The season is now over after the heart breaking 2 point loss to Kansas in the Elite Eight. I'll have plenty to post a little bit later.
For right now, however, I want to say one quick thing: I could not be prouder of Davidson College, this team and what they have accomplished this season. It has truly been a remarkable ride. To the team, I say thank you, thank you, thank you.
I encourage you all to post your thoughts in the comments section.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Cats not a one man team
Jayhawks wary of Curry's surrounding cast
Davidson guard is a star, but his teammates are solid and selfless
The Associated Press
DETROIT - OK, so the entire country now knows every last little detail about Stephen Curry, the sweet-shooting guard who’s got double-digit Davidson one game away from the Final Four.
But Curry didn’t get the Wildcats this far all by himself. There’s also Jason Richards, the sublime point guard who can shoot it as well as he sets it up. There’s Andrew Lovedale, a big guy with a feathery touch. There’s Max Paulhus Gosselin, who actually thrives on setting screens. And on and on.
Lose track of any of them, and Kansas is in for a long day Sunday, followed by an equally uncomfortable offseason.
“There’s a lot of things that concern us,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said, shaking his head as he ran down the list. “They’re a physical team. They do a great job of setting very physical, legal screens. They do a great job defensively of not letting you go where you want to go, riding off cuts, things like that ...
He was just getting started.
“They’ve got,” Self said, summing it all up, “a lot of pieces.”
On paper, Kansas (34-3) should win Sunday’s game easily and advance to a matchup with North Carolina in the national semifinals.
The Jayhawks are the power in a power conference, so stocked with talent they’re bringing guys off the bench who would start at most schools. They have four players averaging in double figures and another just short, and two guys who are averaging more than six boards a game. They can play big or small and do it at a grinding halt or a playground pace.
They’re walloping opponents by almost 20 points a game — best in the nation — and their three losses were by a combined 13 points.
“We’re just doing what people expect us to do, and that’s go to the Final Four,” said Brandon Rush, who leads Kansas with 13 points. “We don’t see it as pressure. We see it as people expecting things of us. Big things.”
But Davidson (29-6) didn’t just stumble into its first regional final since 1969. The Wildcats have the nation’s longest winning streak at 25 and counting, and they beat three very good teams to get here including Georgetown, a Final Four team last year, and Wisconsin, the Big Ten champs with the best defense in the country.
The Badgers were holding opponents to a nation-best 53.9 points a game and hadn’t allowed a single 3-pointer in the second round against Kansas State. Davidson dropped 73 on them, including 12 3s.
Granted, Curry has had a lot to do with the Wildcats’ run. The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry is averaging 34.3 points in the tournament, best since Bo Kimble of Loyola Marymount averaged 35.8 over four games in 1990. And his 103 points are second only to Glenn Robinson of Purdue (108) for a three-game span since seeding began in 1979.
He’s gotten so big — he’s not nicknamed “Prime Time” because he likes Deion Sanders - even LeBron James has joined his fan club.
“That’s the thing, they have other good players,” Russell Robinson said. “Even if we stop Curry, that’s not going to secure the game for us. We have to guard everyone.”
That’s what makes Davidson such a fun story. Well, that and the fact the school has free laundry and the Board of Trustees are picking up the tab for students who wanted to come to the game.
Ask the Wildcats about their success, and they repeatedly refer to their system. It’s based on patience and balance, finding the open man and working for good shots. They’re infuriatingly persistent, passing the ball back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth again if that’s what it takes to get the shot they want. That kind of grinding eventually wears on opponents, and the Wildcats know it.
They put a premium on teamwork and selflessness, cooperation and chemistry. It’s a simple premise, but implementing it is another thing entirely.
“I’m in a quest for the perfect game, the perfect performance, the perfect season. The Brazilian soccer team, they call it ‘The Beautiful Game.’ That’s what our system is all about, the quest for that,” said coach Bob McKillop, who can get downright philosophical about it, mixing in everything from politics to religion to diversity.
“These guys aren’t all rocket scientists that play for us. They have to really work to achieve academically,” he added. “So I think it takes a combination of a willingness to be coached and a consistent message from the coach. And we’ve stuck to that very simple game plan for quite a few years now.”
When it works, it’s a sight to behold.
Richards — and it is Richards, not Richardson — might have had a stat line more impressive than Curry’s on Friday night. Not only did he score 11 points — nine from 3-point range — he had 13 assists without a single turnover. That’s the kind of ballhandling usually seen from another Jason.
Lovedale, a 6-foot-8 forward who was sweeping up a court the first time McKillop saw him, made all five of his shots. Bryant Barr made only two shots all night, but the second allowed Davidson to go into halftime tied with the Badgers. And Gosselin and Thomas Sander set so many screens, they’re going to be taking a lovely collection of bumps and bruises home as souvenirs.
“Did you guys see Steph smile after he made that backdoor cut?” Sander said when asked why the Wildcats buy into the collective good. “It’s just fun to watch Jason and Steph score. When they do that, we win.”
Added Gosselin, “Giving the other guys opportunities to score the basketball is just an amazing feeling. I always emphasize that my whole life, that what I like most is winning. So we win games. Whatever I have to do, I’ll do.”
One more win will put the Wildcats in very select company. Only two double-digit seeds have reached the Final Four, and George Mason’s run in 2006 captivated the entire country. Davidson’s run has conjured all kinds of comparisons to the Patriots — not to mention Cinderella and every other underdog there is.
That’s all well and good, but the Wildcats will pass on the warm-and-fuzzies. They know who they are, even if everybody else is still learning.
“We feel like we belong here and we feel like we showed that in the past three games,” Sander said. “You know, we’re just Davidson. That’s what we consider ourselves. We think we can go out there and compete. That’s what we try to do.”
Davidson guard is a star, but his teammates are solid and selfless
The Associated Press
DETROIT - OK, so the entire country now knows every last little detail about Stephen Curry, the sweet-shooting guard who’s got double-digit Davidson one game away from the Final Four.But Curry didn’t get the Wildcats this far all by himself. There’s also Jason Richards, the sublime point guard who can shoot it as well as he sets it up. There’s Andrew Lovedale, a big guy with a feathery touch. There’s Max Paulhus Gosselin, who actually thrives on setting screens. And on and on.
Lose track of any of them, and Kansas is in for a long day Sunday, followed by an equally uncomfortable offseason.
“There’s a lot of things that concern us,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said, shaking his head as he ran down the list. “They’re a physical team. They do a great job of setting very physical, legal screens. They do a great job defensively of not letting you go where you want to go, riding off cuts, things like that ...
He was just getting started.
“They’ve got,” Self said, summing it all up, “a lot of pieces.”
On paper, Kansas (34-3) should win Sunday’s game easily and advance to a matchup with North Carolina in the national semifinals.
The Jayhawks are the power in a power conference, so stocked with talent they’re bringing guys off the bench who would start at most schools. They have four players averaging in double figures and another just short, and two guys who are averaging more than six boards a game. They can play big or small and do it at a grinding halt or a playground pace.
They’re walloping opponents by almost 20 points a game — best in the nation — and their three losses were by a combined 13 points.
“We’re just doing what people expect us to do, and that’s go to the Final Four,” said Brandon Rush, who leads Kansas with 13 points. “We don’t see it as pressure. We see it as people expecting things of us. Big things.”
But Davidson (29-6) didn’t just stumble into its first regional final since 1969. The Wildcats have the nation’s longest winning streak at 25 and counting, and they beat three very good teams to get here including Georgetown, a Final Four team last year, and Wisconsin, the Big Ten champs with the best defense in the country.
The Badgers were holding opponents to a nation-best 53.9 points a game and hadn’t allowed a single 3-pointer in the second round against Kansas State. Davidson dropped 73 on them, including 12 3s.
Granted, Curry has had a lot to do with the Wildcats’ run. The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry is averaging 34.3 points in the tournament, best since Bo Kimble of Loyola Marymount averaged 35.8 over four games in 1990. And his 103 points are second only to Glenn Robinson of Purdue (108) for a three-game span since seeding began in 1979.
He’s gotten so big — he’s not nicknamed “Prime Time” because he likes Deion Sanders - even LeBron James has joined his fan club.
“That’s the thing, they have other good players,” Russell Robinson said. “Even if we stop Curry, that’s not going to secure the game for us. We have to guard everyone.”
That’s what makes Davidson such a fun story. Well, that and the fact the school has free laundry and the Board of Trustees are picking up the tab for students who wanted to come to the game.
Ask the Wildcats about their success, and they repeatedly refer to their system. It’s based on patience and balance, finding the open man and working for good shots. They’re infuriatingly persistent, passing the ball back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth again if that’s what it takes to get the shot they want. That kind of grinding eventually wears on opponents, and the Wildcats know it.
They put a premium on teamwork and selflessness, cooperation and chemistry. It’s a simple premise, but implementing it is another thing entirely.
“I’m in a quest for the perfect game, the perfect performance, the perfect season. The Brazilian soccer team, they call it ‘The Beautiful Game.’ That’s what our system is all about, the quest for that,” said coach Bob McKillop, who can get downright philosophical about it, mixing in everything from politics to religion to diversity.
“These guys aren’t all rocket scientists that play for us. They have to really work to achieve academically,” he added. “So I think it takes a combination of a willingness to be coached and a consistent message from the coach. And we’ve stuck to that very simple game plan for quite a few years now.”
When it works, it’s a sight to behold.
Richards — and it is Richards, not Richardson — might have had a stat line more impressive than Curry’s on Friday night. Not only did he score 11 points — nine from 3-point range — he had 13 assists without a single turnover. That’s the kind of ballhandling usually seen from another Jason.
Lovedale, a 6-foot-8 forward who was sweeping up a court the first time McKillop saw him, made all five of his shots. Bryant Barr made only two shots all night, but the second allowed Davidson to go into halftime tied with the Badgers. And Gosselin and Thomas Sander set so many screens, they’re going to be taking a lovely collection of bumps and bruises home as souvenirs.
“Did you guys see Steph smile after he made that backdoor cut?” Sander said when asked why the Wildcats buy into the collective good. “It’s just fun to watch Jason and Steph score. When they do that, we win.”
Added Gosselin, “Giving the other guys opportunities to score the basketball is just an amazing feeling. I always emphasize that my whole life, that what I like most is winning. So we win games. Whatever I have to do, I’ll do.”
One more win will put the Wildcats in very select company. Only two double-digit seeds have reached the Final Four, and George Mason’s run in 2006 captivated the entire country. Davidson’s run has conjured all kinds of comparisons to the Patriots — not to mention Cinderella and every other underdog there is.
That’s all well and good, but the Wildcats will pass on the warm-and-fuzzies. They know who they are, even if everybody else is still learning.
“We feel like we belong here and we feel like we showed that in the past three games,” Sander said. “You know, we’re just Davidson. That’s what we consider ourselves. We think we can go out there and compete. That’s what we try to do.”
Saturday, March 29, 2008
From The Detroit News
Melting pot works at Davidson
McKillop, school embrace diversity and, as a result, so do his players.
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News
McKillop, school embrace diversity and, as a result, so do his players.
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- We as Metro Detroiters could learn quite a bit from Davidson College, its players and coach Bob McKillop, who has one of the most diverse teams in basketball.
In the Midwest Regional, hosted in an area that still has a disconnect between the city and suburbs, one that doesn't always sing together in racial harmony, the Wildcats dazzle with unselfish play based on principles of unity and acceptance.At a time of political chaos for Detroit, a community bogged down by decades of social and economic issues, McKillop's squad thrives at Ford Field and hopes for another encore on the big stage, this time against No. 1 seed Kansas at 5:05 today.
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Sports has always been one aspect of this area that has brought people together. And the story behind Davidson, a liberal arts school of 1,700 students in Davidson, N.C., is an inspiring one that needs to be told.
McKillop, an Irish Catholic from Queens, N.Y., spoke with conviction Saturday at Ford Field when asked about the makeup of his squad. The group clearly means everything to him.
"You got a guy from Nigeria, a guy from the rich suburbs of Barrington, Ill., you have the son of a cheese maker from Montreal, Canada, we have some diversity and we get along as a team," McKillop said. "We must have something there and I think it's balance. You need that kind of balance in this word."
Davidson's figurative scale for measuring success involves the proper mix of freedom, discipline and unselfishness.
There are no barriers, players don't try to outshine each other and there's an overall love shared on and off the court, said guard Stephen Curry, this NCAA Tournament's national story because of the shooting tear he has been on.
Curry's scoring often appears effortless, but the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry continues to follow, like everyone else, the "humility before honor" approach.
"It doesn't motivate me to prove to other teams that I can play," Stephen Curry said. "I'm not like that. I have more motivation just for myself and for my teammates."
Based on the comments of his star player, McKillop's dream of having a program that not only wins but also teaches life lessons has definitely come true.
In fact, McKillop often looks beyond a prospect's basketball skills to see if they are a good fit for the school. Andrew Lovedale, a forward from England by way of Benin City, Nigeria, is a prime example.
McKillop discovered Lovedale in Manchester, England while the prospect swept a court and coached children at the Amaechi Basketball Centre.
"That was part of my evaluation, to see they way he handled things other than basketball," said McKillop of the initial meeting. "You could just see the genuine care Andrew had, that he took his job seriously. He's a marvelous young man."
Lovedale is not only grateful for the opportunity to play Division I basketball but he also feels obligated to carry out his coach's philosophy every day.
"He tells us all the time, 'You help someone, you help yourself,' " Lovedale said.
That mantra appears to be one followed by many on campus and around Davidson, about 20 miles north of Charlotte.
Asked to describe the community, McKillop said it was "unparalleled" to most college towns because of its intimacy. It's a city of about 9,000.
"The town and college are married together," McKillop said. "You have 1,700 students on campus and they know each other in a very personal way. You have PHDs, they aren't grad assistants or one year teaching assignments, they invest their whole lives in Davidson. Now they see some part of Davidson reaching the national stage.
"We've always sold the fact that when Davidson wins, we all win."
In many ways, no matter what happens against the Jayhawks, it appears that college hoops' new Cinderella team, and those that support its philosophy and values, are already winners.
From The Canadian Press
Kansas knows beating Davidson means more than stopping Curry
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
DETROIT — OK, so the entire country now knows every last little detail about Stephen Curry, the sweet-shooting guard who's got double-digit Davidson one game away from the Final Four.But Curry didn't get the Wildcats this far all by himself. There's also Jason Richards, the sublime point guard who can shoot it as well as he sets it up. There's Andrew Lovedale, a big guy with a feathery touch. There's Max Paulhus Gosselin, a Carignan, Que., native who actually thrives on setting screens. William Archambault of St. Hubert, Que., also contributes. And on and on.
Lose track of any of them, and Kansas is in for a long day Sunday, followed by an equally uncomfortable off-season.
"There's a lot of things that concern us," Jayhawks coach Bill Self said, shaking his head as he ran down the list. "They're a physical team. They do a great job of setting very physical, legal screens. They do a great job defensively of not letting you go where you want to go, riding off cuts, things like that ...
He was just getting started.
"They've got," Self said, summing it all up, "a lot of pieces."
On paper, Kansas (34-3) should win Sunday's game easily. The Jayhawks are the power in a power conference, so stocked with talent they're bringing guys off the bench who would start at most schools. They have four players averaging in double figures and another just short, and two guys who are averaging more than six boards a game. They can play big or small and do it at a grinding halt or a playground pace.
They're walloping opponents by almost 20 points a game - best in the nation - and their three losses were by a combined 13 points.
"We're just doing what people expect us to do, and that's go to the Final Four," said Brandon Rush, who averages a mere 13 points to lead Kansas. "We don't see it as pressure. We see it as people expecting things of us. Big things."
But Davidson (29-6) didn't just stumble into its first regional final since 1969. The Wildcats have the nation's longest winning streak at 25 and counting, and they beat three very good teams to get here including Georgetown, a Final Four team last year, and Wisconsin, the Big Ten champs with the best defence in the country.
The Badgers were holding opponents to a nation-best 53.9 points a game and hadn't allowed a single three-pointer in the second round against Kansas State. Davidson dropped 73 on them, including 12 threes.
Granted, Curry has had a lot to do with the Wildcats' run. The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry is averaging 34.3 points in the tournament, best since Bo Kimble of Loyola Marymount averaged 35.8 over four games in 1990. And his 103 points are second only to Glenn Robinson of Purdue (108) for a three-game span since seeding began in 1979.
He's gotten so big - he's not nicknamed "Prime Time" because he likes Deion Sanders - even LeBron James has joined his fan club.
"That's the thing, they have other good players," Russell Robinson said. "Even if we stop Curry, that's not going to secure the game for us. We have to guard everyone."
That's what makes Davidson such a fun story. Well, that and the fact the school has free laundry and the Board of Trustees are picking up the tab for students who wanted to come to the game.
Ask the Wildcats about their success, and they repeatedly refer to their system. It's based on patience and balance, finding the open man and working for good shots. They're infuriatingly persistent, passing the ball back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth again if that's what it takes to get the shot they want. That kind of grinding eventually wears on opponents, and the Wildcats know it.
They put a premium on teamwork and selflessness, co-operation and chemistry. It's a simple premise, but implementing it is another thing entirely.
"I'm in a quest for the perfect game, the perfect performance, the perfect season. The Brazilian soccer team, they call it 'The Beautiful Game.' That's what our system is all about, the quest for that," said coach Bob McKillop, who can get downright philosophical about it, mixing in everything from politics to religion to diversity.
"These guys aren't all rocket scientists that play for us. They have to really work to achieve academically," he added. "So I think it takes a combination of a willingness to be coached and a consistent message from the coach. And we've stuck to that very simple game plan for quite a few years now."
When it works, it's a sight to behold.
Richards - and it is Richards, not Richardson - might have had a stat line more impressive than Curry's on Friday night. Not only did he score 11 points - nine from three-point range - he had 13 assists without a single turnover. That's the kind of ballhandling usually seen from another Jason.
Lovedale, a six-foot-eight forward who was sweeping up a court the first time McKillop saw him, made all five of his shots. Bryant Barr made only two shots all night, but the second allowed Davidson to go into halftime tied with the Badgers. And Gosselin and Thomas Sander set so many screens, they're going to be taking a lovely collection of bumps and bruises home as souvenirs.
"Did you guys see Steph smile after he made that backdoor cut?" Sander said when asked why the Wildcats buy into the collective good. "It's just fun to watch Jason and Steph score. When they do that, we win."
Added Gosselin: "Giving the other guys opportunities to score the basketball is just an amazing feeling. I always emphasize that my whole life, that what I like most is winning. So we win games. Whatever I have to do, I'll do."
One more win will put the Wildcats in very select company. Only two double-digit seeds have reached the Final Four, and George Mason's run in 2006 captivated the entire country. Davidson's run has conjured all kinds of comparisons to the Patriots - not to mention Cinderella and every other underdog there is.
That's all well and good, but the Wildcats will pass on the warm-and-fuzzies. They know who they are, even if everybody else is still learning.
"We feel like we belong here and we feel like we showed that in the past three games," Sander said. "You know, we're just Davidson. That's what we consider ourselves. We think we can go out there and compete. That's what we try to do."
From The Associated Press
More Davidson Students Travel to Detroit for Regional Final
The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Davidson College, which already sprung for more than 350 students to watch the men's basketball team play in the Midwest Regional, is sending an additional 200 students to see if the team can win a spot in the Final Four.
The new group was expected to board buses on Sunday at 3 a.m. to see the Wildcats play Kansas at Ford Field in Detroit at 5 p.m.
Media relations director Bill Giduz told The Charlotte Observer that the school was able to line up the additional buses, and said the students will return home immediately after the game.
The additional bus loads mean that almost a third of Davidson's 1,700 student population will be at the game. Davidson has never advanced to the Final Four, but the Wildcats have upset three teams in the NCAA tournament and have a 25-game winning streak.
The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Davidson College, which already sprung for more than 350 students to watch the men's basketball team play in the Midwest Regional, is sending an additional 200 students to see if the team can win a spot in the Final Four.
The new group was expected to board buses on Sunday at 3 a.m. to see the Wildcats play Kansas at Ford Field in Detroit at 5 p.m.
Media relations director Bill Giduz told The Charlotte Observer that the school was able to line up the additional buses, and said the students will return home immediately after the game.
The additional bus loads mean that almost a third of Davidson's 1,700 student population will be at the game. Davidson has never advanced to the Final Four, but the Wildcats have upset three teams in the NCAA tournament and have a 25-game winning streak.
From The Bulletin
America's Newest Darlings
By: Brendan F. Quinn, The Bulletin
03/29/2008
By: Brendan F. Quinn, The Bulletin
03/29/2008
Detroit - It's rare that an NCAA tournament finds its lasting image before the Final Four even tips off.
But nearly a full week before the last three games of the college basketball season, it is clear that no one is going to take the spotlight from Davidson College - a tiny liberal arts school with an endearing disposition and one bona fide superstar.
Following Friday night's rousing 73-56 victory over third-seeded Wisconsin, the 10th-seeded Wildcats stand one giant step away from reaching the Final Four. A win over big, bad Kansas stands in their way, like a blue and red brick wall sitting between Detroit and San Antonio. But win or lose, when all is said and done, the story of the charming school from North Carolina might rank as one of the best in college basketball's long history of Cinderellas.
Their tale is a joyous combination of "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Hoosiers" wrapped into one picture-perfect package.
There is the new-born celebrity in Stephen Curry, the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, who has thrown the Wildcats on his back with three 30-point performances in the NCAA tournament. With a baby face and a flair for the dramatic, the sophomore has taken America by storm.
Then there is the coach, Bob McKillop, a Bronx native who thought that Davidson would be a springboard to bigger and better things when he arrived in 1989. Nineteen years later, the 57-year-old is oh so glad he never left.
