Mid-Major Madness Freshman of the Week: Matt Rafferty, Furman Paladins

Matt Rafferty certainly hasn't looked like he needed any time to adjust to playing in college. After beginning the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds in a win against Presbyterian, the Furman freshman forward has continued to be a human highlight for the team.

That included this week when highlights were lacking for the Paladins. Rafferty scored 19 points and pulled in seven rebounds in a 79-70 win against Appalachian State on Tuesday. He then continued to be solid as the games started to go against Furman.

In Thursday's 77-68 loss to Charlotte, Rafferty had 10 points, including two 3-pointers, and pulled in 12 rebounds. He added two assists and five steals in the disappointing loss for the Paladins.

The struggles would continue Saturday when Furman traveled to No. 19 Connecticut. The Paladins would fail to struggle for the first six-plus minutes of the game until Rafferty ended the drought with a 3-pointer. He would also have their only basket inside the arc in the first half that got away from them.

Rafferty finished with a solid line: 15 points (5-for-9 shooting, 2-for-5 from 3-point range), nine rebounds, three assists. He also committed just a single turnover in the 83-58 loss.

For all of these impressive early performances, Matt Rafferty is our Mid-Major Madness freshman of the week.

Furman has a chance to get back on track Thursday when it faces Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at home.

Also considered: Mike Daum, South Dakota State; Brian Parker, Marist; Jaire Grayer, George Mason.

Freshman of the Week winners:

Week 1: Ryan Mikesell, Dayton