From the Above the Rim blog

Davidson's Curry player of year?

Stephen Curry’s hot streak – and another player’s hot temper – might help the Davidson freshman win the Southern Conference Player of the Year award.

Curry, named the conference’s player of the week Tuesday, has averaged 25 points in his past six games – all Davidson wins. Curry, a virtual lock for freshman of the year, wasn’t considered a player of the year candidate until a few weeks ago. Leading candidate Kyle Hines of UNC Greensboro hurt his chances this week.

Hines leads the conference in scoring (21 ppg) and rebounding (9 rpg), but was ejected from Monday’s game against Elon after receiving two technical fouls for disputing a call in the second half, then received a third technical while walking off the court. That ejection also will force him to miss Wednesday’s game against Western Carolina.

Curry trails Hines in scoring by less than a point per game and ranks in the top 20 in the nation in scoring and 10th in 3-pointers made.

UNC Greensboro coach Mike Dement said this month that Curry might be the player of the year, but Davidson coach Bob McKillop hasn’t lobbied for the award. It might be hard for voters to pass on Curry, especially because the Wildcats (22-4, 13-1 Southern) could finish their conference schedule 17-1. UNC Greensboro (13-12, 10-5) probably won’t finish among the top three in the conference, and voters might not want to award player of the year to someone who has been suspended.

-- Kevin Cary

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Samford addition likely wouldn't affect Davidson

The Southern Conference might be adding a 12th member by the 2008-09 season, but that isn’t expected to shift Davidson into a new division.

Conference officials have been in negotiations with Samford of the Ohio Valley Conference about joining the league, and could vote on that as early as the conference tournament in two weeks.

If Samford, which is located in Birmingham, Ala., does join the league, it is expected to be placed in the North Division. Davidson would have seemed a logical school to switch -- the Wildcats are the northernmost school in the South Division, and played in the North Division before switching with Chattanooga in 2003.

A switch would have also moved Davidson back in the same division with rival Appalachian State. But Davidson athletic director Jim Murphy said Samford wants to be in the same division as Chattanooga -- Chattanooga is a two-hour drive from Samford -- and said the Wildcats are happy to be in the South, where they are guaranteed two games with College of Charleston.

-- Kevin Cary