Finally, there is the school itself. Located 30 miles outside of Charlotte, Davidson is a highly selective private school of 1,700 students. The college rests its dazzling academic reputation on a strict honor code and allows its students to take unproctored exams whenever and wherever they choose. While most schools in the Field of 65 count their number of Sweet 16 appearances, Davidson boasts its 23 Rhodes Scholars.
Which makes all of this that much more special. The Wildcats are no fluke. They are legitimate Final Four contenders and have yet to blink when standing toe-to-toe with the big boys.
"I told the team (Thursday) night that I have never felt confidence in a group like the confidence I feel in them," said McKillop, who led Davidson to four tournament appearances prior to this season. "And if you have witnessed from day one the many opportunities they've had to surrender to a variety of temptations, be it expectations, be it the great schedule we had early (losses to Duke, North Carolina and UCLA), be it falling on our faces early on (losses to Western Michigan and Charlotte), be it an undefeated season (in the Southern Conference), be it having to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. ...They have faced every imaginable obstacle."
As the seconds ticked off the clock at Ford Field on Friday night, everyone wearing red sported expressions of disbelief - the Davidson fans, the Wisconsin players and fans - well, everyone except the Davidson players themselves.
The Wildcats celebrated, but at no point did it seem as if they thought they had pulled off another monster upset. This is the same team that had just registered its third straight win over a ranked opponent after entering the tournament without a win over a Top 25 team in the last 30 years. Instead of jumping on top of one another, the Wildcats turned to salute their faithful fans that traveled long and far to be with them. Earlier in the week, the school's Board of Trustees made an extraordinary offer to provide free bus fares, game tickets and hotel rooms to all students willing to sit through the 11-hour ride to Detroit.
"The sense of intimacy that exists on our campus is unparalleled in NCAA Division I basketball," McKillop said prior to the Wisconsin game. "You hear all about the free laundry (yes, free laundry is offered to all Davidson students). But when the Board of Trustees votes in a meeting on Tuesday to go into their personal pockets and put out the money so that every student can go to this game...that reaches a level that's unprecedented. I'm stunned by it, thrilled by it."
So many students jumped at the opportunity that the school couldn't secure enough buses to transport about two-thirds of the student body 650 miles. Ultimately, seven buses brought 350 students to the 72,000-seat stadium.
Though their noise vanished in the air of mammoth Ford Field, the Davidson fans were singing, dancing and cheering from beginning to end. As the game went on, fans from Kansas and Villanova, whose game tipped off in the nightcap, couldn't help but take up the Wildcats' cause.
One would imagine that the same thing occurred in front of televisions from coast to coast.
"We are thankful for every fan out there not wearing Davidson across their chest and cheering when we make a bucket or a steal," said junior forward Max Paulhus Gosselin. "We can only say thank you. ...They just want to feel like they want to be part of the story and it's amazing."
While everyone in the country now has a soft spot for the Wildcats, it is Curry who is truly reaching iconic status. He blitzed seventh-seeded Gonzaga with 40 points in a first-round win and then dropped 30 on second-seeded Georgetown two days later.
There are few things that tell you that you've truly "made it." But when LeBron James sits two rows behind your bench yelling, "Pour it on 'em, Steph, pour it on 'em. They can't stop you," - you know you're there.
As is his nature, Curry chalks the attention up to the name on the front his jersey, not the back.
"It just goes to show what we're doing at Davidson," he said afterwards. "It's just really cool to have a guy like LeBron James, one of the best players in the NBA right now, coming out and supporting Davidson."
While Curry is the headliner, the Wildcats are led by point guard Jason Richards. As the school's all-time leader in assists, the senior is the conductor of Davidson's crisp motion offense that usually sets upwards of three or four screens to get Curry open.
"It's definitely a big win for Davidson," Richards said after toppling Wisconsin. "To make it to the Elite Eight, that's something that hasn't been done for a while, since Lefty (Driesell) was here."
Back in 1968 and 1969, it was Driesell who placed Davidson on a national stage with a pair of appearances in the regional finals. Now it's Curry, McKillop and the rest of the Wildcats penning one of the most breathtaking stories in college hoops history.
Hopefully, a win over Kansas is just one of a few more chapters to be written.
No one wants this story end.
But nearly a full week before the last three games of the college basketball season, it is clear that no one is going to take the spotlight from Davidson College - a tiny liberal arts school with an endearing disposition and one bona fide superstar.
Following Friday night's rousing 73-56 victory over third-seeded Wisconsin, the 10th-seeded Wildcats stand one giant step away from reaching the Final Four. A win over big, bad Kansas stands in their way, like a blue and red brick wall sitting between Detroit and San Antonio. But win or lose, when all is said and done, the story of the charming school from North Carolina might rank as one of the best in college basketball's long history of Cinderellas.Their tale is a joyous combination of "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Hoosiers" wrapped into one picture-perfect package.
There is the new-born celebrity in Stephen Curry, the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, who has thrown the Wildcats on his back with three 30-point performances in the NCAA tournament. With a baby face and a flair for the dramatic, the sophomore has taken America by storm.
Then there is the coach, Bob McKillop, a Bronx native who thought that Davidson would be a springboard to bigger and better things when he arrived in 1989. Nineteen years later, the 57-year-old is oh so glad he never left.
Finally, there is the school itself. Located 30 miles outside of Charlotte, Davidson is a highly selective private school of 1,700 students. The college rests its dazzling academic reputation on a strict honor code and allows its students to take unproctored exams whenever and wherever they choose. While most schools in the Field of 65 count their number of Sweet 16 appearances, Davidson boasts its 23 Rhodes Scholars.
Which makes all of this that much more special. The Wildcats are no fluke. They are legitimate Final Four contenders and have yet to blink when standing toe-to-toe with the big boys.
"I told the team (Thursday) night that I have never felt confidence in a group like the confidence I feel in them," said McKillop, who led Davidson to four tournament appearances prior to this season. "And if you have witnessed from day one the many opportunities they've had to surrender to a variety of temptations, be it expectations, be it the great schedule we had early (losses to Duke, North Carolina and UCLA), be it falling on our faces early on (losses to Western Michigan and Charlotte), be it an undefeated season (in the Southern Conference), be it having to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. ...They have faced every imaginable obstacle."
As the seconds ticked off the clock at Ford Field on Friday night, everyone wearing red sported expressions of disbelief - the Davidson fans, the Wisconsin players and fans - well, everyone except the Davidson players themselves.
The Wildcats celebrated, but at no point did it seem as if they thought they had pulled off another monster upset. This is the same team that had just registered its third straight win over a ranked opponent after entering the tournament without a win over a Top 25 team in the last 30 years. Instead of jumping on top of one another, the Wildcats turned to salute their faithful fans that traveled long and far to be with them. Earlier in the week, the school's Board of Trustees made an extraordinary offer to provide free bus fares, game tickets and hotel rooms to all students willing to sit through the 11-hour ride to Detroit.
"The sense of intimacy that exists on our campus is unparalleled in NCAA Division I basketball," McKillop said prior to the Wisconsin game. "You hear all about the free laundry (yes, free laundry is offered to all Davidson students). But when the Board of Trustees votes in a meeting on Tuesday to go into their personal pockets and put out the money so that every student can go to this game...that reaches a level that's unprecedented. I'm stunned by it, thrilled by it."
So many students jumped at the opportunity that the school couldn't secure enough buses to transport about two-thirds of the student body 650 miles. Ultimately, seven buses brought 350 students to the 72,000-seat stadium.
Though their noise vanished in the air of mammoth Ford Field, the Davidson fans were singing, dancing and cheering from beginning to end. As the game went on, fans from Kansas and Villanova, whose game tipped off in the nightcap, couldn't help but take up the Wildcats' cause.
One would imagine that the same thing occurred in front of televisions from coast to coast.
"We are thankful for every fan out there not wearing Davidson across their chest and cheering when we make a bucket or a steal," said junior forward Max Paulhus Gosselin. "We can only say thank you. ...They just want to feel like they want to be part of the story and it's amazing."
While everyone in the country now has a soft spot for the Wildcats, it is Curry who is truly reaching iconic status. He blitzed seventh-seeded Gonzaga with 40 points in a first-round win and then dropped 30 on second-seeded Georgetown two days later.
There are few things that tell you that you've truly "made it." But when LeBron James sits two rows behind your bench yelling, "Pour it on 'em, Steph, pour it on 'em. They can't stop you," - you know you're there.
As is his nature, Curry chalks the attention up to the name on the front his jersey, not the back.
"It just goes to show what we're doing at Davidson," he said afterwards. "It's just really cool to have a guy like LeBron James, one of the best players in the NBA right now, coming out and supporting Davidson."
While Curry is the headliner, the Wildcats are led by point guard Jason Richards. As the school's all-time leader in assists, the senior is the conductor of Davidson's crisp motion offense that usually sets upwards of three or four screens to get Curry open.
"It's definitely a big win for Davidson," Richards said after toppling Wisconsin. "To make it to the Elite Eight, that's something that hasn't been done for a while, since Lefty (Driesell) was here."
Back in 1968 and 1969, it was Driesell who placed Davidson on a national stage with a pair of appearances in the regional finals. Now it's Curry, McKillop and the rest of the Wildcats penning one of the most breathtaking stories in college hoops history.
Hopefully, a win over Kansas is just one of a few more chapters to be written.
No one wants this story end.
From CBSSports.com
Let Davidson hang around? That would be Kansas' downfall
March 29, 2008
By Gregg Doyel
CBSSports.com National Columnist
DETROIT -- The way I see it, Kansas has 20 minutes of game clock to put Davidson away. That's one half. The first half. But that's it.
If Kansas can't do it? If Davidson is still in range entering the second half?
Watch out, Kansas. Watch out, because the weight of the world -- the pressure, the crowd, the ridicule, all of it brought to bear by a baby-faced assassin named Stephen Curry -- will come crushing down. Forget winning. By the midpoint of the second half, if Davidson is still in this game, Kansas will have a hard time breathing.
The Jayhawks have to know that. They have to know that, beyond their fan base, the world is united against them. It's nothing personal against Kansas. The No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region could be UCLA, North Carolina or Memphis, and it would be the same:
People want Davidson to win.
That will include most of the 60,000 fans expected at Ford Field for the region final Sunday. The Jayhawks will have their rooting section, but the configuration of this monstrous football facility works against them. Kansas had thousands of fans at Ford Field on Friday, too, and you couldn't hear them. In the final minutes of the Jayhawks' 72-57 domination of Villanova, when Kansas fans broke into their Rock-Chalk-Jayhawk chant, it sounded like a whisper coming over a cell phone. Kansas coach Bill Self called the atmosphere "pretty indifferent."
It won't be indifferent Sunday, not with upwards of 45,000 people screaming for Davidson, regardless of how far from the court they are. It won't sound like a whisper. It will sound like an avalanche off in the distance, and it will be toppling onto Kansas.
There's only one way out for Kansas, and that way is through ruthless domination. The Jayhawks have it in them, believe me. Davidson is stout and Curry is spectacular, but Kansas is too much. Too much size, too much explosion, too much depth. Gonzaga was quicker than Davidson. Georgetown and Wisconsin were bigger than Davidson. Kansas will be both -- quicker and bigger than Davidson -- and Kansas also can match the Wildcats' skill and unselfishness. Kansas has the horses to trample Davidson.
But it better happen fast, because Davidson owns the second half. Gonzaga led Davidson by 11 midway through the second half, but the 'Zags let Davidson hang around, and you know the rest of the story. Curry scored 30 of his 40 points after halftime, and Davidson was pulling away at the final horn.
Then, Georgetown. The Hoyas led by 17 in the second half, but they let Davidson hang around -- and you know the rest of that story, too. Curry scored 25 of his 30 points after halftime, and Davidson notched another upset.
Wisconsin never made Davidson uncomfortable, getting involved in a back-and-forth game until Curry took control with 16 points in 6½ minutes of the second half. He finished with 33, and Davidson blew the Badgers away.
Now, Kansas. The Jayhawks have seen what happens to teams -- to very good teams -- when Davidson hangs around.
"It does kind of worry me a little bit," said Kansas junior Brandon Rush. "They're really hot ... and Stephen Curry is probably the best player in the tournament right now."
So cool him early, Kansas. Because once Davidson starts to believe, and once Curry gets going ...
"That's what we'd like to do: Come out, set the tone, get them rattled," said Kansas sophomore Sherron Collins. "We're going to try to get a big lead on them and not let up."
Like Friday night, he could have said. Kansas clearly let up against Villanova after taking a 26-10 lead, getting outscored 47-46 the rest of the way. Villanova didn't have the skill or the will -- or Curry -- to make Kansas pay for its indifference. But if Kansas lets up Sunday, Davidson won't go down as easily. Davidson might not go down at all.
"We need to come out and put it on them as good as we can," said Kansas senior Jeremy Case. "If we get up, we need to put our foot on their throat and sap their will. Coach has been preaching it all year -- we haven't always finished games well -- and one day that could bite us in the butt."
Or grab them around the neck. Choke is an ugly word in sports, especially the college game, but the longer Davidson hangs around, the more likely Kansas is to, um, gargle. It's human nature, and it could start at the top.
Self knows he will be considered lacking if he doesn't get to the Final Four -- he admitted to thinking about it "all the time -- I mean, I think about it every day" -- and he says this team is the best he has ever had, thanks mainly to the experience factor.
But that senior thing can work the other way, too. This is the last chance at a Final Four for Russell Robinson, Darnell Jackson, Case and Sasha Kaun, and it could be the last chance for some of Kansas' NBA-level underclassmen: Rush, Collins, Darrell Arthur and/or Mario Chalmers.
The Jayhawks want this Final Four so bad they can taste it. It's right there. All they have to do is beat Davidson. Three months ago, when Davidson was 4-6, that would have sounded like a joke.
Today, with Davidson riding a 25-game winning streak and one of the hottest players in NCAA tournament history, it doesn't sound like a joke. Not with Kansas 40 minutes from getting to the Final Four.
Or from becoming a punch line.
March 29, 2008
By Gregg Doyel
CBSSports.com National Columnist
DETROIT -- The way I see it, Kansas has 20 minutes of game clock to put Davidson away. That's one half. The first half. But that's it.
If Kansas can't do it? If Davidson is still in range entering the second half?
Watch out, Kansas. Watch out, because the weight of the world -- the pressure, the crowd, the ridicule, all of it brought to bear by a baby-faced assassin named Stephen Curry -- will come crushing down. Forget winning. By the midpoint of the second half, if Davidson is still in this game, Kansas will have a hard time breathing.The Jayhawks have to know that. They have to know that, beyond their fan base, the world is united against them. It's nothing personal against Kansas. The No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region could be UCLA, North Carolina or Memphis, and it would be the same:
People want Davidson to win.
That will include most of the 60,000 fans expected at Ford Field for the region final Sunday. The Jayhawks will have their rooting section, but the configuration of this monstrous football facility works against them. Kansas had thousands of fans at Ford Field on Friday, too, and you couldn't hear them. In the final minutes of the Jayhawks' 72-57 domination of Villanova, when Kansas fans broke into their Rock-Chalk-Jayhawk chant, it sounded like a whisper coming over a cell phone. Kansas coach Bill Self called the atmosphere "pretty indifferent."
It won't be indifferent Sunday, not with upwards of 45,000 people screaming for Davidson, regardless of how far from the court they are. It won't sound like a whisper. It will sound like an avalanche off in the distance, and it will be toppling onto Kansas.
There's only one way out for Kansas, and that way is through ruthless domination. The Jayhawks have it in them, believe me. Davidson is stout and Curry is spectacular, but Kansas is too much. Too much size, too much explosion, too much depth. Gonzaga was quicker than Davidson. Georgetown and Wisconsin were bigger than Davidson. Kansas will be both -- quicker and bigger than Davidson -- and Kansas also can match the Wildcats' skill and unselfishness. Kansas has the horses to trample Davidson.
But it better happen fast, because Davidson owns the second half. Gonzaga led Davidson by 11 midway through the second half, but the 'Zags let Davidson hang around, and you know the rest of the story. Curry scored 30 of his 40 points after halftime, and Davidson was pulling away at the final horn.
Then, Georgetown. The Hoyas led by 17 in the second half, but they let Davidson hang around -- and you know the rest of that story, too. Curry scored 25 of his 30 points after halftime, and Davidson notched another upset.
Wisconsin never made Davidson uncomfortable, getting involved in a back-and-forth game until Curry took control with 16 points in 6½ minutes of the second half. He finished with 33, and Davidson blew the Badgers away.
Now, Kansas. The Jayhawks have seen what happens to teams -- to very good teams -- when Davidson hangs around.
"It does kind of worry me a little bit," said Kansas junior Brandon Rush. "They're really hot ... and Stephen Curry is probably the best player in the tournament right now."
So cool him early, Kansas. Because once Davidson starts to believe, and once Curry gets going ...
"That's what we'd like to do: Come out, set the tone, get them rattled," said Kansas sophomore Sherron Collins. "We're going to try to get a big lead on them and not let up."
Like Friday night, he could have said. Kansas clearly let up against Villanova after taking a 26-10 lead, getting outscored 47-46 the rest of the way. Villanova didn't have the skill or the will -- or Curry -- to make Kansas pay for its indifference. But if Kansas lets up Sunday, Davidson won't go down as easily. Davidson might not go down at all.
"We need to come out and put it on them as good as we can," said Kansas senior Jeremy Case. "If we get up, we need to put our foot on their throat and sap their will. Coach has been preaching it all year -- we haven't always finished games well -- and one day that could bite us in the butt."
Or grab them around the neck. Choke is an ugly word in sports, especially the college game, but the longer Davidson hangs around, the more likely Kansas is to, um, gargle. It's human nature, and it could start at the top.
Self knows he will be considered lacking if he doesn't get to the Final Four -- he admitted to thinking about it "all the time -- I mean, I think about it every day" -- and he says this team is the best he has ever had, thanks mainly to the experience factor.
But that senior thing can work the other way, too. This is the last chance at a Final Four for Russell Robinson, Darnell Jackson, Case and Sasha Kaun, and it could be the last chance for some of Kansas' NBA-level underclassmen: Rush, Collins, Darrell Arthur and/or Mario Chalmers.
The Jayhawks want this Final Four so bad they can taste it. It's right there. All they have to do is beat Davidson. Three months ago, when Davidson was 4-6, that would have sounded like a joke.
Today, with Davidson riding a 25-game winning streak and one of the hottest players in NCAA tournament history, it doesn't sound like a joke. Not with Kansas 40 minutes from getting to the Final Four.
Or from becoming a punch line.
From Kansas City Star
Kansas will have to deal with Stephen Curry to get to Final FourBy: Joe Posnanski
DETROIT - Nobody wanted him. That’s the amazing part. Stephen Curry, the new face of college basketball, the Babyfaced Larry Bird, could not find a big-time school that would take him just two years ago. Even Virginia Tech, where his father Dell was a basketball-scoring machine and his mother Sonya played volleyball, would only take him as a walk-on.
Stuff like this always boggles the mind. How can people who study the games — build their whole lives around these games — miss this kind of genius? How could every team in major-league baseball pass on Albert Pujols 12 times in the draft, and then 18 months later he’s one of the greatest rookies in baseball history? How could every single NFL team look at Tony Romo and determine he was not even worth drafting?
No answer will do. Sometimes, apparently, we just miss what’s right in front of our eyes. College basketball teams did not just miss a good player with Stephen Curry. They missed a prodigy. They missed the most exciting college basketball player in years. They missed one guy good enough to carry a team, a real life Jimmy Chitwood in Hoosiers.
See, it wasn’t just that Stephen Curry played another ridiculous game Friday night — though he did, 33 points, four assists, four steals. It wasn’t just that he drove Davidson to another stunning tournament upset, this time a 73-56 destruction of third-seeded Wisconsin.
On Sunday afternoon he’ll try to repeat the feat against No. 1-seeded Kansas in the Midwest Regional final.
The Wildcats have now beaten the West Coast Conference champ, the Big East champ and the Big Ten champ in succession. Curry scored 103 points in those three games.
No, it was something more. Take one play in the second half. Curry had already broken Wisconsin’s spirit. The Badgers all year had been known for their piercing defense, their ability to frustrate opponents, their almost mystical ability to get opponents to miss “open shots.” The reason was simple: Those shots were not really really open. They were usually a couple of feet too far from the basket. They were usually shot by the wrong guy. They were usually shot out of rhythm. That was Wisconsin basketball.
And so, Badgers coach Bo Ryan came up with simplest plan — he had his best defender, Michael Flowers, hound Curry for 40 minutes. That’s just what Flowers did. Everywhere Curry went, Flowers was in his shirt. Every time Davidson tried to set a pick against Flowers, he fought through and got back in Curry’s face. It was impressive to watch, at least for a while. If Curry had been a normal player, it would have frustrated him to no end.
But this is the point: Curry is not a normal guy. Maybe he learned something from watching his father score more than 12,000 points in the NBA. Maybe he developed a certain determination because so many scouts and college coaches could not see just what made him special. Curry grew up in Charlotte, N.C., the heart of basketball country. He loved ACC basketball. He ended up at a small, private liberal-arts college just north of his city, a school for future politicians and authors.
Whatever the reason, Curry’s face never showed any frustration. He would work and work for a shot; if he got a small opening he would shoot. If not, he would keep Flowers away from the other four so that Davidson’s offense could run smoothly.
“I try not to force anything,” he said. “It’s hard for a defense to sustain themselves for a whole 40 minutes. Eventually you’ll find yourself open.”
