4. Furman:
There was a decent amount of hype in some basketball circles about Furman coming into the year, and rightfully so as this is a solid basketball team. The Paladins certainly lived up the expectation in week one, going 2-0 including a very impressive 89-74 win over Belmont on Friday. Mike Bothwell was outstanding in that win, scoring 25 points on 10/17 shooting. Jalen Slawson also added a double-double, 17 points and 12 rebounds. Furman will get a quick chance to continue to build on this performance with its participation in the Charleston Classic, which begins with Furman taking on Penn State Thursday