(CNN) March Madness has developed a reputation for incredible upsets, and college hoops fans didn’t have to wait too long for upsets in this year’s men’s tournament.
On Thursday, the fourth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers faced the 13th-ranked Furman Paladins, making their first March Madness appearance in 43 years – in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
Expected by many to pass the Cavs, the Paladins trailed for most of the contest, with Virginia extending its lead by 12 points at one point.
The Virginia Cavaliers have added their name to the list of favorites to lose in March Madness.
The Paladins wrestled back into the contest, thanks to a good job on the defensive end to make the switch uncomfortable for Virginia.
With Virginia up by two and under 10 seconds, the Paladins forced a steal at midcourt, and Garrett Hien grabbed a lazy pass and drove ahead.
Hein found JP Pegues, who looked like the coolest man on the court as he shrugged and buried the game-winning three to give the Paladins a one-point lead.
With 2.4 seconds on the clock, Virginia was forced to shoot, but she missed a desperation call at the buzzer.
Hear the massive celebration as the Paladins stormed the field before the team danced and splashed themselves with water in the locker room.
Pegues was the coolest man in the stadium when he drained the clutch three as the clock ran out.
After the victory, Pegues gave an insight into his feelings before the decisive clutch shot.
“When I saw it go into Garrett Hien’s hands, I was like, I want the ball. I feel like those are moments that I’ve been building for my whole life and I feel like I’m built,” Pegues said.
“So as soon as I got the ball and I’ve seen my shot, I knew at that point I could just go up and shoot it, and I had full faith that it was going in, and it did.”
Furman head coach Bob Richey added, “What a day to be a Paladin.”
Cavs coach Tony Bennett described his team’s loss as “tough.”
“You know, this game is — an interesting word I would use. You feel like we got it, we got it, and then all of a sudden after a while it changes at the end.”
Furman will play No. 5 San Diego State on Saturday.