At halftime, the score was tied. Curry appeared to be shut down, but he wasn’t at all. He had 11 points, a couple of assists, a couple of steals. And he knew something — it was Wisconsin that was about to get frustrated. It has happened the whole tournament. Gonzaga had led Davidson at halftime; Curry had scored 30 second-half points to lead the comeback. Georgetown had Davidson down 17 at one point; Curry scored 25 points in the second half to lead the comeback.
Wisconsin scrambled and fought and cut the margin to three points. Curry made a ridiculous three-point jumper — if the defender is even 6 inches away, he cannot get his hands up in time to block Curry’s shot. The ball swished, giving Davidson a six-point lead.
And then he made the play.
Davidson’s Jason Richards stripped the ball away from Wisconsin’s Joe Krabbenhoft. And now there was a mad scramble — Davidson players were running down the court, and Wisconsin players were searching for Stephen Curry. He was standing in the corner, by himself. Richards — who leads the nation in assists, in large part because he knows how to find Curry — found Curry. He threw a bullet pass.
Curry caught it and was about to shoot his lightning quick shot. Nobody was around him. He could have gotten it off. He was looking at the basket. And then, instead of shooting the ball, he just stopped. He stood there for one beat, two beats, as if he was waiting for something.
He was waiting for something. On the third beat, Krabbenhoft — one of the best defensive players in the country — came running like a mad man, and he jumped, and he flew right by. Curry waited for him to go by, as if he were the wrong bus. Curry then calmly shot his beautiful jump shot, swished the three-pointer, gave Davidson a nine-point lead.
The game would never get any closer.
It was genius, that’s all. There’s no way to know how he saw Krabbenhoft coming, or how he could know that Krabbenhoft would just rush by like the wind. But he did. Later in the game, he hit a reverse layup that got NBA superstar LeBron James to jump to his feet. Later in the game, he had done so much that even a few heartbroken Wisconsin fans stood and applauded. How could they not?
And all the while, no doubt, there were coaches staring at their television Friday night and muttering, “How did I miss that?” There’s just no answer for that.
From NY Newsday
Driesell put Davidson on college basketball mapJoe Gergen
9:53 PM EDT, March 25, 2008
Consider what Bob McKillop has wrought at Davidson College a charming sequel to a basketball version of the little train that could. It's not his fault that the original was so much more colorful. That's due almost entirely to the personality of the previous conductor, Charles Driesell, known to one and all as Lefty.
The man's teams won 786 games in 41 seasons at four institutions of higher learning and appeared in the NCAA Tournament 13 times in five different decades. He coached some of the great players in college basketball history at Maryland. But what remains truly remarkable about the Lefthander's career is that he lifted Davidson, a historic liberal arts college whose enrollment at the time was fewer than 1,000, to the level of a national basketball powerhouse during the 1960s.
As he pointed out just the other night from his home in Virginia Beach, "I can succeed anywhere. I know how to coach." He did not speak in the past tense. Driesell, 76, may have formally retired from the profession five years ago but still considers himself more of a participant than an observer.
The current Wildcats may have shocked the nation this season, first by their inclusion in the AP Top 25 ratings, later by their advance to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. All the more reason to marvel at what Driesell created 40 years ago when Davidson finished among the Top 10 four times and twice came within a basket or two of the Final Four. The same program had suffered 11 consecutive losing seasons when the onetime encyclopedia salesman unpacked his belongings on a campus 19 miles north of Charlotte.
"I had an assistant," he recalled, "but he was a baseball coach, too. My office was about 10 feet by 10 feet. My mother helped me paint it." Driesell was 29 and fresh off a 57-game winning streak and a state championship at Newport News High School in his native Virginia. He said he took a salary cut from $6,200 to $6,000 for the chance to coach in college. Oh, yes, the recruiting budget was approximately $500.
That didn't stop him from snagging his first recruit, Terry Holland, from the clutches of Wake Forest in the formidable ACC. Holland would become a successful coach at his alma mater and later at the University of Virginia. In Driesell's very first game, Davidson upset Wake, whose team would advance all the way to the East Regional final at the direction of point guard Billy Packer while the Wildcats faded to 9-14. But it would be Driesell's lone losing season at Davidson.He recruited by car, driving thousands of miles by day and sleeping in the back at night. He convinced blue-chip center Fred Hetzel, from Washington, D.C., to forgo Duke. He won a tug of war with the Notre Dame football staff for Dick Snyder, an all-star quarterback from Canton, Ohio. He got Mike Maloy, a superb forward from Long Island City, to take a chance on the South. All three would be selected to All-American teams during the decade.
"We played the best teams in the country," Driesell recalled. "We played Cincinnati the year they won the national championship. We broke Ohio State's home-court winning streak when they had Gary Bradds. We played Duke, Virginia, Maryland, Alabama, NYU. We had a 2,000-seat campus gym but we used the Charlotte Coliseum (11,666) for big games like Duke. People weren't afraid to play good teams on the road in those days."
The Wildcats were ranked as high as No. 3 in the country in 1964 and No. 2 in 1969. They received the preseason nod as No. 1 by Sports Illustrated at the outset of the 1964-65 campaign. But they were doomed to disappointment. The '64 team was shocked by VMI in the Southern Conference Tournament at a time when leagues were permitted only one representative in the national showcase. One year later, Davidson was upset in overtime by West Virginia, snapping a 23-game winning streak. The '68 and '69 teams both reached the Elite Eight before excruciating losses to North Carolina.
One of the top players in the country in 1969 was Charlie Scott, a sharpshooter who had grown up in Harlem. While he was in high school, Scott's family moved to North Carolina where he soon was befriended by Driesell. After attending the Davidson basketball camp following his junior season, he verbally committed to the school, then changed his mind and signed with Dean Smith at the university in Chapel Hill. In the championship of the East Regional in 1969, Davidson turned the ball over with the score tied at 85-85 and Scott hit a jump shot from the top of the key just before the buzzer to thwart the Wildcats once more.
That game was staged at Cole Field House in College Park, where Driesell began the following season as coach of Maryland. Davidson enjoyed one more ranked season under Holland, then gradually faded from the national spotlight. The Wildcats, celebrating their basketball centennial, are back and Driesell is thrilled. He drove to Raleigh last weekend and witnessed the victory over Georgetown, appeared on the Davidson radio network at halftime and sent a note of congratulations to the team afterward.
"I love this team," he said. "That Stephen Curry is a great shooter. The point guard [Jason Richards] leads the country in assists. And Bob McKillop is a really fine coach."
Driesell said he expects the Wildcats to give third-seeded Wisconsin all it can handle Friday in Detroit. But then he never did believe any program was better than his, no matter how big. His final team, Georgia State, qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2001. Its first-round opponent was Wisconsin. Georgia State won and a reporter asked him afterward how a mid-major team like the Panthers could beat an elite team from the Big Ten.
"Ask the players from Wisconsin if we're mid-major," he growled.
From SI.com
Shedding the slipper
Experienced and tested Davidson is no Cinderella
By Stewart Mandel
DETROIT -- The bracket says this was a big-time upset: The Midwest's No. 10 seed knocking off the No. 3 seed. Same thing if you went by the names on the jerseys: Wisconsin, champion of the vaunted Big Ten, losing to Davidson, champion of the Southern Conference.
From courtside, however, Friday night's Sweet 16 game looked like one thing and one thing only: A colossal mismatch in which a more athletic, better-shooting, more aggressive defensive team (Davidson) broke open a 36-36 halftime deadlock to make mincemeat of its overmatched opponent (Wisconsin), 73-56.
Perhaps the selection committee got the seeds backwards.
"You might say we're 'teeny' Davidson," said point guard Jason Richards. "But we're not going to back down from anyone."
As the only double-digit seed and 2,000-student school headed to the Elite Eight, Davidson will presumably get tagged with the "Cinderella" label in the coming days, a la George Mason two years ago. It could not be less accurate.
Yes, the Wildcats' current NCAA tourney run is quickly taking on a similar feel to those 2006 Final Four darlings -- just like Mason knocked off tourney staples Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn, Davidson has now offed Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin with top seed Kansas looming on Sunday -- there's really no comparison between the actual teams.
George Mason did not take top-10 squads North Carolina, UCLA and Duke to the wire in its non-conference season like Davidson. George Mason did not go 20-0 in its conference like Davidson. George Mason was not ranked in the Top 25 by the end of the regular season like Davidson. And with all due respect to former Patriots guards Tony Skinn and Lamar Butler, George Mason did not have a backcourt the likes of Richards and Stephen Curry.
Friday night against a Wisconsin team that came in with the nation's most efficient defense, Curry and Richards put on a show as impressive as anything seen this tourney. Curry, following up on his 40- and 30-point outputs in the first two rounds, scored another 33, while Richards delivered the eye-popping stat line of 11 points, 13 assists and zero turnovers.
"I think this is a pretty darn good backcourt," said Davidson coach Bob McKillop.
Curry, whose star has risen so high in the span of eight days that LeBron James came just to see him play (mouthing a visible "Wow" on an acrobatic reverse layup by Curry late in the game), put on another dazzling shooting display, hitting 6-of-11 three-pointers, but his most important stat may have been this one: Four steals.
Davidson blew open Friday night's game with a 21-3 second-half run that was fueled as much by defense as it was Curry's continued hot hand. Time and again, Wisconsin's guards would try to feed their big men in the post only to find them smothered by Wildcats counterparts Thomas Sander and Andrew Lovedale. Time and again, Curry or Richards would get a hand on the ball as a Badger attempted to drive the lane, and a teammate like Max Paulhus Gosselin would come up with the loose ball.
And time and again, Richards would race the other way in a matter of seconds, finding an open Curry in the corner or a streaking Sander down the lane. It looked a whole lot like watching another transition-specialist, North Carolina, another powerhouse the Wildcats faced earlier this season (losing 72-68).
"That's the type of game we play at Davidson," said Richards. "We get up and down the fast break, find shooters on the wings."
The game's most telling sequence came with 13:01 remaining and Davidson leading just 51-45. Curry stripped plodding Badgers forward Joe Krabbenhoft as he drove the lane. In a matter of seconds, he spotted up in the corner on the other end, took a pass from Richards, paused to wait for the trailing Krabbenhoft to fly past him like a stuntman jumping from a building and drained a three-pointer to put the Wildcats firmly in control.
Davidson held Wisconsin to 37 percent shooting while hitting 49.1 percent itself and caused the normally polished Badgers to finish with more turnovers (12) than assists (nine).
"We didn't have to change our basketball system because we were facing Wisconsin," said Lovedale. "We wanted to do what we did all year."
If it seems like Davidson plays unusually poised in these tourney games for a team that spent the majority of its season facing the likes of Georgia Southern and Western Carolina (during one break in the action Friday, the uber-cool Curry casually chatted up Wisconsin counterpart Michael Flowers about their respective hometowns), one need only look at their early-season schedule.
North Carolina. Duke. UCLA.
The Wildcats played all three of them and took all three to the wire. They didn't come away with any W's -- at one point, in fact, they were 4-6 -- but they came away with the confidence of knowing what the rest of us are only find out now: That they're every bit as good as some of the best teams in the country.
"We were right there 'til the end [against those foes]," said Curry. "That proved we can compete with anyone but we couldn't finish games. Now we have another shot at the big guys, and we've gotten better. We've learned to play 40 minutes."
They needed all 40 minutes to put away previous tourney foes Gonzaga and Georgetown, but Friday night's contest was unofficially over with about eight minutes left. By then, the Davidson band had broken out its favorite tune, Sweet Caroline, and the large swath of fans behind the Wildcats' bench -- nearly all of them wearing red-and-white "Witness" shirts purchased by Curry's NBA-alum father, Dell -- sang along in celebration.
Moments earlier, they'd watched Curry toy with yet another overmatched defender, hanging in the air and shoveling the ball from his knees to the hoop in the aforementioned reverse layup that brought LeBron to his feet. His team's lead had grown to 17 and would soon reach as high as 21.
"They're a great team," said Wisconsin forward Marcus Landry. "They really outworked us and out-scrapped us."
Re-read those previous words from Landry. If there's any major-conference team in the country synonymous with outworking and outscrapping people, it's Wisconsin. Yet when Curry started his now-customary second-half scoring binge (he scored 22 of his 33 after halftime) and the Wildcats rolled off a back-breaking 12-0 run, the Big Ten champs looked as helpless as ... well, a Georgia Southern or Western Carolina.
So it's probably wise at this point for hoops followers to re-think their preconceived notions about Davidson. Cinderella? Only to someone who hasn't actually watched the Wildcats play.
"Last year, you might have been accurate to say we were a Cinderella had we advanced [beyond the first round] because were a surprise," said McKillop. "We brought back five starters, we won 20 conference games, we played the heavyweights early and played them close. This team has expectations you wouldn't normally see a 'Cinderella' have."
Not to mention a pair of guards most major-conference teams can only dream about.
From courtside, however, Friday night's Sweet 16 game looked like one thing and one thing only: A colossal mismatch in which a more athletic, better-shooting, more aggressive defensive team (Davidson) broke open a 36-36 halftime deadlock to make mincemeat of its overmatched opponent (Wisconsin), 73-56.
Perhaps the selection committee got the seeds backwards.
"You might say we're 'teeny' Davidson," said point guard Jason Richards. "But we're not going to back down from anyone."
As the only double-digit seed and 2,000-student school headed to the Elite Eight, Davidson will presumably get tagged with the "Cinderella" label in the coming days, a la George Mason two years ago. It could not be less accurate.
Yes, the Wildcats' current NCAA tourney run is quickly taking on a similar feel to those 2006 Final Four darlings -- just like Mason knocked off tourney staples Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn, Davidson has now offed Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin with top seed Kansas looming on Sunday -- there's really no comparison between the actual teams.
George Mason did not take top-10 squads North Carolina, UCLA and Duke to the wire in its non-conference season like Davidson. George Mason did not go 20-0 in its conference like Davidson. George Mason was not ranked in the Top 25 by the end of the regular season like Davidson. And with all due respect to former Patriots guards Tony Skinn and Lamar Butler, George Mason did not have a backcourt the likes of Richards and Stephen Curry.
Friday night against a Wisconsin team that came in with the nation's most efficient defense, Curry and Richards put on a show as impressive as anything seen this tourney. Curry, following up on his 40- and 30-point outputs in the first two rounds, scored another 33, while Richards delivered the eye-popping stat line of 11 points, 13 assists and zero turnovers.
"I think this is a pretty darn good backcourt," said Davidson coach Bob McKillop.
Curry, whose star has risen so high in the span of eight days that LeBron James came just to see him play (mouthing a visible "Wow" on an acrobatic reverse layup by Curry late in the game), put on another dazzling shooting display, hitting 6-of-11 three-pointers, but his most important stat may have been this one: Four steals.
Davidson blew open Friday night's game with a 21-3 second-half run that was fueled as much by defense as it was Curry's continued hot hand. Time and again, Wisconsin's guards would try to feed their big men in the post only to find them smothered by Wildcats counterparts Thomas Sander and Andrew Lovedale. Time and again, Curry or Richards would get a hand on the ball as a Badger attempted to drive the lane, and a teammate like Max Paulhus Gosselin would come up with the loose ball.
And time and again, Richards would race the other way in a matter of seconds, finding an open Curry in the corner or a streaking Sander down the lane. It looked a whole lot like watching another transition-specialist, North Carolina, another powerhouse the Wildcats faced earlier this season (losing 72-68).
"That's the type of game we play at Davidson," said Richards. "We get up and down the fast break, find shooters on the wings."
The game's most telling sequence came with 13:01 remaining and Davidson leading just 51-45. Curry stripped plodding Badgers forward Joe Krabbenhoft as he drove the lane. In a matter of seconds, he spotted up in the corner on the other end, took a pass from Richards, paused to wait for the trailing Krabbenhoft to fly past him like a stuntman jumping from a building and drained a three-pointer to put the Wildcats firmly in control.
Davidson held Wisconsin to 37 percent shooting while hitting 49.1 percent itself and caused the normally polished Badgers to finish with more turnovers (12) than assists (nine).
"We didn't have to change our basketball system because we were facing Wisconsin," said Lovedale. "We wanted to do what we did all year."
If it seems like Davidson plays unusually poised in these tourney games for a team that spent the majority of its season facing the likes of Georgia Southern and Western Carolina (during one break in the action Friday, the uber-cool Curry casually chatted up Wisconsin counterpart Michael Flowers about their respective hometowns), one need only look at their early-season schedule.
North Carolina. Duke. UCLA.
The Wildcats played all three of them and took all three to the wire. They didn't come away with any W's -- at one point, in fact, they were 4-6 -- but they came away with the confidence of knowing what the rest of us are only find out now: That they're every bit as good as some of the best teams in the country.
"We were right there 'til the end [against those foes]," said Curry. "That proved we can compete with anyone but we couldn't finish games. Now we have another shot at the big guys, and we've gotten better. We've learned to play 40 minutes."
They needed all 40 minutes to put away previous tourney foes Gonzaga and Georgetown, but Friday night's contest was unofficially over with about eight minutes left. By then, the Davidson band had broken out its favorite tune, Sweet Caroline, and the large swath of fans behind the Wildcats' bench -- nearly all of them wearing red-and-white "Witness" shirts purchased by Curry's NBA-alum father, Dell -- sang along in celebration.
Moments earlier, they'd watched Curry toy with yet another overmatched defender, hanging in the air and shoveling the ball from his knees to the hoop in the aforementioned reverse layup that brought LeBron to his feet. His team's lead had grown to 17 and would soon reach as high as 21.
"They're a great team," said Wisconsin forward Marcus Landry. "They really outworked us and out-scrapped us."
Re-read those previous words from Landry. If there's any major-conference team in the country synonymous with outworking and outscrapping people, it's Wisconsin. Yet when Curry started his now-customary second-half scoring binge (he scored 22 of his 33 after halftime) and the Wildcats rolled off a back-breaking 12-0 run, the Big Ten champs looked as helpless as ... well, a Georgia Southern or Western Carolina.
So it's probably wise at this point for hoops followers to re-think their preconceived notions about Davidson. Cinderella? Only to someone who hasn't actually watched the Wildcats play.
"Last year, you might have been accurate to say we were a Cinderella had we advanced [beyond the first round] because were a surprise," said McKillop. "We brought back five starters, we won 20 conference games, we played the heavyweights early and played them close. This team has expectations you wouldn't normally see a 'Cinderella' have."
Not to mention a pair of guards most major-conference teams can only dream about.
From New York Times
Knowing What It’s Like for Davidson’s Coach
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH
Published: March 30, 2008
The day after George Mason reached the Final Four in 2006 with a stunning victory against Connecticut in the regional final, Patriots Coach Jim Larranaga shared a quiet moment with his wife, Liz. The frenzied run the 11th-seeded Patriots had made seemed surreal to Larranaga, and he sought another frame of reference. So he pretended he was someone else.
“My wife asked me, ‘If Bob McKillop did something like this, how amazed and happy would you be for him?’ ” Larranaga said in a telephone interview. “I thought about Bob coaching Davidson to a Final Four and realized how amazing that would be. I used him as a gauge, and it made me appreciate what we had done.”
Two years later, McKillop and Davidson are a victory from matching George Mason’s improbable feat. The 10th-seeded Wildcats will face top-seeded Kansas on Sunday in the Midwest Region final in Detroit.
Larranaga and McKillop have maintained a friendship since their high school teams played in a 1967 playoff game. Larranaga attended Archbishop Molloy in Queens; McKillop went to Chaminade on Long Island.
Larranaga graduated from Providence in 1971 and spent five years as an assistant varsity coach and a freshman coach at Davidson. When Larranaga became an assistant at Virginia in 1979, he recruited several players from Long Island Lutheran, where McKillop was the coach.
“I didn’t actually get any of them,” Larranaga said. “So Bob kind of still owes me.”
After George Mason received an at-large bid to the 2006 N.C.A.A. tournament, McKillop asked Larranaga how he had done it. Larranaga emphasized the importance of a strong nonconference schedule.
This season, Davidson played nonconference games against North Carolina, U.C.L.A. and Duke.
“Bob didn’t win any of those games, but he figured an awful lot out about how he could,” Larranaga said. “He told me it wasn’t that they couldn’t play with them, it was that they had difficulty sustaining the effort for 40 minutes. Obviously, that’s not a problem anymore.”
Davidson defeated seventh-seeded Gonzaga, second-seeded Georgetown and third-seeded Wisconsin to reach the regional final.
On Saturday morning, Larranaga called McKillop to offer his congratulations and to share in the moment. He said there was a lot of chuckling, but there was no discussion of strategy.
“I told him the greatest compliment to your team is that CBS switched away from your game against Wisconsin because it was a blowout,” Larranaga said. “And he cracked up laughing. That game was supposed to be a nail-biter, but he blew out the Big Ten champion.”
As for Sunday morning preparations, Larranaga recommends keeping the mood light and finding a good bus driver.
In 2006, the bumpiest moments on George Mason’s road to the Final Four literally came on the road. En route to the regional final at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington, the Patriots’ team bus struck a parked car.
“The driver opened his window and talked to the policeman who was leading our escort,” Larranaga said. “He told us to go ahead because the car was illegally parked, anyway. He told us we couldn’t be late.”
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH
Published: March 30, 2008
The day after George Mason reached the Final Four in 2006 with a stunning victory against Connecticut in the regional final, Patriots Coach Jim Larranaga shared a quiet moment with his wife, Liz. The frenzied run the 11th-seeded Patriots had made seemed surreal to Larranaga, and he sought another frame of reference. So he pretended he was someone else.
“My wife asked me, ‘If Bob McKillop did something like this, how amazed and happy would you be for him?’ ” Larranaga said in a telephone interview. “I thought about Bob coaching Davidson to a Final Four and realized how amazing that would be. I used him as a gauge, and it made me appreciate what we had done.”
