You might have never heard of Wofford College or only recognize them from a handful of NCAA Tournament appearances, so we fill you in on where the suddenly giant-killing school is located.
There’s no question that UNC has a very good men’s basketball team this season. But it didn’t have a very good night on Wednesday, losing in stunning fashion to the Wofford Terriers at home.
What’s that? Never heard of Wofford?
You’re probably not alone, though the Terriers have gone dancing — as in the NCAA Tournament — several times. Wofford College is located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, and dates all the way back to 1854. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the private school has less than 2,000 undergraduate students but does compete in Division I athletics in the Southern Conference.
That wasn’t always the case. Until the mid-’90s, the Terriers competed in Division II in all sports, and prior to the late ’80s, in the NAIA. But Wofford has found increasing success in men’s hoops, making the NCAA Tourney in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015.
Often, when up against some of the sport’s bigger schools, they’ve come close but not quite when it comes to upsets. The Terriers lost to Wisconsin, the No. 4 seed at the time, by just four points in their first March Madness appearance in 2010. In Wofford’s most recent appearance in 2015, the Terriers hung tough with the Arkansas Razorbacks (another 4-seed) before falling 56-53.
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A win at North Carolina, even in the regular season and before Christmas, is a whole different ballgame. There’s a good chance people will remember the Wofford name now should the Terriers manage to win the Southern Conference, and maybe even that they hail from South Carolina.