS SPLIT EXHIBITION GAMES...Furman split a pair of pre-season exhibition games, dropping a 90-83 decision to the Upstate Converse All-Stars on Nov. 3 before coming back to claim a 78-64 decision over Drobe-Juta from Lithuania on Nov. 8. Chuck Vincent led the Paladins in scoring in both games, tallying 28 and 20 points, respectively. Andre Kerr, meanwhile, claimed a game high 15 rebounds against the UpState All-Stars. Against Drobe-Juta, the Paladins got solid production from freshman guards Marcus Dilligard (12 points) and P.J. Brown (15 points).
TIMMONS ARENA NEARING COMPLETION...A little over a year after construction began, Timmons Arena, the school's new 5,000-seat, multi-purpose home, is rapidly nearing completion. As it stands now, Furman will play its first men's basketball game in Timmons Arena on Dec. 30 when the Paladins host Northeastern Illinois. Furman's Lady Paladin basketball squad will actually play the first game in Timmons Arena when it hosts Georgia Southern on Dec. 20. Timmons Arena will be the home court to the school's two basketball programs and Furman volleyball, and will serve as the home of Furman football, sports information, and strength training. Furman University will officially dedicate Timmons Arena on Jan. 17 prior to the Paladins' game against long-time Southern Conference rival Davidson.