Two years later, McKillop and Davidson are a victory from matching George Mason’s improbable feat. The 10th-seeded Wildcats will face top-seeded Kansas on Sunday in the Midwest Region final in Detroit.
Larranaga and McKillop have maintained a friendship since their high school teams played in a 1967 playoff game. Larranaga attended Archbishop Molloy in Queens; McKillop went to Chaminade on Long Island.
Larranaga graduated from Providence in 1971 and spent five years as an assistant varsity coach and a freshman coach at Davidson. When Larranaga became an assistant at Virginia in 1979, he recruited several players from Long Island Lutheran, where McKillop was the coach.
“I didn’t actually get any of them,” Larranaga said. “So Bob kind of still owes me.”
After George Mason received an at-large bid to the 2006 N.C.A.A. tournament, McKillop asked Larranaga how he had done it. Larranaga emphasized the importance of a strong nonconference schedule.
This season, Davidson played nonconference games against North Carolina, U.C.L.A. and Duke.
“Bob didn’t win any of those games, but he figured an awful lot out about how he could,” Larranaga said. “He told me it wasn’t that they couldn’t play with them, it was that they had difficulty sustaining the effort for 40 minutes. Obviously, that’s not a problem anymore.”
Davidson defeated seventh-seeded Gonzaga, second-seeded Georgetown and third-seeded Wisconsin to reach the regional final.
On Saturday morning, Larranaga called McKillop to offer his congratulations and to share in the moment. He said there was a lot of chuckling, but there was no discussion of strategy.
“I told him the greatest compliment to your team is that CBS switched away from your game against Wisconsin because it was a blowout,” Larranaga said. “And he cracked up laughing. That game was supposed to be a nail-biter, but he blew out the Big Ten champion.”
As for Sunday morning preparations, Larranaga recommends keeping the mood light and finding a good bus driver.
In 2006, the bumpiest moments on George Mason’s road to the Final Four literally came on the road. En route to the regional final at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington, the Patriots’ team bus struck a parked car.
“The driver opened his window and talked to the policeman who was leading our escort,” Larranaga said. “He told us to go ahead because the car was illegally parked, anyway. He told us we couldn’t be late.”
From New York Times
A Long Trip to the Brink of History for Davidson
By JOE LAPOINTE
Published: March 30, 2008
DETROIT — The players, coaches, cheerleaders and band members of Davidson are staying at a suburban hotel called the Dearborn Inn, built by Henry Ford, who also built behind it replicas of the historic homes of Patrick Henry, Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe.
In the bright Michigan sunlight early Saturday, a few older Davidson fans, clad in the team color of red, strolled among the homes, gazing at them, seemingly impressed and intrigued. It was as if American history had come alive before them.
When the Davidson fans assemble again at Ford Field on Sunday to see their 10th-seeded Wildcats play top-seeded Kansas in the final of the Midwest Region, they hope to see history of a modern kind made by a college with 1,700 students.
Led by the sharpshooter Stephen Curry, the son of the former N.B.A. player Dell Curry, the Wildcats (29-6) have won 25 consecutive games. If they beat Kansas (34-3) to reach the Final Four, it will be an upset of historic significance.
The Jayhawks seem like a much better team. They clobbered Villanova on Friday night, 72-57, hours after Davidson upset Wisconsin, 73-56. The Jayhawks appear bigger, tougher, more balanced and deeper than Davidson and come from the Big 12, a power conference.
Kansas has reached the Final Four 12 times and has won 2 national championships. Davidson is from the Southern Conference, a midmajor circuit. The Wildcats have never been in the Final Four.
Davidson lost its only two previous regional finals, in 1968 and 1969. So it seemed appropriate to ask Brandon Rush, a Kansas star, if he was concerned about a less-heralded opponent with momentum at its back and an upset on its mind.
“Yeah, it does kind of worry me a little bit because they are really hot right now,” Rush said. “And Stephen Curry is probably the best player in the tournament right now. We’re going to have our hands full.”
Curry and his teammates will be cheered by a new influx of fans to join the small but vocal group already here. Martin McCann, the director of marketing for Davidson, said five more buses had been chartered to carry students on the 10-hour trip to Sunday’s game.
They will join the 400 students who rode on seven buses for Friday’s game. The money for the trip — buses, hotel rooms, tickets — was provided by the college’s Board of Trustees, McCann said, from personal donations, not from the general fund.
Guard Jason Richards was asked to compare this team to George Mason, which lost in the Final Four two years ago. He rejected the comparison. “We’re Davidson,” he said. “We’re trying to make our own history.”
When Saturday’s news conference turned to the X-and-O fundamentals, players and coaches of both teams said the 6-foot-3 Curry, a sophomore, excelled in part because his teammates set complicated screens for him to duck and dart behind.
Curry needs only a moment to fire the pretty shot he learned from his father, who played 16 professional seasons. Stephen Curry said he was overlooked by recruiters for top basketball programs because he was only 5-7 as a high school junior.
Davidson Coach Bob McKillop said he welcomed advice from Curry’s father and often sought it.
Dell Curry said: “I would never infringe on the coaches. But it’s fun to share some of my insights when they ask.”
He was asked how much of his son’s skill was innate and how much was learned from him.
“When he was young, we worked on fundamentals and mechanics and shooting,” the elder Curry said. “But at some point, every young player has to be committed and dedicated. He has the work ethic.”
Dell Curry said he was enjoying his son’s success because he never had the same success at Virginia Tech. “This is what every father wishes for,” he said.
Stephen Curry has 103 points in three tournament games. Against Wisconsin, he scored 33, including six 3-pointers and a reverse layup off the glass on a baseline cut that dazzled even LeBron James, who sat near the court and said, “Wow!”
Russell Robinson, a top Kansas defender, seemed to dismiss some of Curry’s success. “Coach gives him the green light to knock down shots,” he said. “His teammates are behind him. Once you get those two things down pat, anybody can knock it down.”
When asked about Robinson’s comments, Curry said, “It’s just his opinion,” and conceded that he benefited from Davidson’s system. “I haven’t showed much of a one-on-one skill game kind of thing because that’s not what we needed,” he said.
Max Paulhus Gosselin, a defense-minded junior guard from Quebec, called the Davidson system “organized freedom.” Of Curry, he said: “Even if his nickname on the team is now Prime Time, he’s able to keep his head normal size.”
Back at the Dearborn Inn, where even staff members were wearing red and white T-shirts showing support for Davidson, the fans were milling about the lobby, giddy about their circumstances, greeting each other with squeals and hugs.
Some seemed to forget where they were. A woman walked up to the front desk and asked for a newspaper. “Do you have The Charlotte Observer?” she asked. No, she was told. “Would you like The Detroit Free Press?”
She bought one and joined dozens of her fellow travelers who sat and stood around the ornate furniture reading about their team’s victory the previous night. It was as if they had to see it in print to confirm that it was true.
Up in the fitness center, cheerleaders ran on the treadmills and a television blared in the corner. When it emitted the word “Davidson,” a few men gathered around it to hear Dick Vitale and Bob Knight on ESPN.
They stood silently, listening raptly. The basketball experts spoke of Davidson in the context of a possible trip to the Final Four. Two of the men looked at each other, smiled and shook their heads as if in disbelief. But it was on television; it had to be true.
By JOE LAPOINTE
Published: March 30, 2008
DETROIT — The players, coaches, cheerleaders and band members of Davidson are staying at a suburban hotel called the Dearborn Inn, built by Henry Ford, who also built behind it replicas of the historic homes of Patrick Henry, Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe.
In the bright Michigan sunlight early Saturday, a few older Davidson fans, clad in the team color of red, strolled among the homes, gazing at them, seemingly impressed and intrigued. It was as if American history had come alive before them.When the Davidson fans assemble again at Ford Field on Sunday to see their 10th-seeded Wildcats play top-seeded Kansas in the final of the Midwest Region, they hope to see history of a modern kind made by a college with 1,700 students.
Led by the sharpshooter Stephen Curry, the son of the former N.B.A. player Dell Curry, the Wildcats (29-6) have won 25 consecutive games. If they beat Kansas (34-3) to reach the Final Four, it will be an upset of historic significance.
The Jayhawks seem like a much better team. They clobbered Villanova on Friday night, 72-57, hours after Davidson upset Wisconsin, 73-56. The Jayhawks appear bigger, tougher, more balanced and deeper than Davidson and come from the Big 12, a power conference.
Kansas has reached the Final Four 12 times and has won 2 national championships. Davidson is from the Southern Conference, a midmajor circuit. The Wildcats have never been in the Final Four.
Davidson lost its only two previous regional finals, in 1968 and 1969. So it seemed appropriate to ask Brandon Rush, a Kansas star, if he was concerned about a less-heralded opponent with momentum at its back and an upset on its mind.
“Yeah, it does kind of worry me a little bit because they are really hot right now,” Rush said. “And Stephen Curry is probably the best player in the tournament right now. We’re going to have our hands full.”
Curry and his teammates will be cheered by a new influx of fans to join the small but vocal group already here. Martin McCann, the director of marketing for Davidson, said five more buses had been chartered to carry students on the 10-hour trip to Sunday’s game.
They will join the 400 students who rode on seven buses for Friday’s game. The money for the trip — buses, hotel rooms, tickets — was provided by the college’s Board of Trustees, McCann said, from personal donations, not from the general fund.
Guard Jason Richards was asked to compare this team to George Mason, which lost in the Final Four two years ago. He rejected the comparison. “We’re Davidson,” he said. “We’re trying to make our own history.”
When Saturday’s news conference turned to the X-and-O fundamentals, players and coaches of both teams said the 6-foot-3 Curry, a sophomore, excelled in part because his teammates set complicated screens for him to duck and dart behind.
Curry needs only a moment to fire the pretty shot he learned from his father, who played 16 professional seasons. Stephen Curry said he was overlooked by recruiters for top basketball programs because he was only 5-7 as a high school junior.
Davidson Coach Bob McKillop said he welcomed advice from Curry’s father and often sought it.
Dell Curry said: “I would never infringe on the coaches. But it’s fun to share some of my insights when they ask.”
He was asked how much of his son’s skill was innate and how much was learned from him.
“When he was young, we worked on fundamentals and mechanics and shooting,” the elder Curry said. “But at some point, every young player has to be committed and dedicated. He has the work ethic.”
Dell Curry said he was enjoying his son’s success because he never had the same success at Virginia Tech. “This is what every father wishes for,” he said.
Stephen Curry has 103 points in three tournament games. Against Wisconsin, he scored 33, including six 3-pointers and a reverse layup off the glass on a baseline cut that dazzled even LeBron James, who sat near the court and said, “Wow!”
Russell Robinson, a top Kansas defender, seemed to dismiss some of Curry’s success. “Coach gives him the green light to knock down shots,” he said. “His teammates are behind him. Once you get those two things down pat, anybody can knock it down.”
When asked about Robinson’s comments, Curry said, “It’s just his opinion,” and conceded that he benefited from Davidson’s system. “I haven’t showed much of a one-on-one skill game kind of thing because that’s not what we needed,” he said.
Max Paulhus Gosselin, a defense-minded junior guard from Quebec, called the Davidson system “organized freedom.” Of Curry, he said: “Even if his nickname on the team is now Prime Time, he’s able to keep his head normal size.”
Back at the Dearborn Inn, where even staff members were wearing red and white T-shirts showing support for Davidson, the fans were milling about the lobby, giddy about their circumstances, greeting each other with squeals and hugs.
Some seemed to forget where they were. A woman walked up to the front desk and asked for a newspaper. “Do you have The Charlotte Observer?” she asked. No, she was told. “Would you like The Detroit Free Press?”
She bought one and joined dozens of her fellow travelers who sat and stood around the ornate furniture reading about their team’s victory the previous night. It was as if they had to see it in print to confirm that it was true.
Up in the fitness center, cheerleaders ran on the treadmills and a television blared in the corner. When it emitted the word “Davidson,” a few men gathered around it to hear Dick Vitale and Bob Knight on ESPN.
They stood silently, listening raptly. The basketball experts spoke of Davidson in the context of a possible trip to the Final Four. Two of the men looked at each other, smiled and shook their heads as if in disbelief. But it was on television; it had to be true.
From "Will's World"
Davidson's famous students
By Will Bryan, Davidson '08
We all thought that the spotlight was blinding last week as CBS, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated descended on our campus, at this point we are just closing our eyes and holding on to each other for dear life.
Upon getting to the hotel last night, Davidson students weren't just exclaiming about how they can't wait to read about this team in tomorrow's papers, they were also pumped about getting to read about themselves. Swarms of reporters and camera people have mobbed this now-famous student body because of their free trip to Detroit and their undying devotion to America's basketball team.
"They put my picture in the Detroit paper...I was quoted in the Cleveland paper...I was in the Charlotte Observer..."
Clad in our red "Witness" t-shirts, the hundreds of Davidson students in this Dearborn hotel have a pretty imposing appearance. This morning, students back on campus learned that they would be able to come up for Sunday's Elite 8 game as the Trustees found another five buses for another 250 students to support the Cats.
And while the Davidson Wildcats' men's basketball team continues to transcend the stereotypes of low-seeded, mid-major teams, Davidson's student body has done nothing but uphold many of the stereotypes cultivated about them.
"So I guess you guys will have to study all day tomorrow," joked a reporter after the game.
"Well, yeah, we will."
The hotel lobby is currently filled with Davidson students and their laptops, typing away at papers and reading up for next week's tests. The Wildcats are forty minutes away from the Final Four, and yet the foremost thing on everyone's mind today is next week's academic assignments.
You work hard and have fun in the basketball arena, but academics remain all-important. Davidson students and players will be getting back to campus on Monday morning with very little sleep, but they will be expected back in class. That's just how we do things here.
Upon getting to the hotel last night, Davidson students weren't just exclaiming about how they can't wait to read about this team in tomorrow's papers, they were also pumped about getting to read about themselves. Swarms of reporters and camera people have mobbed this now-famous student body because of their free trip to Detroit and their undying devotion to America's basketball team.
"They put my picture in the Detroit paper...I was quoted in the Cleveland paper...I was in the Charlotte Observer..."
Clad in our red "Witness" t-shirts, the hundreds of Davidson students in this Dearborn hotel have a pretty imposing appearance. This morning, students back on campus learned that they would be able to come up for Sunday's Elite 8 game as the Trustees found another five buses for another 250 students to support the Cats.
And while the Davidson Wildcats' men's basketball team continues to transcend the stereotypes of low-seeded, mid-major teams, Davidson's student body has done nothing but uphold many of the stereotypes cultivated about them.
"So I guess you guys will have to study all day tomorrow," joked a reporter after the game.
"Well, yeah, we will."
The hotel lobby is currently filled with Davidson students and their laptops, typing away at papers and reading up for next week's tests. The Wildcats are forty minutes away from the Final Four, and yet the foremost thing on everyone's mind today is next week's academic assignments.
You work hard and have fun in the basketball arena, but academics remain all-important. Davidson students and players will be getting back to campus on Monday morning with very little sleep, but they will be expected back in class. That's just how we do things here.
From ESPN.com
Even LeBron has to salute the brilliance of Curry, Davidson
By Pat Forde
ESPN.com
DETROIT -- Jason Richards was leading the Davidson break one more time, driving the ball straight down Wisconsin's throat, when he saw The Man spot up on the left wing.
Richards fired a pass to Stephen Curry, who caught it, squared up …
… and froze.
Badgers defender Joe Krabbenhoft, sprinting back to get a hand up on the deadliest shooter in college basketball, flew past, halfway back to Madison.
Psych.
Then swish.
Wide open, Curry flicked his right wrist, and everyone knew what was coming. Including the big fella in the brown T-shirt sitting in the front row behind the Davidson bench. He rose from his seat and stuck both arms in the air, three fingers aloft on each hand, as Curry's shot snapped the Ford Field net.
Can I get a witness, LeBron James?
Can I get one of the two best players on the planet to verify the truth unfolding before our star-struck eyes? Can we all agree that Curry is doing something not seen in March since Larry Bird did it 29 years ago -- a special talent carrying a team from nowhere to dizzying heights?
You know Hoopsworld has tilted on its axis when The Chosen One has chosen a kid from Davidson College as his favorite collegian -- and travels from Cleveland into hostile NBA territory to see him shoot the rock. Make no mistake, James was here to see Curry -- he asked the school for tickets, after watching the peach-fuzzed assassin blow up Gonzaga and Georgetown for 70 points in the first two rounds.
Curry responded by bringing James to his feet not once but twice, doing it again just three minutes after the 3 with a startlingly athletic reverse layup and a free throw. After the layup, Curry looked at the scoreboard and spied James exulting on the big screen.
That had to be a surreal moment for a guy who grew up in the ACC footprint without a single ACC scholarship offer.
"It's very cool for him to be here," Curry said, after insisting to interviewers that James got to see the Wildcats, plural, not just one Wildcat.
After watching Curry do it again -- shredding the Badgers' allegedly impenetrable defense for 33 points in a 73-56 smackdown -- you have to say James has a good eye for talent.
We are all witnesses, to use one of Nike's LeBronisms. The shirts in the Davidson cheering section said as much -- red with the word "Witness" on the front and "Wildcats" on the back. A box of them appeared in the team hotel Friday afternoon, and all the players got one.
Curry might need to go into witness protection, because the adulation is nationwide now. But before I jump into the lovefest with both feet, it's time to salute the brilliance of the Davidson team.
This was a basketball lecture rapped into Wisconsin's knuckles. The Badgers played most of the game a man down after an injury to guard Trevon Hughes, but that's no excuse. They were the inferior team.
All the Wildcats made key contributions while confidently executing coach Bob McKillop's superior game plan. Richards was flawless, racking up 13 assists and no turnovers. Post men Thomas Sander and Andrew Lovedale were a combined 7-of-7 from the field. Max Paulhus Gosselin had a team-high six rebounds and was voracious defensively.
"I could not be more pleased, because so many guys contributed in so many ways to make this a very special victory for Davidson College," McKillop said.
It also was a very embarrassing undressing for the impostor Badgers, who were beaten into submission with 12 minutes left to play.
These were your Big Ten champions, ladies and gentlemen, being absolutely punked by the champs of the Southern Conference. Wisconsin fans enjoy railing at the perceived lack of respect accorded coach Bo Ryan, but let's examine his body of work in the NCAA tournament, where reputations are really made: His nine Big Dance victories have come over teams seeded 9th, 12th, 13th, 11th, 14th, 10th, 15th, 14th and 11th.
And now, he's been run off the floor by a No. 10 seed. The key word being "run."
In Big Ten slogball, where scoring 70 points apparently is against the rules, there's no need to get back quickly on defense, because nobody pushes the ball upcourt. Especially after made baskets. That fact jumped out to Davidson on film.
"We like to speed up the game, and we knew they didn't get back on defense as well as some other teams we've played," Richards said.
So the Wildcats force-fed Bucky transition baskets all night. Then, in the second half, they carved up Wisconsin in the half court, as Curry subtly cut the Badgers' defense to ribbons.
Michael Flowers is considered one of the finest defensive guards in America, but as the game wore on, he was literally defenseless against Curry -- who has become the ultimate closer. Curry is averaging 25.7 points in the second half of NCAA games, and he's done it against Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin.
The savvy sophomore lulled Flowers to sleep at times, standing still in the corner, then exploding to life and slithering around screens until he popped free.
"What I do best is run around like a little kid off screens," Curry said. "… I try not to force anything. It's hard for a defense to sustain themselves for a whole 40 minutes. Eventually, you'll find yourself open. If you're patient, stick to the system that we've worked all year -- when guys slip up, you find yourself open."
For Curry, "open" is a relative term. When you can squeeze off a shot in a trice, six inches of clear air might as well be six feet.
"I think they did a good job of running him off of double screens, sometimes even triple screens," Flowers said. "… He doesn't need that much time to catch the ball and release it."
He hasn't needed much time to become a national phenomenon, either. Some of us have been clued into the kid's talent since last year, but nothing puts a collegian on the map like starring in March.
Now, with 103 points in three games, Curry will see his name on a list with guys like Glen Robinson (109 points), Bo Kimble (101) and Glen Rice (93). And his team will see its name on the list of No. 10 seeds to reach a regional final.
Davidson is the ninth school to do it and the first in six years. Only three of the previous eight beat a No. 3 seed to get to the final eight. And absolutely none of the previous eight won a Sweet 16 game by 17 whopping points.
"I hope they'll drop that Cinderella tag," Curry said. "We've shown we can play."
Especially No. 30, who showed it to LeBron James in the flesh.
By Pat Forde
ESPN.com
DETROIT -- Jason Richards was leading the Davidson break one more time, driving the ball straight down Wisconsin's throat, when he saw The Man spot up on the left wing.
Richards fired a pass to Stephen Curry, who caught it, squared up …
… and froze.
Badgers defender Joe Krabbenhoft, sprinting back to get a hand up on the deadliest shooter in college basketball, flew past, halfway back to Madison.Psych.
Then swish.
Wide open, Curry flicked his right wrist, and everyone knew what was coming. Including the big fella in the brown T-shirt sitting in the front row behind the Davidson bench. He rose from his seat and stuck both arms in the air, three fingers aloft on each hand, as Curry's shot snapped the Ford Field net.
Can I get a witness, LeBron James?
Can I get one of the two best players on the planet to verify the truth unfolding before our star-struck eyes? Can we all agree that Curry is doing something not seen in March since Larry Bird did it 29 years ago -- a special talent carrying a team from nowhere to dizzying heights?
You know Hoopsworld has tilted on its axis when The Chosen One has chosen a kid from Davidson College as his favorite collegian -- and travels from Cleveland into hostile NBA territory to see him shoot the rock. Make no mistake, James was here to see Curry -- he asked the school for tickets, after watching the peach-fuzzed assassin blow up Gonzaga and Georgetown for 70 points in the first two rounds.
Curry responded by bringing James to his feet not once but twice, doing it again just three minutes after the 3 with a startlingly athletic reverse layup and a free throw. After the layup, Curry looked at the scoreboard and spied James exulting on the big screen.
That had to be a surreal moment for a guy who grew up in the ACC footprint without a single ACC scholarship offer.
"It's very cool for him to be here," Curry said, after insisting to interviewers that James got to see the Wildcats, plural, not just one Wildcat.
After watching Curry do it again -- shredding the Badgers' allegedly impenetrable defense for 33 points in a 73-56 smackdown -- you have to say James has a good eye for talent.
We are all witnesses, to use one of Nike's LeBronisms. The shirts in the Davidson cheering section said as much -- red with the word "Witness" on the front and "Wildcats" on the back. A box of them appeared in the team hotel Friday afternoon, and all the players got one.
Curry might need to go into witness protection, because the adulation is nationwide now. But before I jump into the lovefest with both feet, it's time to salute the brilliance of the Davidson team.
This was a basketball lecture rapped into Wisconsin's knuckles. The Badgers played most of the game a man down after an injury to guard Trevon Hughes, but that's no excuse. They were the inferior team.
All the Wildcats made key contributions while confidently executing coach Bob McKillop's superior game plan. Richards was flawless, racking up 13 assists and no turnovers. Post men Thomas Sander and Andrew Lovedale were a combined 7-of-7 from the field. Max Paulhus Gosselin had a team-high six rebounds and was voracious defensively.
"I could not be more pleased, because so many guys contributed in so many ways to make this a very special victory for Davidson College," McKillop said.
It also was a very embarrassing undressing for the impostor Badgers, who were beaten into submission with 12 minutes left to play.These were your Big Ten champions, ladies and gentlemen, being absolutely punked by the champs of the Southern Conference. Wisconsin fans enjoy railing at the perceived lack of respect accorded coach Bo Ryan, but let's examine his body of work in the NCAA tournament, where reputations are really made: His nine Big Dance victories have come over teams seeded 9th, 12th, 13th, 11th, 14th, 10th, 15th, 14th and 11th.
And now, he's been run off the floor by a No. 10 seed. The key word being "run."
In Big Ten slogball, where scoring 70 points apparently is against the rules, there's no need to get back quickly on defense, because nobody pushes the ball upcourt. Especially after made baskets. That fact jumped out to Davidson on film.
"We like to speed up the game, and we knew they didn't get back on defense as well as some other teams we've played," Richards said.
So the Wildcats force-fed Bucky transition baskets all night. Then, in the second half, they carved up Wisconsin in the half court, as Curry subtly cut the Badgers' defense to ribbons.
Michael Flowers is considered one of the finest defensive guards in America, but as the game wore on, he was literally defenseless against Curry -- who has become the ultimate closer. Curry is averaging 25.7 points in the second half of NCAA games, and he's done it against Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin.
The savvy sophomore lulled Flowers to sleep at times, standing still in the corner, then exploding to life and slithering around screens until he popped free.
"What I do best is run around like a little kid off screens," Curry said. "… I try not to force anything. It's hard for a defense to sustain themselves for a whole 40 minutes. Eventually, you'll find yourself open. If you're patient, stick to the system that we've worked all year -- when guys slip up, you find yourself open."
For Curry, "open" is a relative term. When you can squeeze off a shot in a trice, six inches of clear air might as well be six feet.
"I think they did a good job of running him off of double screens, sometimes even triple screens," Flowers said. "… He doesn't need that much time to catch the ball and release it."
He hasn't needed much time to become a national phenomenon, either. Some of us have been clued into the kid's talent since last year, but nothing puts a collegian on the map like starring in March.
Now, with 103 points in three games, Curry will see his name on a list with guys like Glen Robinson (109 points), Bo Kimble (101) and Glen Rice (93). And his team will see its name on the list of No. 10 seeds to reach a regional final.
Davidson is the ninth school to do it and the first in six years. Only three of the previous eight beat a No. 3 seed to get to the final eight. And absolutely none of the previous eight won a Sweet 16 game by 17 whopping points.
"I hope they'll drop that Cinderella tag," Curry said. "We've shown we can play."
Especially No. 30, who showed it to LeBron James in the flesh.
From Ireland
Davidson Continues Dream Run Into Elite EightReuters Mar 29, 2008
DETROIT—The Davidson Wildcats continued their dream run into the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament on Friday, taking another notable scalp with a 73-56 upset win over third-seeded Wisconsin Badgers.
The Wildcats, seeded 10th in the Midwest Region, were joined in the last eight by South Region second seed Texas Longhorns, who booked their place with an equally convincing 82-62 win over the third seed Stanford Cardinals.
Davidson, a tiny liberal arts school with the small enrolment (1,700) and high tuition ($41,000) better known for its free laundry service for students than its basketball program, has become this season's feel good story.
A David among NCAA Goliaths, Davidson arrived in the Sweet 16 in impressive style, knocking off seventh seed Gonzaga and second seed Georgetown, but produced its best against the favored Badgers.
Once again Davidson was led by a dazzling display for sharp-shooting Stephen Curry, who scored a game-high 33 points.
The son of former NBA player Dell Curry, the Davidson sophomore has been the tournament's offensive sensation, pouring in 103 points in three games.
The crowd of 57,028 at Ford Field, home of NFL team the Detroit Lions, included a vocal contingent of Davidson students, who took advantage of their school's offer a free bus trip to Detroit, hotel rooms and tickets to anyone wanting to cheer on their team.
The Wildcats made the long trip from just outside Charlotte, North Carolina worthwhile for their supporters.
Tied 36-36 at the half, the Wildcats roared out of the break with a 10-2 run to take charge and continued to punish the reeling Badgers, opening a 67-48 advantage with just under 10 minutes to play and cruising to a comfortable 17 point victory.
Davidson will face the winner between number one seed Kansas and Villanova, who play later on Friday in the Midwest Regional final, on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four.
Lebron likes Steph
Davidson's Curry wins King's favor
By: Dave Hackenberg
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Even LeBron James came to his feet and imitated the release.
With 13 minutes left in last night's NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal, Davidson guard Stephen Curry took a pass in transition in the far left corner. From his right flew Wisconsin's 6-7 Joe Krabbenhoft, timing his leap perfectly, ready to swat the shot through the end zone at Ford Field, maybe across the street into Comerica Park.
Curry could not have seen him coming, but he must have sensed it, felt it. He somehow kept his feet on the ground and reeled the ball in and, after Krabbenhoft achieved lift-off and flew harmlessly past, calmly lined up a 3-point shot and caught all net.
LeBron liked it.
But LeBron and some 57,000 others in the dome hadn't seen anything yet.
About four minutes later, that all changed. Point guard Jason Richards hit Curry on a baseline cut and he made a circus move under the basket and twisted and seemed to go horizontal for an instant and twirled in a reverse layup, and this time LeBron came to his feet along with everybody else and did a little dance.
Davidson is the darling of the Big Dance. But forget that Cinderella stuff. Enough of this underdog hooey and talk of tiny, little Davidson.
"We've got Steph Curry," said Wildcats coach Bob McKillop. "And that's pretty good stuff."
Yes it is.
Curry scored 33 points last night and Davidson mauled Wisconsin, the pride of the Big Ten, in the second half to take a 73-56 win. He scored 30 in a second round win over Georgetown, the pride of the Big East. He had 40 in the opening round against Gonzaga, the pride of the nation's mid-majors.
Next up? Kansas, the pride of the Big 12.
The Wildcats certainly have plenty to be proud of after running their winning streak to 25 games. They turned the tables on Wisconsin, the team known for defense, and held the Badgers to .238 shooting in the second half. Richards, the point guard, had 13 assists and zero turnovers, which McKillop called "unparalleled in a Sweet Sixteen game." It is pretty much unparalleled at any time and in any place.
But Davidson is one of eight teams still standing because of Curry, the sweetest shooter on the planet -- yes, LeBron's planet.
His release is supersonic, his shot silky and effortless. It is almost like watching a diver off the high board, tucking perfectly and disappearing beneath the surface of the water with hardly a ripple. When Curry shoots, you're surprised if the net even moves. It's that clean.
In the first half, which was a battle of 3-point shooting and physical, half-court offense, Curry would come off a screen against a good, quick defender in Wisconsin's Michael Flowers, have no more than a sliver of daylight, and still get off perfect-looking shots.
In the second half, with the tempo ratcheted up and
Davidson winning the transition battle, Curry was a baby-faced assassin. He hit step-back 3s, he fired off assists when triple-teamed, he banked a fall-away shot from the elbow off the glass, and he had four steals. He was a highlight reel.
"That's just how Steph Curry plays," Richards said. "It just shows what a great player he is. He's done it for us all year."
For most of that year he did it in the relative anonymity of the Southern Conference. Now, all of America's eyes are open to his talent.
For a half, the Wildcats were physical, banging on the boards, not backing down, "hitting flesh" as Curry put it. In the second half, they just ran away from the Badgers. Curry's hesitation trey made it 54-45, back-to-back 3s by Richards and Curry made it 60-45, and Curry's circus move for a layup made it 63-46.
There were still more than nine minutes to play, but the Badgers are not a team built to come from behind. That basket nailed it. Game. Even LeBron knew it.
"That's pretty cool," Curry said. "A guy like LeBron, who's in the spotlight, and he's coming to watch us play. It's pretty cool to give him something to be happy about and cheer about, to entertain him."
There aren't many players who can entertain King James.
It takes a fellow royal.
Call him Sir Steph.
Aw, heck, go ahead. Call him King Curry.
By: Dave Hackenberg
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Even LeBron James came to his feet and imitated the release.With 13 minutes left in last night's NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal, Davidson guard Stephen Curry took a pass in transition in the far left corner. From his right flew Wisconsin's 6-7 Joe Krabbenhoft, timing his leap perfectly, ready to swat the shot through the end zone at Ford Field, maybe across the street into Comerica Park.
Curry could not have seen him coming, but he must have sensed it, felt it. He somehow kept his feet on the ground and reeled the ball in and, after Krabbenhoft achieved lift-off and flew harmlessly past, calmly lined up a 3-point shot and caught all net.
LeBron liked it.
But LeBron and some 57,000 others in the dome hadn't seen anything yet.
About four minutes later, that all changed. Point guard Jason Richards hit Curry on a baseline cut and he made a circus move under the basket and twisted and seemed to go horizontal for an instant and twirled in a reverse layup, and this time LeBron came to his feet along with everybody else and did a little dance.
Davidson is the darling of the Big Dance. But forget that Cinderella stuff. Enough of this underdog hooey and talk of tiny, little Davidson.
"We've got Steph Curry," said Wildcats coach Bob McKillop. "And that's pretty good stuff."
Yes it is.
Curry scored 33 points last night and Davidson mauled Wisconsin, the pride of the Big Ten, in the second half to take a 73-56 win. He scored 30 in a second round win over Georgetown, the pride of the Big East. He had 40 in the opening round against Gonzaga, the pride of the nation's mid-majors.
Next up? Kansas, the pride of the Big 12.
The Wildcats certainly have plenty to be proud of after running their winning streak to 25 games. They turned the tables on Wisconsin, the team known for defense, and held the Badgers to .238 shooting in the second half. Richards, the point guard, had 13 assists and zero turnovers, which McKillop called "unparalleled in a Sweet Sixteen game." It is pretty much unparalleled at any time and in any place.
But Davidson is one of eight teams still standing because of Curry, the sweetest shooter on the planet -- yes, LeBron's planet.
His release is supersonic, his shot silky and effortless. It is almost like watching a diver off the high board, tucking perfectly and disappearing beneath the surface of the water with hardly a ripple. When Curry shoots, you're surprised if the net even moves. It's that clean.
In the first half, which was a battle of 3-point shooting and physical, half-court offense, Curry would come off a screen against a good, quick defender in Wisconsin's Michael Flowers, have no more than a sliver of daylight, and still get off perfect-looking shots.
In the second half, with the tempo ratcheted up and
Davidson winning the transition battle, Curry was a baby-faced assassin. He hit step-back 3s, he fired off assists when triple-teamed, he banked a fall-away shot from the elbow off the glass, and he had four steals. He was a highlight reel.
"That's just how Steph Curry plays," Richards said. "It just shows what a great player he is. He's done it for us all year."
For most of that year he did it in the relative anonymity of the Southern Conference. Now, all of America's eyes are open to his talent.
For a half, the Wildcats were physical, banging on the boards, not backing down, "hitting flesh" as Curry put it. In the second half, they just ran away from the Badgers. Curry's hesitation trey made it 54-45, back-to-back 3s by Richards and Curry made it 60-45, and Curry's circus move for a layup made it 63-46.
There were still more than nine minutes to play, but the Badgers are not a team built to come from behind. That basket nailed it. Game. Even LeBron knew it.
"That's pretty cool," Curry said. "A guy like LeBron, who's in the spotlight, and he's coming to watch us play. It's pretty cool to give him something to be happy about and cheer about, to entertain him."
There aren't many players who can entertain King James.
It takes a fellow royal.
Call him Sir Steph.
Aw, heck, go ahead. Call him King Curry.
From The Baltimore Sun
Davidson in elite company
Curry continues roll with 33 points as Wildcats topple Wisconsin
From Wire Reports
March 29, 2008
DETROIT - Stephen Curry knocked down yet another three, thumped his chest and pointed skyward.
Heavens yes, Davidson is marching on.
Curry scored more than 30 points for a third straight game, and the 10th-seeded Wildcats pulled off another stunner last night, rolling over No. 3 seed Wisconsin, 73-56, to advance to the Midwest Regional final.
Davidson (29-6) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 25 and will play Kansas tomorrow for a trip to the Final Four.
Yes, add another defensive powerhouse to Curry's list of victims. A week after shredding Gonzaga's and Georgetown's vaunted defenses, the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry dismantled the Badgers and defensive specialist Michael Flowers.
Curry outscored the Badgers by himself in the second half, 22-20.
"It's hard for a defense to sustain themselves for a whole 40 minutes. Eventually, you'll find yourself open," said Curry, who finished with 33 points on 11-for-22 shooting, including six threes. "It's just being patient and sticking to the system that we have at Davidson."
Wisconsin (31-5) was holding opponents to 53.9 points, best in the nation.
Davidson looked right at home inside the monstrous Ford Field venue. The school's Board of Trustees provided free bus fare, tickets and a hotel room for students who wanted to make the 11-hour ride from North Carolina, and a few hundred took them up on the offer.
The Wildcats shot 49 percent, including 12-for-24 from three-point range.
Jason Richards added 11 points and 13 assists for Davidson.
This is the farthest Davidson has advanced since Lefty Driesell's squad reached the regional finals in 1969, when the Wildcats lost to North Carolina.
"Words can't describe it, but at the same time, we believe in ourselves and what we can do," said Andrew Lovedale, who scored 12 points. "We are happy, but not totally content."
Flowers led the Badgers with 12 points. Brian Butch and Jason Bohannon added 11 each.
Curry continues roll with 33 points as Wildcats topple Wisconsin
From Wire Reports
March 29, 2008
DETROIT - Stephen Curry knocked down yet another three, thumped his chest and pointed skyward.
Heavens yes, Davidson is marching on.
Curry scored more than 30 points for a third straight game, and the 10th-seeded Wildcats pulled off another stunner last night, rolling over No. 3 seed Wisconsin, 73-56, to advance to the Midwest Regional final.
Davidson (29-6) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 25 and will play Kansas tomorrow for a trip to the Final Four.
Yes, add another defensive powerhouse to Curry's list of victims. A week after shredding Gonzaga's and Georgetown's vaunted defenses, the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry dismantled the Badgers and defensive specialist Michael Flowers.
Curry outscored the Badgers by himself in the second half, 22-20.
"It's hard for a defense to sustain themselves for a whole 40 minutes. Eventually, you'll find yourself open," said Curry, who finished with 33 points on 11-for-22 shooting, including six threes. "It's just being patient and sticking to the system that we have at Davidson."
Wisconsin (31-5) was holding opponents to 53.9 points, best in the nation.
Davidson looked right at home inside the monstrous Ford Field venue. The school's Board of Trustees provided free bus fare, tickets and a hotel room for students who wanted to make the 11-hour ride from North Carolina, and a few hundred took them up on the offer.
The Wildcats shot 49 percent, including 12-for-24 from three-point range.
Jason Richards added 11 points and 13 assists for Davidson.
This is the farthest Davidson has advanced since Lefty Driesell's squad reached the regional finals in 1969, when the Wildcats lost to North Carolina.
"Words can't describe it, but at the same time, we believe in ourselves and what we can do," said Andrew Lovedale, who scored 12 points. "We are happy, but not totally content."
Flowers led the Badgers with 12 points. Brian Butch and Jason Bohannon added 11 each.
From Cleveland.com
Stephen Curry and LeBron James: A final take
Posted by Doug Lesmerises
March 29, 2008
When Stephen Curry showed up at his Detroit hotel Thursday night, the Witness T-shirts were already there. When the seven busloads of Davidson students arrived in Detroit on Friday evening, the Witness T-shirts were waiting for them, too.
"That's pretty cool, to have a shirt like that made for the Wildcats," Curry said.
When the Davidson students arrived at Ford Field on Friday for Davidson's Midwest Regional semifinal with Wisconsin, the LeBron James rumors were already hot. Maybe they would witness him witnessing them. He bought a ticket from the assistant women's soccer coach ... he'll be at the game ... in a Witness T-shirt ... rooting for Davidson.
"He's a smart man," said Davidson senior Ashley Cramer.
"He knows who to root for," said her friend, fellow senior Harper Addison.
With the Cavs in town for a game with the Pistons on Saturday night, James did make the game, though his seats right behind press row were likely not provided by a soccer coach.
His presence was noted by an appearance on the Ford Field scoreboard. The Detroit fans booed. Curry saw him on the board while at the foul line. James had already singled Curry out for praise earlier in the week.
"He's a very, very, very, very, very good basketball player," James said. "I don't know if he's coming out (in the draft) this year. When he does, he has a spot."
Asked courtside why he was there, James said, "I'm here to watch the kid."
"I don't know what his schedule is like, to make an NCAA game," Curry said after scoring 33 points in Davidson's 73-56 win. Many of the questions he was asked after the victory were about James showing up. "I know he's greatness."
James saw greatness too, moved enough to rise from his seat several times after Curry plays.
"Steph can do it all," Davidson point guard Jason Richards said. "That's just how Steph Curry plays. He's done it all for us all year."
He's just the fourth player in NCAA history to score at least 30 points in his first four NCAA Tournament games. Smiling, happy, confident, Curry is a good winner.
"It's not surprising to win these games," Curry said. "This is just the confidence that we had."
Curry had no idea James was coming, wasn't sure which team he was rooting for. He's finally told what James said, that he was there to watch him.
"It's pretty cool," Curry said. "That also ties into the fact that he's here to watch us. Actually, I don't like to tie into that because I don't play for anybody in the stands. I play for God and my family, so anybody in the stands is cool. I hope I can entertain them, but when it comes down to it, I don't say I'm going to go out there and say I'm going to play for Lebron. But still, it's very cool that he was here."
Posted by Doug Lesmerises
March 29, 2008
When Stephen Curry showed up at his Detroit hotel Thursday night, the Witness T-shirts were already there. When the seven busloads of Davidson students arrived in Detroit on Friday evening, the Witness T-shirts were waiting for them, too.
"That's pretty cool, to have a shirt like that made for the Wildcats," Curry said.When the Davidson students arrived at Ford Field on Friday for Davidson's Midwest Regional semifinal with Wisconsin, the LeBron James rumors were already hot. Maybe they would witness him witnessing them. He bought a ticket from the assistant women's soccer coach ... he'll be at the game ... in a Witness T-shirt ... rooting for Davidson.
"He's a smart man," said Davidson senior Ashley Cramer.
"He knows who to root for," said her friend, fellow senior Harper Addison.
With the Cavs in town for a game with the Pistons on Saturday night, James did make the game, though his seats right behind press row were likely not provided by a soccer coach.
His presence was noted by an appearance on the Ford Field scoreboard. The Detroit fans booed. Curry saw him on the board while at the foul line. James had already singled Curry out for praise earlier in the week."He's a very, very, very, very, very good basketball player," James said. "I don't know if he's coming out (in the draft) this year. When he does, he has a spot."
Asked courtside why he was there, James said, "I'm here to watch the kid."
"I don't know what his schedule is like, to make an NCAA game," Curry said after scoring 33 points in Davidson's 73-56 win. Many of the questions he was asked after the victory were about James showing up. "I know he's greatness."
James saw greatness too, moved enough to rise from his seat several times after Curry plays.
"Steph can do it all," Davidson point guard Jason Richards said. "That's just how Steph Curry plays. He's done it all for us all year."
He's just the fourth player in NCAA history to score at least 30 points in his first four NCAA Tournament games. Smiling, happy, confident, Curry is a good winner.
"It's not surprising to win these games," Curry said. "This is just the confidence that we had."
Curry had no idea James was coming, wasn't sure which team he was rooting for. He's finally told what James said, that he was there to watch him.
"It's pretty cool," Curry said. "That also ties into the fact that he's here to watch us. Actually, I don't like to tie into that because I don't play for anybody in the stands. I play for God and my family, so anybody in the stands is cool. I hope I can entertain them, but when it comes down to it, I don't say I'm going to go out there and say I'm going to play for Lebron. But still, it's very cool that he was here."
From Chicago Sun-Times
Curry on, oh mighty Davidson
Marksmanship of Dell's baby-faced boy turns Davidson into giant killers
March 29, 2008
BY JAY MARIOTTI Sun-Times Columnist
Marksmanship of Dell's baby-faced boy turns Davidson into giant killers
March 29, 2008
BY JAY MARIOTTI Sun-Times Columnist
DETROIT -- Am I hallucinating? Is this some sort of basketball Pleasantville coming to life in an 80,000-seat football dome? Can a private liberal-arts school from down Mayberry R.F.D. way, where all 1,700 students have their clothes cleaned for free at the Lula Bell Houston Laundry, actually advance to the almighty Elite Eight behind a puberty-faced shooter rooted on by a bling-covered LeBron James?``He's a very, very, very, very, very good basketball player," the Vogue cover guy said of Stephen Curry, who is making magazine covers himself. ``I don't know if he's coming out in the (NBA) draft this year. When he does, he has a spot.''
Close the eyes, open them. Slap the face, conk the forehead.
It's no fantasy.
Much of the world is a lie, with the b.s. quotient rising in my world and yours, but rest assured that Curry is no myth and Davidson no fleeting folly. How spectacular to see March Madness, diluted by sluggish television ratings and a certain big-program predictability, officially produce the story America can embrace. North Carolina and Memphis and UCLA probably will reach the Final Four as top-seeded behemoths, so wouldn't it be wonderful if Curry and the Wildcats, cheered on Friday evening by hundreds of students whose tickets, bus fare and rooms were funded by the school's Board of Trustees -- why couldn't I go to a college like that? -- joined them with one more crackling victory Sunday over Kansas?
``Rock chalk, Jayhawk!'' the comped Davidson kids chanted after the systematic, 73-56 dismantling of Wisconsin, a high-efficiency program not dismantled often. Maybe this is George Mason and one, in the hoops parlance. Maybe a prestigious school in the Carolina backwoods, which doesn't allow loans so students graduate without debt and trusts them enough to let them take tests without monitors -- why couldn't I go to a college like that? -- can reach the last weeekend in an era designed to minimize the small fry. Let's hope so, because the Davidson joy ride is fueling the senses like few others.
``The sense of intimacy that exists on our campus is unparalleled in NCAA Division I basketball," coach Bob McKillop said. ``You hear all about the free laundry. But when the Board of Trustees votes in a meeting to go into their personal pockets and put out the money so that every student can go to this game … that reaches a level that's unprecedented.
``I'm stunned by it. Thrilled by it."
So are we. And mostly, with a nod to Barrington product Jason Richards, we are thrilled by Curry, who shredded Bo Ryan's renowned defense with 33 more points and continues to rule the NCAA tournament with the flick of a supple wrist. It didn't matter that Wisconsin dogged him with Michael Flowers, who has quieted Michigan State's Drew Neitzel and most Big Ten shooters. It didn't matter than this Midwest Regional semifinal was played in Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, where the court was elevated about three feet above the benches and placed in the middle of the stadium, a configuration that could have caused depth-perception issues. Curry shot down the Badgers anyway, just as he eliminated Georgetown with 30 points and Gonzaga with 40.
Didn't he feel like he was in the middle of the ocean, with the Davidson fans about a city block away? Nah, he was just feeling it, as usual. ``Well, the rims here are very, very soft. They give great bounces for shooters like me,'' said Curry, who hit 6 of 11 from three-point range. ``The depth perception was tough to get adjusted to, but I think that's the value of practice (Thursday), just to get used to that and make that last in our memories overnight and come back and have confidence to shoot it.''
He makes it sound as easy as he makes it look, pumping his fist, thumping his chest and clapping in the direction of the fans. ``Michael did a pretty good job of chasing Curry. He had to make the shots. But he did make shots, some tough ones,'' said Ryan, marveling with the rest of us.
But the most triumphant moment came when Richards found Curry for a sweet reverse layup, which sent wild ripples of glee through the student section and even had James, in town for a game tonight against the Pistons, rising and applauding in his semi-courtside seat. ``It just shows what we're doing here at Davidson,'' Curry said of the global star. ``We got guys that are in the spotlight and they're coming to our games and watching us play. It's pretty cool to give him something to be happy about and cheer about and just entertain him. It's just really cool to have a guy like LeBron James, one of the best players in the NBA now, coming out and supporting Davidson. Well, I don't know if he's supporting Davidson.''
Oh, he's supporting Davidson, all right, perhaps living vicariously through Curry because James never played college basketball himself. Unlike LeBron, whose high-school games were televised by ESPN, Curry was shunned by coaches at the major programs even though he's the son of former NBA shooting whiz Dell Curry. If you think he has a boyish face now, you should have seen it four years ago when they recruited him as a high-school junior in North Carolina. His body was frail, and the look suggested mid-major. So, Curry selected Davidson and launched a quiet mission. When the Wildcats played the UNC Tar Heels earlier this season, he scored 24 points and put a scare into the marquee program. Said Carolina coach Roy Williams: ``He's a kid where -- University of North Carolina included -- we can say, `Hey, we missed that kid.''' Mike Krzyzewski said the same thing after Curry and Davidson played Duke tough. And how about Virginia Tech's Seth Greenberg, asking Curry to walk on and maybe give him a full-ride scholarship the next year?
Oops.
McKillop was overjoyed to have him. ``I stood up in front of this group of very engaged alums, a large number, and told them: `Wait till you see Steph Curry. He is something special,' '' he said. ``That is something now that I feel very, very good that I said, because I look like a prophet ... I was surprised some bigger schools weren't after him, but I also understood he did not have the body that most ACC and SEC programs are looking for. He did look a little frail. He did look very young for his age."
Now 6-3 and 180 pounds, Curry not only is the glowing face of the Madness but a first-round draft choice in the making. He proved last weekend that he isn't the least bit flustered. Now, he's talking like anything is possible. ``We like to come out and just battle with the big guys,'' he said. ``I mean, you can't be soft out there. You have to hit flesh, just compete 100 percent every play. It's a mission for us to get loose balls and control the boards. To do that, you have to be very physical, boxing out, sticking your body in the line of fire, putting it all out there. We aren't going to back down to anyone.''
Evidently.
From ESPN.com
Curry's sweet touch continues as Davidson eludes Wisconsin
DETROIT (AP) -- On the red trim at the bottom of his shoes, Stephen Curry has written in black marker, "I can do all things."
Yes, yes he can.
And because of him, Davidson is marching on.
Curry scored more than 30 points for a third straight game, and the 10th-seeded Wildcats pulled off another stunner Friday night, rolling over third-seeded Wisconsin 73-56 to advance to the finals of the Midwest Regional.
Little Davidson has gotten so big, even LeBron James is on the bandwagon, snagging a seat a few rows behind the Wildcats bench.
"It just shows what we're doing here at Davidson," Curry said. "We got guys that are in the spotlight and they're coming to our game and watching us play. It's pretty cool to give him something to be happy about and cheer about and just entertain him."
Curry, the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, outscored the Badgers all by himself in the second half, 22-20. He finished with 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including six 3-pointers.
Add in his 30-point effort against Maryland in last year's NCAA tournament, and Curry joins Clyde Lovellette of Kansas, Jerry Chambers of Utah and Glenn Robinson of Purdue as the only players to go over 30 in their first four career NCAA tournament games.
"In the NBA, I never experienced this as a player. I don't think even in all my playoff games in my career that I've felt like this," said Dell Curry, who was getting congratulatory high-fives at the end of the game. "To see your son succeed and have fun on a national stage is great."
Davidson (29-6) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 25. The Wildcats will try to make it 26 Sunday, when they play the winner of the Villanova-Kansas game for a trip to the Final Four.
This marked the second time in three tournaments that a double-digit seed got this far. In 2006, 11th-seeded George Mason reached the Final Four. It's the furthest Davidson has gotten since 1969, when Lefty Driesell's squad got to the East Regionals before losing to North Carolina.
"Words can't describe it, but at the same time, we believe in ourselves and what we can do," Andrew Lovedale said. "We are happy, but not totally content."
When the final buzzer sounded, the Davidson fans bounced up and down and a few chanted, "Rock, chalk, Jayhawk!" in reference to top-seeded Kansas. This is exactly what Davidson's happy band of travelers was hoping when it boarded all those buses. The Board of Trustees paid the way -- bus fare, tickets and a hotel room -- for students who wanted to make the 11-hour ride from North Carolina, and a few hundred took them up on the offer.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, calmly shook hands as if they expected to be here all along. And why not, when they have someone as sensational as Curry.
"Does it surprise anyone now what he does?" asked Max Paulhus Gosselin, not bothering to wait for an answer. "Once Steph gets open and has a look, he can't be stopped."
The nation got an idea of what Curry can do last weekend, when he scored 30 against Gonzaga and erupted for 40 -- 30 in the second half alone -- against Georgetown.
But big, brawny Wisconsin (31-5) was supposed to be different. Badgers defensive specialist Michael Flowers has made many a perimeter player ineffective, and Wisconsin was holding opponents to 53.9 points, best in the nation. Their 3-point defense was even stingier; in the second round last weekend, Kansas State didn't manage a single bucket from long range.
Instead of being intimidated by the big stage -- not to mention the monstrous Ford Field venue -- Curry and Davidson played with such ease and attitude they may as well have been in their cozy little gym back home. The Wildcats shot 49 percent from the floor, and were 12-of-24 from 3-point range. Jason Richards had 11 points and 13 assists, and Lovedale added 12 points.
"Michael did a pretty good job of chasing Curry and trying to force some things," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "He made some tough shots. But so did some of the other guys. I thought they got a lot of contributions when they needed them. And that's how you get to keep playing in the NCAA tournament."
Flowers led the Badgers with 12 and three others finished in double figures, but the Badgers never found their rhythm offensively. nd the defense that was so fearsome all year never materialized. Wisconsin prides itself on making opponents work the shot clock down in search of a decent -- heck, any -- shot. But time and again, Wisconsin would score only to have Davidson race down the court and make a basket of its own a mere seconds later.
"I felt like we were always in it," said Brian Butch said. "I felt like we needed to make some plays and we didn't make any plays."
Curry, on the other hand, did.
Marcus Landry's jumper pulled the Badgers within 48-45 with 13:48 to play. That's when Curry took over.
He made a 3, and Jason Richards stole the ball on the other end. Racing upcourt, Richards found Curry camped in the corner all by himself and dished off. Joe Krabbenhoft -- a member of the Big Ten's all-defensive team -- sprinted toward Curry and jumped, hoping to block the shot.
But Curry calmly waited until Krabbenhoft flew by him and then, with that silky smooth shot that's becoming a signature of this year's tournament, made another 3 to put Davidson up 54-45 with 13:03 to play.
As his teammates cheered, Curry thumped his chest and pointed skyward. The basket gave him 23 points -- twice as many as anybody else on the court -- and was his fifth 3-pointer of the night.
"It's hard for a defense to sustain themselves for a whole 40 minutes. Eventually, you'll find yourself open," Curry said. "It's just being patient and sticking to the system that we have at Davidson."
He wasn't done yet, either.
Davidson had run the shot clock almost all the way down, looking for something. Curry finally took an off-balance shot from NBA 3-point range, falling as he released the ball. No matter. It was good, just like almost everything else he did Friday night.
And a minute later, he scored on a sweet inside reverse, drawing a foul and the admiration of everybody in the arena, including James. The Cleveland Cavaliers star had praised Curry earlier this week and, on the eve of a game against the Detroit Pistons, decided to get a better look.
Curry didn't disappoint him. Or anybody else.
"He continues to amaze me," Lovedale said.
DETROIT (AP) -- On the red trim at the bottom of his shoes, Stephen Curry has written in black marker, "I can do all things."
Yes, yes he can.And because of him, Davidson is marching on.
Curry scored more than 30 points for a third straight game, and the 10th-seeded Wildcats pulled off another stunner Friday night, rolling over third-seeded Wisconsin 73-56 to advance to the finals of the Midwest Regional.
Little Davidson has gotten so big, even LeBron James is on the bandwagon, snagging a seat a few rows behind the Wildcats bench.
"It just shows what we're doing here at Davidson," Curry said. "We got guys that are in the spotlight and they're coming to our game and watching us play. It's pretty cool to give him something to be happy about and cheer about and just entertain him."
Curry, the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, outscored the Badgers all by himself in the second half, 22-20. He finished with 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including six 3-pointers.
Add in his 30-point effort against Maryland in last year's NCAA tournament, and Curry joins Clyde Lovellette of Kansas, Jerry Chambers of Utah and Glenn Robinson of Purdue as the only players to go over 30 in their first four career NCAA tournament games.
"In the NBA, I never experienced this as a player. I don't think even in all my playoff games in my career that I've felt like this," said Dell Curry, who was getting congratulatory high-fives at the end of the game. "To see your son succeed and have fun on a national stage is great."
Davidson (29-6) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 25. The Wildcats will try to make it 26 Sunday, when they play the winner of the Villanova-Kansas game for a trip to the Final Four.
This marked the second time in three tournaments that a double-digit seed got this far. In 2006, 11th-seeded George Mason reached the Final Four. It's the furthest Davidson has gotten since 1969, when Lefty Driesell's squad got to the East Regionals before losing to North Carolina.
"Words can't describe it, but at the same time, we believe in ourselves and what we can do," Andrew Lovedale said. "We are happy, but not totally content."
When the final buzzer sounded, the Davidson fans bounced up and down and a few chanted, "Rock, chalk, Jayhawk!" in reference to top-seeded Kansas. This is exactly what Davidson's happy band of travelers was hoping when it boarded all those buses. The Board of Trustees paid the way -- bus fare, tickets and a hotel room -- for students who wanted to make the 11-hour ride from North Carolina, and a few hundred took them up on the offer.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, calmly shook hands as if they expected to be here all along. And why not, when they have someone as sensational as Curry.
"Does it surprise anyone now what he does?" asked Max Paulhus Gosselin, not bothering to wait for an answer. "Once Steph gets open and has a look, he can't be stopped."
The nation got an idea of what Curry can do last weekend, when he scored 30 against Gonzaga and erupted for 40 -- 30 in the second half alone -- against Georgetown.
But big, brawny Wisconsin (31-5) was supposed to be different. Badgers defensive specialist Michael Flowers has made many a perimeter player ineffective, and Wisconsin was holding opponents to 53.9 points, best in the nation. Their 3-point defense was even stingier; in the second round last weekend, Kansas State didn't manage a single bucket from long range.
Instead of being intimidated by the big stage -- not to mention the monstrous Ford Field venue -- Curry and Davidson played with such ease and attitude they may as well have been in their cozy little gym back home. The Wildcats shot 49 percent from the floor, and were 12-of-24 from 3-point range. Jason Richards had 11 points and 13 assists, and Lovedale added 12 points.
"Michael did a pretty good job of chasing Curry and trying to force some things," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "He made some tough shots. But so did some of the other guys. I thought they got a lot of contributions when they needed them. And that's how you get to keep playing in the NCAA tournament."
Flowers led the Badgers with 12 and three others finished in double figures, but the Badgers never found their rhythm offensively. nd the defense that was so fearsome all year never materialized. Wisconsin prides itself on making opponents work the shot clock down in search of a decent -- heck, any -- shot. But time and again, Wisconsin would score only to have Davidson race down the court and make a basket of its own a mere seconds later.
"I felt like we were always in it," said Brian Butch said. "I felt like we needed to make some plays and we didn't make any plays."
Curry, on the other hand, did.
Marcus Landry's jumper pulled the Badgers within 48-45 with 13:48 to play. That's when Curry took over.
He made a 3, and Jason Richards stole the ball on the other end. Racing upcourt, Richards found Curry camped in the corner all by himself and dished off. Joe Krabbenhoft -- a member of the Big Ten's all-defensive team -- sprinted toward Curry and jumped, hoping to block the shot.
But Curry calmly waited until Krabbenhoft flew by him and then, with that silky smooth shot that's becoming a signature of this year's tournament, made another 3 to put Davidson up 54-45 with 13:03 to play.
As his teammates cheered, Curry thumped his chest and pointed skyward. The basket gave him 23 points -- twice as many as anybody else on the court -- and was his fifth 3-pointer of the night.
"It's hard for a defense to sustain themselves for a whole 40 minutes. Eventually, you'll find yourself open," Curry said. "It's just being patient and sticking to the system that we have at Davidson."
He wasn't done yet, either.
Davidson had run the shot clock almost all the way down, looking for something. Curry finally took an off-balance shot from NBA 3-point range, falling as he released the ball. No matter. It was good, just like almost everything else he did Friday night.
And a minute later, he scored on a sweet inside reverse, drawing a foul and the admiration of everybody in the arena, including James. The Cleveland Cavaliers star had praised Curry earlier this week and, on the eve of a game against the Detroit Pistons, decided to get a better look.
Curry didn't disappoint him. Or anybody else.
"He continues to amaze me," Lovedale said.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Everything Old is New Again
Bob McKillop has this cover on the wall somewhere in his office. For years he has told people that reaching the heights of the Lefty Era was possible. Guess what.....Bob was right. Davidson is now back in the Elite Eight, and they have gotten there by beating the #24, #8 & #5 ranked teams in the nation. What a team, what a coach, what a night!!
Ford Field, a/k/a Belk Arena North
Here's how things are looking in Detriot:
The floor at Ford Field is elevated. Some of you may not know this, but the floor at Belk is actually elevated, too. Coincidence? I think not.
The floor at Ford Field is elevated. Some of you may not know this, but the floor at Belk is actually elevated, too. Coincidence? I think not.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Transcript of today's press conference
NCAA MEN'S REGIONALS SEMIFINALS & FINALS: DETROITMarch 27, 2008
Stephen Curry
Bob McKillop
Jason Richards
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
THE MODERATOR: We would like to start the press conference with an opening statement by Coach McKillop.
COACH McKILLOP: We are honored to be here, to be part of this great event. It is one of the most compelling, competitive sporting events in the world. To be a part of it, at this point a significant part of it, what a joy for us and for our program.
Having the opportunity to represent our college, our community, our alums, our fans, our families, our former players, makes it so special because we know they share in this event with us, as they've demonstrated week after week and month after month.
THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for the student-athletes.
Q. Stephen, talk about the influence your mother has on you. Everyone is well-aware of the father influence. Your mother told you to finish strong at the end of the game. Did you hear that? Discuss that influence.
STEPHEN CURRY: In high school, she was always at every game I played. Even growing up before that. She's the most vocal in our family during games. She's the one I hear.
She has some background herself in basketball, too. I think my dad has a little more expertise, but she can throw in some pointers here and there.
I did listen to her. She's fired up every game. I kind of feed off her sometimes when I'm playing.
Q. You have played some outstanding defensive teams, UCLA, Georgetown. How do you rank Wisconsin compared to some of the better defensive teams you have faced?
STEPHEN CURRY: On film, they look very solid. Very physical, big guys down low. Flowers is quick on the outside. I think he'll be very aggressive tomorrow. I think overall defensively, they're just a great team. They compare well to Georgetown, so we've seen a defensive caliber like that. We'll be ready for it.
Q. Bob talked early in the week about not really believing in the Cinderella cliché because of the schedule you had this year. Your thoughts? Do you consider yourselves Cinderellas at all?
JASON RICHARDS: No, we don't. Like coach said earlier, we played some of the best teams in the country early on in the season. A lot of people doubted us for scheduling because we lost. Obviously it's paying off.
We really don't want that title of Cinderella. We're just a good basketball team making a run in the NCAA tournament.
STEPHEN CURRY: Same thing (laughter).
Q. Talk about how important for your point guard, how important he is getting you into offense and making things go.
STEPHEN CURRY: He has the ball in his hand the most. He's very good at getting us into our spots and not starting the play before we're all ready. He also does a great job of finding people when they're open.
In the college game, you're only open for a split second. He delivers the ball well. In the shooting pocket, gets you ready to shoot the ball. Even when things are going wrong, he's our leader on the floor and can keep us in games with penetration or making plays himself.
So that's a great weapon to have, if you have a scoring point guard, one who can lead and distribute the ball the way he does, so...
Q. Playing here at Ford Field, with your practice, was there any adjustment, what the sidelines are like? Your impressions?
STEPHEN CURRY: It's a very unique facility. I've never played on a court where the benches are below the court level. Just the amount of seats that there are out there, it's gonna be crazy with the amount of people that can fit in here.
Depth perception with the rims, on the field, it's kind of hard to adjust to. But that's what this practice is for, just to get us used to the arena and the atmosphere.
I'm actually looking forward to playing here tomorrow. I've never played in this kind of arena before. It should be fun.
Q. Jason, what was it like shooting in this environment? How do you compare it to your home gym?
JASON RICHARDS: Well, I think it's 12, 13 times bigger than what we have at Davidson (smiling). It's a lot of fun here. Practice, guys have adjusted to the depth perception, having the sidelines below the basket. That's what it's for. We had fun today. Very good practice. We shot well.
It should be a unique and different experience. We're gonna have a lot of fun with it.
Q. Can you give me a summary what it's been like since you left Raleigh, got back to Davidson? How overwhelming, emotional? Was there one moment that stood out where somebody stopped you on the street, anything?
STEPHEN CURRY: It's been one of the greatest weeks of my life, I think. When we got back, we had a greeting party when we got back on the bus. There was about 400 fans out there waiting on us when we got back. That was actually kind of cool. None of the students were there when we got back. So that's people from the community. Davidson is really small. So it was a surprise to see that many people.
Then we had a big send-off yesterday before we got on our plane coming up here at school. So people are supporting us. We've seen that. They've shown that all week. Hopefully we'll have a big turnout of Davidson fans tomorrow to be behind us. Like this week has just been crazy for us.
JASON RICHARDS: Yeah, a couple of examples. Thomas Sander got stopped at a gas station and got a standing ovation when he was pumping gas the other day. I was walking to class the other day, one of the maintenance guys gave me a ride in his little cart up the hill. Felt kind of special. Something that doesn't happen on a daily basis.
Q. Jason, describe your role with this team.
JASON RICHARDS: Coach calls me the quarterback on the team. He has tremendous confidence in me. That's something I love in coach. My role is to kind of get the guys in their spots, set guys up, run the offense. Like Steph said before, not run before everyone is set. Mostly it's to get the ball to Steph. He makes a lot of shots, so it's easy.
I try to be a vocal guy on the court, calm guys down, just try to be a team leader. That's my role.
Q. Your dad played with the Milwaukee Bucks at the end of his career. Did you live in Wisconsin? Do you have any memories of that? The fact you played Georgetown last weekend, does that give you an advantage?
STEPHEN CURRY: We actually lived in Charlotte that year. That was the year he left after the Hornets after 10 years, so we stayed there. I came up one -- maybe one week throughout the whole year. I'm not really familiar with Milwaukee.
I wouldn't say an advantage, but it's a help to have experienced that and play the same kind of system defensively from game to game. We can maybe apply the things that worked last week on Sunday to Friday's game. That's something that's going to help us.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, players. We'll continue with questions for Coach McKillop.
Q. The bus loads of students that are coming up on Davidson's dime, maybe that speaks to what Davidson is about.
COACH McKILLOP: The sense of intimacy that exists on our campus is unparalleled in NCAA Division I basketball. You hear all about the free laundry. But when the Board of Trustees votes in a meeting on Thursday to go into their personal pockets and put out the money so that every student can go to this game with a free bus ride, free hotel room, and free game ticket, that reaches a level that's unprecedented.
I'm stunned by it, thrilled by it. I just hope that we have a great relationship between the academic arena and the athletic arena. You always concern yourself when you cross that border. I think we have a sensitive enough faculty, that they will understand that this is a very unique opportunity. If there are missed classes, Davidson students generally are accountable and responsible. They will handle their responsibilities in the right way.
Q. You faced a lot of different defenses this year. What makes Wisconsin so difficult to face or maybe so unique? What kind of a challenge do they bring?
COACH McKILLOP: As they are systemic offensively, they also are systemic defensively. Their back court, either one of their back court players, can be a defensive stopper. Their front court players understand their roles and also understand their athletic talents.
They play long. They play physical. They play quick. But I think the most important and significant aspect of their defense is they play like a team. If you beat one of them, which doesn't happen often, you're then gonna have to face someone else because they really react to each other very well with alertness and readiness off the ball.
Q. You said you were numb in Raleigh. When did you get the feeling back and have a chance to really absorb what had happened? Has there been a moment or two thinking back on it?
COACH McKILLOP: I don't know that I could ever imagine the feeling that this would generate on our campus, in our community, and within me personally. I am at ease now in my life. I have never been more at ease, more comfortable, more grounded than where I am right now.
I think it's a response to the pursuit of something and seeing it happening right in front of your eyes, knowing the investment and realizing how many people were part of this investment, and now are sharing in this investment.
Q. I notice the court is a little different setup than you're used to. The coach can either stand directly in front of the bench at a lower level or high up on the floor. Which will you do and are you worried about tipping over or having problems in that area?
COACH McKILLOP: I'm usually active and engaged. I tried to do a dress rehearsal out there prior to our practice to find out what was most comfortable for me. I'm delighted that CBS has two-and-a-half minute timeouts because it's going to take me that long to get down from the court, down the steps, and kneel in front of our bench. So I'll probably be up on the main court during the game.
I appreciate the question about the size of the arena. I hope you all understood, Jason Richards made the comment 12 or 13 times bigger, instead of saying hundreds or a thousand times bigger. He was right on the money. That tells you the Davidson intellect (smiling).
Q. Can you talk about Michael Flowers and the matchup with Stephen?
COACH McKILLOP: Jeremiah Rivers is a sensational defender. There was a team of defenders from Georgetown accompanying Jeremiah Rivers and the defensive staff. Steph has faced Marcus Ginyard, who is one of the great defenders in the country. He faced Westbrook from UCLA, one of the best defenders in the country. There are some unsung names that played for a variety of teams in the Southern Conference. Michael Flowers could have been or should have been Big-10 defensive Player of the Year, top two or three defenders in the country. Steph has a very big challenge in front of him. Our team has a big challenge in front of them. What Michael Flowers has is a great team of defenders accompanying him in their defensive game plan.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach.
COACH McKILLOP: Thank you.
A sign that Davidson has hit "the big time"
I went to the gas station today with my Davidson car flag flying. I pulled up next to a 20+ year-old Cutlass. There was some guy in the car that had a poorly kept beard and was speaking in a very country accent. He said, "Davidson....you guys really put it on those boys this weekend!" I turned, somewhat astonished, and started talking with the guy. He asked me where exactly Davidson is, and I told him. We ended up talking for a few minutes, and we ended by exchanging a high five and agreeing that he had to pull for the Wildcats to pull out a win on Friday night.
Pulling into that gas station, I never would have expected that conversation to take place. We've now got one more Davidson fan in Greenville, SC, and that's awesome.
After that encounter today, I realized how far and wide this team's accomplishments are reaching. Pretty cool stuff.
[Click here to read more stories from DavidsonCats.com like this that illustrate the effect our team is having on the country.]
Pulling into that gas station, I never would have expected that conversation to take place. We've now got one more Davidson fan in Greenville, SC, and that's awesome.
After that encounter today, I realized how far and wide this team's accomplishments are reaching. Pretty cool stuff.
[Click here to read more stories from DavidsonCats.com like this that illustrate the effect our team is having on the country.]
From Chattanooga Times Free Press
Davidson enjoying life in the Sweet 16
By: Mark Wiedmer
DAVIDSON, N.C. — They lined up along Faculty Drive late Wednesday afternoon, four and five deep, quite possibly more folks than Davidson College’s 1,700 total students.
In a few minutes, a bus carrying the Wildcats basketball team would pass by on its way to the Charlotte airport. The Cats would then board a plane for Detroit, site of Friday night’s NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal against Wisconsin.
But first they needed a parade, led by the team’s furry mascot and passing by Davidson head coach Bob McKillop’s white frame house, the one decorated with a white bed sheet proclaiming, “Congats, Cats.”
“This is such as small community, everybody knows everybody else,” said Leonard McRee. “Davidson in the Sweet 16. It’s fantastic.”
They have become the most fantastic story in the NCAA Tournament. CBS and ESPN have all but claimed squatter’s rights on the pristine grounds of the quaint campus ever since Wildcats sophomore guard Stephen Curry scored 25 second-half points to jolt Georgetown 74-70 last Sunday.
“We were supposed to be at the beach this week,” said McRee. “But when Davidson won and we heard about the parade, we thought we needed to come back for this.”
To better understand the power of community in Davidson, McRee didn’t even graduate from the college founded by the Presbyterians in 1837.
“I went to N.C. State,” he said. “By the way, State is the last team to beat Davidson this season.”
That was on Dec. 21. The Wildcats have won 24 straight games since then to reach their first regional semifinal since 1969. Those Cats were coached by Lefty Driesell and fell to North Carolina in that year’s East Regional final.
“I’ve not been a big fan of Charlie Scott ever since,” said Leland Park, referring to the UNC guard who hit the winning basket that day for the Tar Heels. “I don’t remember much other than that. I think my mind blocked it out. It was too painful.”
Park first came to Davidson in the fall of 1959 after graduating that spring from McCallie School, where he had been a two-year boarder from Orlando, Fla. He graduated in 1963, then soon began a career in Davidson’s library. He was its director for more than 30 years.
“Something like this serves to bring people together,” said Park. “It’s exciting. When they made the comeback against Georgetown, my eyes got on stems. I couldn’t believe it.”
The Davidson student body couldn’t believe the e-mail it received from the administration Wednesday morning. Thanks to private gifts from several trustees, the school was offering to pay round-trip bus fare, a hotel room and a ticket for any student who wished to make the trip. More than 800 had responded by the end of the day.
“Hopefully, more than 90 percent of the campus will be in Detroit by Friday night,” said Curry. “It’s been kind of crazy, seeing all the papers, watching everything on ESPN. But we’ve still got to focus on Wisconsin. We don’t want this to end just yet.”
Choosing words those students might echo by the end of the week, McKillop said, “It’s just been amazing to wake up each morning and realize this is not a dream.”
By: Mark Wiedmer
DAVIDSON, N.C. — They lined up along Faculty Drive late Wednesday afternoon, four and five deep, quite possibly more folks than Davidson College’s 1,700 total students.In a few minutes, a bus carrying the Wildcats basketball team would pass by on its way to the Charlotte airport. The Cats would then board a plane for Detroit, site of Friday night’s NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal against Wisconsin.
But first they needed a parade, led by the team’s furry mascot and passing by Davidson head coach Bob McKillop’s white frame house, the one decorated with a white bed sheet proclaiming, “Congats, Cats.”
“This is such as small community, everybody knows everybody else,” said Leonard McRee. “Davidson in the Sweet 16. It’s fantastic.”
They have become the most fantastic story in the NCAA Tournament. CBS and ESPN have all but claimed squatter’s rights on the pristine grounds of the quaint campus ever since Wildcats sophomore guard Stephen Curry scored 25 second-half points to jolt Georgetown 74-70 last Sunday.
“We were supposed to be at the beach this week,” said McRee. “But when Davidson won and we heard about the parade, we thought we needed to come back for this.”
To better understand the power of community in Davidson, McRee didn’t even graduate from the college founded by the Presbyterians in 1837.
“I went to N.C. State,” he said. “By the way, State is the last team to beat Davidson this season.”
That was on Dec. 21. The Wildcats have won 24 straight games since then to reach their first regional semifinal since 1969. Those Cats were coached by Lefty Driesell and fell to North Carolina in that year’s East Regional final.
“I’ve not been a big fan of Charlie Scott ever since,” said Leland Park, referring to the UNC guard who hit the winning basket that day for the Tar Heels. “I don’t remember much other than that. I think my mind blocked it out. It was too painful.”
Park first came to Davidson in the fall of 1959 after graduating that spring from McCallie School, where he had been a two-year boarder from Orlando, Fla. He graduated in 1963, then soon began a career in Davidson’s library. He was its director for more than 30 years.
“Something like this serves to bring people together,” said Park. “It’s exciting. When they made the comeback against Georgetown, my eyes got on stems. I couldn’t believe it.”
The Davidson student body couldn’t believe the e-mail it received from the administration Wednesday morning. Thanks to private gifts from several trustees, the school was offering to pay round-trip bus fare, a hotel room and a ticket for any student who wished to make the trip. More than 800 had responded by the end of the day.
“Hopefully, more than 90 percent of the campus will be in Detroit by Friday night,” said Curry. “It’s been kind of crazy, seeing all the papers, watching everything on ESPN. But we’ve still got to focus on Wisconsin. We don’t want this to end just yet.”
Choosing words those students might echo by the end of the week, McKillop said, “It’s just been amazing to wake up each morning and realize this is not a dream.”
Ohio alums supporting the Cats
Former players cheer on ’Cats Two ex-Boardman stars are following Davidson in the NCAA tournament.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
Thursday, March 27, 2008
When the Davidson basketball team takes the court against Wisconsin Friday at Detroit’s Ford Field, two Boardman High graduates who played for the tiny North Carolina college will be in the stands cheering.
Greg Dunn (class of 1971) and Jay Powell (’72) played for the Wildcats after stellar careers with the Spartans.
Dunn, an attorney, and Powell, a principal in the Upper Arlington schools, live in the Columbus area and are anxious to make the three-hour trip to Michigan.
“Win or lose, it’s fun to be Cinderella,” said Dunn of No. 10-seeded Davidson, which upset Gonzaga and Georgetown to earn the Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA tournament. “It’s really been something.”
Powell isn’t surprised.
“They lost to North Carolina by four and had UCLA down by 17 at UCLA [earlier this season],” Powell said. “Those games told me this team can compete.”
Because of their Davidson backgrounds, both say they’ve been inundated with calls this week.
Dunn said he’s having fun telling friends that he chose Davidson of the Southern Conference over Duke of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“Davidson back then was good,” said Dunn who helped the Spartans win three straight Steel Valley Conference titles. “When I was being recruited, Davidson was better [than Duke].”
Davidson, N.C., is located about 20 miles north of Charlotte.
“Davidson was like Mayberry,” Dunn said. “Socially and culturally, things were a lot different.
“There were three stoplights in town and they went to blinkers at 9 p.m.,” Dunn said. “We had to drive 17 miles to a McDonald’s. Pizzas were terrible.”
But the people were anything but, Powell said.
“It’s a small Southern school,” Powell said. “The first week, you were constantly greeted on campus by everyone that you would pass. Everyone said. ‘Hey.’
“In the Mahoning Valley, if someone says ‘Hey,’ they want your attention. That took some getting used to.
“Southern hospitality is genuine. The pace of life is slower, people are very, very friendly and accommodating. It was a great place to go to school.”
The former Spartans excelled in the classroom and on the court.
Dunn is one of 26 Davidson players to surpass 1,000 points in his collegiate career, scoring 1,245. Powell scored 982 points.
Dunn said his Wildcats twice came to within a game of qualifying for the NCAA tournament, which then took just 24 teams instead of today’s 65.
“Back then, you had to win the league tournament to get in,” said Dunn, adding that Davidson twice lost to Furman in the championship game. “I really wanted to play in the NCAA tournament. That’s one reason for my choice — Davidson had an easier route to the NCAAs.”
Getting tickets for Friday’s game was neither impossible nor simple. Powell said tickets were made available to Davidson students, alumni and donors.
Dunn said when he called he was asked, “Who was the college president in 1975?”
Fortunately, he remembered Sam Spencer.
Neither will be experiencing the NCAA tournament as a fan for the first time.
Dunn said when he was being recruited, Rice took him to the Houston Astrodome when John Wooden’s UCLA team played Villanova.
Powell attended NCAA tournament games in Cleveland in 2000 and Columbus last year.
Greg Dunn (class of 1971) and Jay Powell (’72) played for the Wildcats after stellar careers with the Spartans.
Dunn, an attorney, and Powell, a principal in the Upper Arlington schools, live in the Columbus area and are anxious to make the three-hour trip to Michigan.
“Win or lose, it’s fun to be Cinderella,” said Dunn of No. 10-seeded Davidson, which upset Gonzaga and Georgetown to earn the Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA tournament. “It’s really been something.”
Powell isn’t surprised.
“They lost to North Carolina by four and had UCLA down by 17 at UCLA [earlier this season],” Powell said. “Those games told me this team can compete.”
Because of their Davidson backgrounds, both say they’ve been inundated with calls this week.
Dunn said he’s having fun telling friends that he chose Davidson of the Southern Conference over Duke of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“Davidson back then was good,” said Dunn who helped the Spartans win three straight Steel Valley Conference titles. “When I was being recruited, Davidson was better [than Duke].”
Davidson, N.C., is located about 20 miles north of Charlotte.
“Davidson was like Mayberry,” Dunn said. “Socially and culturally, things were a lot different.
“There were three stoplights in town and they went to blinkers at 9 p.m.,” Dunn said. “We had to drive 17 miles to a McDonald’s. Pizzas were terrible.”
But the people were anything but, Powell said.
“It’s a small Southern school,” Powell said. “The first week, you were constantly greeted on campus by everyone that you would pass. Everyone said. ‘Hey.’
“In the Mahoning Valley, if someone says ‘Hey,’ they want your attention. That took some getting used to.
“Southern hospitality is genuine. The pace of life is slower, people are very, very friendly and accommodating. It was a great place to go to school.”
The former Spartans excelled in the classroom and on the court.
Dunn is one of 26 Davidson players to surpass 1,000 points in his collegiate career, scoring 1,245. Powell scored 982 points.
Dunn said his Wildcats twice came to within a game of qualifying for the NCAA tournament, which then took just 24 teams instead of today’s 65.
“Back then, you had to win the league tournament to get in,” said Dunn, adding that Davidson twice lost to Furman in the championship game. “I really wanted to play in the NCAA tournament. That’s one reason for my choice — Davidson had an easier route to the NCAAs.”
Getting tickets for Friday’s game was neither impossible nor simple. Powell said tickets were made available to Davidson students, alumni and donors.
Dunn said when he called he was asked, “Who was the college president in 1975?”
Fortunately, he remembered Sam Spencer.
Neither will be experiencing the NCAA tournament as a fan for the first time.
Dunn said when he was being recruited, Rice took him to the Houston Astrodome when John Wooden’s UCLA team played Villanova.
Powell attended NCAA tournament games in Cleveland in 2000 and Columbus last year.
From Maine
Davidson's Sweet 16 rosters features Falmouth alumnus Tuesday, March 25, 2008
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — There'll be a Maine connection when the upstart Davidson Wildcats take on Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA national basketball tournament.
Davidson sophomore Bryant Barr was playing for Falmouth High School two years ago. This Friday he'll be playing before millions of TV viewers and more than 70,000 spectators at Detroit's Ford Field.
For the season, the 6-foot-4 Barr averaged about 5 points and one rebound per game. Barr is Falmouth High School's all-time leading scorer. He averaged 25 points a game his senior season.
From Chicago Tribune
Barrington product Jason Richards gives Davidson a lift
By Shannon Ryan Tribune reporter
By Shannon Ryan Tribune reporter
With less than a minute to go in one of the NCAA tournament's most entertaining and endearing upsets this season, Jason Richards' lip biting could not stifle the smile that was spreading across his face.Davidson's senior point guard, a Barrington High School grad, could not help but smile as zeros registered on the game clock in Raleigh's RBC Center, confirming that little Davidson had taken down mighty Georgetown in the second round. This was already a dream.
"People never thought we'd come this far," Richards said.
Richards has been the one unloosening his teammates' ties—telling them to laugh, staring at them until they do, inventing corny handshakes—through 10th-seeded Davidson's improbable journey to the Sweet 16, where the Wildcats face No. 3-seed Wisconsin on Friday.
"If you don't stay loose, it's not going to help anything," Richards said.
This is Davidson's first trip out of the first round since 1969, when it reached the Sweet 16 with Charles "Lefty" Driesell as its coach.
Richards' mix of diligence and delight has had as much to do with that trip as his nation-leading 271 assists.
Averaging eight assists and 12.9 points per game, Richards is the express deliverer to hot-shot guard Stephen Curry, who has scored 70 points in tournament games against No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 2 Georgetown after averaging 25 per game in the regular season.
Richards "is a quarterback," Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. "He finds the time to get everyone set, everyone in their place. He has the ability to put the ball in the right player's hands at the right time."
If Richards' point guard IQ was not at the hardwood level of Mensa, it would be as surprising as if Einstein's children couldn't add.
Tom Richards, Jason's father, was a starting point guard at Pittsburgh and played on the 1974 Elite Eight team that lost to North Carolina State in Raleigh, the same place where his son beat Georgetown 74-70.
Tom met his wife, Mary Beth, on a basketball court, and she was a forward for the Panthers in the late 1970s.
Their daughter Lindsay was a McDonald's All-American point guard and played at Iowa before suffering knee injuries.
"It's in the bloodlines," Jason said.
The Richards family moved from Pittsburgh to Chicago when Jason was in 4th grade. Beyond genetics, their social circle includes John Calipari, who went to high school in Moon, Pa., with Tom and coaches No. 1-seed Memphis, and Sean Miller, coach of No. 3 Xavier, a former Pitt point guard whom Jason watched play as a youngster.
Both coaches sent congratulatory text messages to the family.
Bloodlines aside, it wasn't like Richards inherited Cindy Crawford's looks or Donald Trump's money, though.
As a freshman at Barrington, he was barely 5 feet 6 inches and weighed about 120 pounds. Yet he was determined to make the varsity squad.
"It was very rare not see Jason working hard," Lindsay said.
He broke 12 records at Barrington and looked at Ivy League teams before jumping when Davidson offered a scholarship.
Still, opposing fans harassed him until he had a growth spurt late in high school and shot up to his current 6-2.
"They'd yell, 'Where's your mommy? When's bed time?' " Tom Richards recalled.
He remembered a tournament in Jason's freshman season when he hit two quick three-pointers in a matter of minutes to quiet the taunts.
"I thought, 'That's a pretty good response,' " Tom Richards said.
Toughness was bred early in Jason.
When he was a 3rd grader, his dad drove him into Pittsburgh to play against 8th graders.
Jason and Lindsay were part of Tom's shooting clinics at local high schools. The siblings charted daily progress in their notebooks and on chalkboards.
Those tablets became a source of competition as much as their one-on-one games at the family's Barrington court.
At times, Tom had to take the ball away.
"It got pretty physical," Jason said. "Hey, we're brother and sister."
They also were each other's biggest cheerleader. Now Jason seems to have a nation full of fans pulling for Davidson, which has won 24 straight games.
"Maybe," he said, "we'll bring the old Hoosiers theme back."
From Winston-Salem Journal
Cinderella? No. Davidson hasn't just materialized
By Lenox Rawlings
JOURNAL COLUMNIST
Maybe somewhere on a Lake Norman dock, a little girl stares at NASCAR wannabes in speedboats and dreams of a horse-drawn carriage fit for a princess.
Maybe somewhere within spitting distance of ice floes on the Detroit River, a little girl stares at the stars and dreams of Cinderella.
That’s fine with the Davidson Wildcats, those well-prepared students from six countries who have become America’s overnight basketball sensations. Call them unselfish. Call them undaunted. Call them unreal.
Just don’t call them Cinderella.
The first time Stephen Curry heard the misapplied label last week, he frowned and glanced down. He’s too polite to throw a cliché back in a cliché vendor’s face, but Curry reflexively shook his head.
“If that’s what they say,” he replied, a hint of exasperation hanging on the soft last syllable. “We know we can play with anybody.”
Around since 1908
They can, and they have. They hassled North Carolina, Duke and UCLA before the unbeaten run through the Southern Conference, and they opened the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 23. In the first two rounds, Davidson rallied from 11 down against No. 24 Gonzaga and from 17 down against No. 8 Georgetown.
The Wildcats fulfill the romantic tournament stereotype: bright-eyed achievers who didn’t fit the physical templates of big-time union shops and headed to an ivy-draped campus of 1,700 students, where they mastered a precise coach’s intricate system and learned, through trial and painful error, that genuine teams must trust their stuff no matter how dark the hour.
Unlike most one-night wonders, Davidson earned basketball credentials long ago. The Wildcats played their first games in 1908-09, three years before famous alumnus and one-year wonder Woodrow Wilson (he transferred to Princeton) was elected president.
Davidson joined the Southern Conference in 1936, when the Big Four schools and three other future ACC members belonged to the 16-team league. Nothing much happened until Davidson hired Duke grad Lefty Driesell, who recruited All-Americas Fred Hetzel and Dick Snyder.
The Wildcats became a force during Driesell’s third season, 1962-63, and two seasons later opened the schedule as Sports Illustrated’s No. 1 team. They lost the second game, at St. Joseph’s, but reeled off 23 consecutive wins, many in the raucous confines of tiny Johnston Gym, which had almost as many windowpanes as seats (2,500). West Virginia shattered everything in the conference semifinals, however.
Hetzel (and his career scoring average of 25.7) graduated, but the Wildcats survived West Virginia in 1966 and made the NCAA field, losing in the East semifinals to Syracuse. A second Driesell recruiting surge attracted Mike Maloy and other inside stalwarts. The team marched into the East title game in 1967-68 and 1968-69, but Carolina slammed the door both times.
With the score tied and time evaporating in 1969, Charlie Scott controlled the ball at Maryland’s Cole Field House. Scott, who had committed verbally to Driesell and then dumped him for Dean Smith, dribbled inside the foul circle, rose high above the defender and swished an 18-foot jumper. Driesell never coached another Davidson game, joining the ACC and vowing to make Maryland “the UCLA of the East.”
Along came McKillop
Davidson had glorious moments under former player Terry Holland, who soon left for Virginia, and the late Bobby Hussey, but the school receded into the crowded background until Bob McKillop galloped into town in 1989. McKillop, a New Yorker who had played for East Carolina and Hofstra, built a five-time state prep champion at Long Island Lutheran.
With the McKillop foundation firm, Davidson reached the NCAA Tournament in 1998, losing to Michigan, and 2002, losing by five points to Ohio State. In 1996 and 2005, the Wildcats roared through the league undefeated but slipped in the league tournament.
In 2006, they took a four-point halftime lead over second-seeded Ohio State before falling 70-62. Last March, they jumped eight points ahead of fourth-seeded Maryland early in the second half but unraveled 82-70.
This team won its 24th consecutive game Sunday. It succeeded where others didn’t partly through the maturity of shared experience, partly because of extraordinary backcourt talents Curry and Jason Richards. Sophomore Curry averaged 25.1 points a game before scoring 40 against Gonzaga and 30 against Georgetown, a defensive lion that had held opponents to the nation’s lowest shooting percentage.
As reporters and TV networks swarm around Curry like the Georgetown defense, he disarms everyone with a quick flick of the verbal wrist. He emphasizes that Richards saved the team in two crucial first halves, that Richards is the team leader, that other teammates screened defenders and sacrificed their egos so he could shoot. When Curry appeared on the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption Monday, he concluded the interview by holding a mug shot of Richards in front of his face and playfully acting out the role of an overlooked star.
Senior Thomas Sander, a 6-8 expert at setting those picks and defending taller post players, has run out of admiring adjectives for Curry.
“I’m speechless about the kid,” Sander said. “There’s no more else you can say. He’s such a great kid. He deserves all the success he’s had. He puts us in positions to win the game, and everybody wants the ball in his hands at the end of the game.”
Curry, Richards can ignite
Point guard Richards, a senior from outside Chicago, led Division I in assists and led the Wildcats through the force of his upbeat personality. Sander calls Richards a unique character who will do anything to make tense teammates laugh.
Richards’ philosophy: “Have fun. Smile at them. You can’t be stressed in a situation like this - big arena, big-time games, big comebacks. You’ve got to stay loose. If you don’t stay loose, you’ll tighten up and play not to lose.”
Although more tightly wound, McKillop subscribes to the theory. But then, he subscribes to quite a few theories developed over many contemplative years.
“This is a very, very special group in that they’re accustomed to winning, and when you’re accustomed to winning, it’s a fire that rages,” he said. “Steph is a torch on one end. Jason Richards is the torch on the other end. It’s interesting that when you’ve got a torch and that fire burns, it also keeps that torch burning. So your two catalysts, their torches are constantly being replenished by the fire that they established.”
Davidson will need those torches this weekend. Wisconsin and Kansas have lots of fire extinguishers, and large horses.
By Lenox Rawlings
JOURNAL COLUMNIST
Maybe somewhere on a Lake Norman dock, a little girl stares at NASCAR wannabes in speedboats and dreams of a horse-drawn carriage fit for a princess.Maybe somewhere within spitting distance of ice floes on the Detroit River, a little girl stares at the stars and dreams of Cinderella.
That’s fine with the Davidson Wildcats, those well-prepared students from six countries who have become America’s overnight basketball sensations. Call them unselfish. Call them undaunted. Call them unreal.
Just don’t call them Cinderella.
The first time Stephen Curry heard the misapplied label last week, he frowned and glanced down. He’s too polite to throw a cliché back in a cliché vendor’s face, but Curry reflexively shook his head.
“If that’s what they say,” he replied, a hint of exasperation hanging on the soft last syllable. “We know we can play with anybody.”
Around since 1908
They can, and they have. They hassled North Carolina, Duke and UCLA before the unbeaten run through the Southern Conference, and they opened the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 23. In the first two rounds, Davidson rallied from 11 down against No. 24 Gonzaga and from 17 down against No. 8 Georgetown.
The Wildcats fulfill the romantic tournament stereotype: bright-eyed achievers who didn’t fit the physical templates of big-time union shops and headed to an ivy-draped campus of 1,700 students, where they mastered a precise coach’s intricate system and learned, through trial and painful error, that genuine teams must trust their stuff no matter how dark the hour.
Unlike most one-night wonders, Davidson earned basketball credentials long ago. The Wildcats played their first games in 1908-09, three years before famous alumnus and one-year wonder Woodrow Wilson (he transferred to Princeton) was elected president.
Davidson joined the Southern Conference in 1936, when the Big Four schools and three other future ACC members belonged to the 16-team league. Nothing much happened until Davidson hired Duke grad Lefty Driesell, who recruited All-Americas Fred Hetzel and Dick Snyder.
The Wildcats became a force during Driesell’s third season, 1962-63, and two seasons later opened the schedule as Sports Illustrated’s No. 1 team. They lost the second game, at St. Joseph’s, but reeled off 23 consecutive wins, many in the raucous confines of tiny Johnston Gym, which had almost as many windowpanes as seats (2,500). West Virginia shattered everything in the conference semifinals, however.
Hetzel (and his career scoring average of 25.7) graduated, but the Wildcats survived West Virginia in 1966 and made the NCAA field, losing in the East semifinals to Syracuse. A second Driesell recruiting surge attracted Mike Maloy and other inside stalwarts. The team marched into the East title game in 1967-68 and 1968-69, but Carolina slammed the door both times.
With the score tied and time evaporating in 1969, Charlie Scott controlled the ball at Maryland’s Cole Field House. Scott, who had committed verbally to Driesell and then dumped him for Dean Smith, dribbled inside the foul circle, rose high above the defender and swished an 18-foot jumper. Driesell never coached another Davidson game, joining the ACC and vowing to make Maryland “the UCLA of the East.”
Along came McKillop
Davidson had glorious moments under former player Terry Holland, who soon left for Virginia, and the late Bobby Hussey, but the school receded into the crowded background until Bob McKillop galloped into town in 1989. McKillop, a New Yorker who had played for East Carolina and Hofstra, built a five-time state prep champion at Long Island Lutheran.
With the McKillop foundation firm, Davidson reached the NCAA Tournament in 1998, losing to Michigan, and 2002, losing by five points to Ohio State. In 1996 and 2005, the Wildcats roared through the league undefeated but slipped in the league tournament.
In 2006, they took a four-point halftime lead over second-seeded Ohio State before falling 70-62. Last March, they jumped eight points ahead of fourth-seeded Maryland early in the second half but unraveled 82-70.
This team won its 24th consecutive game Sunday. It succeeded where others didn’t partly through the maturity of shared experience, partly because of extraordinary backcourt talents Curry and Jason Richards. Sophomore Curry averaged 25.1 points a game before scoring 40 against Gonzaga and 30 against Georgetown, a defensive lion that had held opponents to the nation’s lowest shooting percentage.
As reporters and TV networks swarm around Curry like the Georgetown defense, he disarms everyone with a quick flick of the verbal wrist. He emphasizes that Richards saved the team in two crucial first halves, that Richards is the team leader, that other teammates screened defenders and sacrificed their egos so he could shoot. When Curry appeared on the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption Monday, he concluded the interview by holding a mug shot of Richards in front of his face and playfully acting out the role of an overlooked star.
Senior Thomas Sander, a 6-8 expert at setting those picks and defending taller post players, has run out of admiring adjectives for Curry.
“I’m speechless about the kid,” Sander said. “There’s no more else you can say. He’s such a great kid. He deserves all the success he’s had. He puts us in positions to win the game, and everybody wants the ball in his hands at the end of the game.”
Curry, Richards can ignite
Point guard Richards, a senior from outside Chicago, led Division I in assists and led the Wildcats through the force of his upbeat personality. Sander calls Richards a unique character who will do anything to make tense teammates laugh.
Richards’ philosophy: “Have fun. Smile at them. You can’t be stressed in a situation like this - big arena, big-time games, big comebacks. You’ve got to stay loose. If you don’t stay loose, you’ll tighten up and play not to lose.”
Although more tightly wound, McKillop subscribes to the theory. But then, he subscribes to quite a few theories developed over many contemplative years.
“This is a very, very special group in that they’re accustomed to winning, and when you’re accustomed to winning, it’s a fire that rages,” he said. “Steph is a torch on one end. Jason Richards is the torch on the other end. It’s interesting that when you’ve got a torch and that fire burns, it also keeps that torch burning. So your two catalysts, their torches are constantly being replenished by the fire that they established.”
Davidson will need those torches this weekend. Wisconsin and Kansas have lots of fire extinguishers, and large horses.
From Madison, Wisconsin: The Capital Times
From coaches on down, Badgers, Davidson mirror each other
Rob Schultz — 3/26/2008 6:14 am
It must be an East Coast thing.
Ask Bo Ryan a question about Chester, Pa., and 30 minutes later he'll finish an answer full of colorful soliloquies about growing up in the blue-collar Philadelphia suburb. You get the same thing from Bob McKillop, but his answers are about growing up in New York City.
For instance, take a look at comments made Tuesday by McKillop, the coach of 10th-seeded Davidson (28-6) that will play Ryan's third-seeded University of Wisconsin men's basketball team (31-4) in a NCAA tournament Midwest Regional Sweet 16 game Friday night. You'll swear Ryan said them.
"I'm a park guy. I grew up in the parks and the playgrounds. And when you go to the park and you go to the playground, if you don't win, you have to get off the court and sit for 30 minutes or an hour or an hour-and-a-half," said McKillop, who has been at Davidson for 19 years and is the program's winningest coach. "So you develop this mentality that you want to stay on the court. It's a stay-on mentality. You go to the parks where the action is."
It's no surprise that the two former playground rats have similar vocabularies, not to mention winning resumes as coaches.
Ryan's favorite word has always been "next." It was a part of his life on the Philly playgrounds -- Who's next? Or what team is next? -- and remains a part of his life as the UW coach. McKillop's favorite words are "Where is the action?" They came from the New York playgrounds and remain a part of his life.
"Action was a simple term to indicate where the great players were, where the best games were, where the best players were," McKillop explained. "You could go to a park -- be it Riis Park, or Rockaway Park or Prospect Park or whatever park you could go to, and maybe 2-3 courts, you would go to the court and stay where the great action was. And if you lost, you didn't go to the other court and start playing a pickup game at the other court. That was sort of like sacrilegious. You went where the action was.
"I think our program has tried to do that. We have gone where the action is. And we have tried to develop a 'stay on' mentality," said McKillop, who added that is why Davidson scheduled games with UCLA, Duke, North Carolina and Gonzaga this season.
"I think that's been so beneficial for us as we've gotten to this step in our process," he said. "With that, the roots I had growing up in New York were some of the greatest roots any kid could have. Can you imagine us growing up in the '50s in New York with the Giants and Yankees and Dodgers? My goodness, gracious. Snider, Mantle, Mays? Ain't no better time in a childhood than to have that."
Give Ryan a moment and it's a good bet he'll better it with tales of the Eagles, Phillies and Sixers.
Sharing the prize
It shouldn't surprise anyone that Ryan and McKillop share similar coaching strategies, too. Both stress teamwork and keep in touch with all the athletes of past teams who won the same old-fashioned way.
They've also won with extraordinary athletes.
Ryan's Wisconsin team won 30 games last year with first-team All-American Alando Tucker, who is now part of the Phoenix Suns organization. Davidson is winning this year with sophomore guard Stephen Curry, the Southern Conference player of the year and second-team All-American who scored 70 points in the Wildcats' two NCAA tournament wins last weekend. Both fit in because they are team players.
"Steph Curry is a magnificent basketball player and deserving of all the accolades that have come his way. And he has handled it as humbly, and with the great poise, of a true champion. But Steph understands, and our team understands, that basketball is a team game," McKillop said.
"If we wanted to be individuals, we'd go play golf or tennis. We understand that five people together make it a team operation. And when five people are working to do their job, someone is going to be rewarded. And our players are willing to understand that Steph is getting a lot of the rewards, but in the process of Steph getting a lot of rewards, the banner that's going to hang in the rafters of being an NCAA tournament team is a banner that's owned by every guy on the team."
More mirrors
The teams are also similar statistically, which McKillop pointed out as he expressed his views on what it will take for his team to upset the Badgers Friday night.
"We have to be able to score. We have to be able to rebound. And we have to be able to defend. And I don't think it's any magic; we're not reinventing the wheel here. They've only lost four times this year, so there's no recipe out there that I can look to and say, 'Geez, these are ingredients for beating Wisconsin,' " he said.
"They're an outstanding defensive team; the numbers clearly demonstrate that. They are a superb rebounding team, they shoot a very good percentage. Their foul shooting is superb. And you look at their assist-to-turnover ratio."
McKillop concluded that the Wildcats, to a degree, mirror the Badgers.
"We shoot fouls very well; our field-goal percentage defense may not be at their level but our rebounding percentages are very similar to theirs and our assist-to-turnover percentage is very similar to theirs," he said. "But we've done it against Southern Conference opponents; they've done it against Big Ten opponents."
Rob Schultz — 3/26/2008 6:14 am
It must be an East Coast thing.
Ask Bo Ryan a question about Chester, Pa., and 30 minutes later he'll finish an answer full of colorful soliloquies about growing up in the blue-collar Philadelphia suburb. You get the same thing from Bob McKillop, but his answers are about growing up in New York City.
For instance, take a look at comments made Tuesday by McKillop, the coach of 10th-seeded Davidson (28-6) that will play Ryan's third-seeded University of Wisconsin men's basketball team (31-4) in a NCAA tournament Midwest Regional Sweet 16 game Friday night. You'll swear Ryan said them.
"I'm a park guy. I grew up in the parks and the playgrounds. And when you go to the park and you go to the playground, if you don't win, you have to get off the court and sit for 30 minutes or an hour or an hour-and-a-half," said McKillop, who has been at Davidson for 19 years and is the program's winningest coach. "So you develop this mentality that you want to stay on the court. It's a stay-on mentality. You go to the parks where the action is."
It's no surprise that the two former playground rats have similar vocabularies, not to mention winning resumes as coaches.
Ryan's favorite word has always been "next." It was a part of his life on the Philly playgrounds -- Who's next? Or what team is next? -- and remains a part of his life as the UW coach. McKillop's favorite words are "Where is the action?" They came from the New York playgrounds and remain a part of his life.
"Action was a simple term to indicate where the great players were, where the best games were, where the best players were," McKillop explained. "You could go to a park -- be it Riis Park, or Rockaway Park or Prospect Park or whatever park you could go to, and maybe 2-3 courts, you would go to the court and stay where the great action was. And if you lost, you didn't go to the other court and start playing a pickup game at the other court. That was sort of like sacrilegious. You went where the action was.
"I think our program has tried to do that. We have gone where the action is. And we have tried to develop a 'stay on' mentality," said McKillop, who added that is why Davidson scheduled games with UCLA, Duke, North Carolina and Gonzaga this season.
"I think that's been so beneficial for us as we've gotten to this step in our process," he said. "With that, the roots I had growing up in New York were some of the greatest roots any kid could have. Can you imagine us growing up in the '50s in New York with the Giants and Yankees and Dodgers? My goodness, gracious. Snider, Mantle, Mays? Ain't no better time in a childhood than to have that."
Give Ryan a moment and it's a good bet he'll better it with tales of the Eagles, Phillies and Sixers.
Sharing the prize
It shouldn't surprise anyone that Ryan and McKillop share similar coaching strategies, too. Both stress teamwork and keep in touch with all the athletes of past teams who won the same old-fashioned way.
They've also won with extraordinary athletes.
Ryan's Wisconsin team won 30 games last year with first-team All-American Alando Tucker, who is now part of the Phoenix Suns organization. Davidson is winning this year with sophomore guard Stephen Curry, the Southern Conference player of the year and second-team All-American who scored 70 points in the Wildcats' two NCAA tournament wins last weekend. Both fit in because they are team players.
"Steph Curry is a magnificent basketball player and deserving of all the accolades that have come his way. And he has handled it as humbly, and with the great poise, of a true champion. But Steph understands, and our team understands, that basketball is a team game," McKillop said.
"If we wanted to be individuals, we'd go play golf or tennis. We understand that five people together make it a team operation. And when five people are working to do their job, someone is going to be rewarded. And our players are willing to understand that Steph is getting a lot of the rewards, but in the process of Steph getting a lot of rewards, the banner that's going to hang in the rafters of being an NCAA tournament team is a banner that's owned by every guy on the team."
More mirrors
The teams are also similar statistically, which McKillop pointed out as he expressed his views on what it will take for his team to upset the Badgers Friday night.
"We have to be able to score. We have to be able to rebound. And we have to be able to defend. And I don't think it's any magic; we're not reinventing the wheel here. They've only lost four times this year, so there's no recipe out there that I can look to and say, 'Geez, these are ingredients for beating Wisconsin,' " he said.
"They're an outstanding defensive team; the numbers clearly demonstrate that. They are a superb rebounding team, they shoot a very good percentage. Their foul shooting is superb. And you look at their assist-to-turnover ratio."
McKillop concluded that the Wildcats, to a degree, mirror the Badgers.
"We shoot fouls very well; our field-goal percentage defense may not be at their level but our rebounding percentages are very similar to theirs and our assist-to-turnover percentage is very similar to theirs," he said. "But we've done it against Southern Conference opponents; they've done it against Big Ten opponents."
From Chicago Tribune
Coach's tenacity drives Davidson
By Shannon Ryan Tribune reporter
March 26, 2008
As a basketball player from Queens, Bob McKillop developed the tenacity required to stay on a court long after he should have been knocked off.
"I'm a park guy," the Davidson coach said. "If you don't win, you sit for 30 minutes. You develop a stay-on mentality."
Davidson has adopted its coach's New York-bred doggedness, refusing to leave the NCAA tournament early.
The 10th-seeded Wildcats already upset No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 2 Georgetown in the opening rounds and will face No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the Midwest regional at Detroit on Friday. It's their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1969, when Lefty Driesell was their coach.
The meeting pits two former high school coaches who have worked up the coaching ladder, although McKillop said Wisconsin's Bo Ryan is at least a rung higher on the pay scale.
McKillop arrived at Davidson 19 years ago after an apprenticeship at Long Island's Holy Trinity High, where he coached former North Carolina player Matt Doherty, and Long Island Lutheran, where he coached former Bulls center Bill Wennington to a state title.
McKillop considered it a quick stop on the way to greatness.
But his first three seasons there, Davidson went 4-24, 10-19 and 11-17.
"I believed I could wave my magic wand of X's and O's and blend in love and discipline and then move on to the Big East," he said.
Then he started incorporating former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz's mantra of "care, commitment and trust."
"I got it," McKillop said.
Some say he hasn't changed much.
"He taught me to work hard and that I could work harder," Wennington said. "He made me realize I was a lot stronger than I thought."
McKillop has interviewed for jobs elsewhere a few times, such as an opening at St. John's, but said he is committed to Davidson.
He has led the Wildcats to four straight 20-win seasons and three straight NCAA tournaments. There's no doubt this is the best one, though.
"We're immersed in this right now," McKillop said. "I have an incredibly disciplined group of guys."
By Shannon Ryan Tribune reporter
March 26, 2008
As a basketball player from Queens, Bob McKillop developed the tenacity required to stay on a court long after he should have been knocked off."I'm a park guy," the Davidson coach said. "If you don't win, you sit for 30 minutes. You develop a stay-on mentality."
Davidson has adopted its coach's New York-bred doggedness, refusing to leave the NCAA tournament early.
The 10th-seeded Wildcats already upset No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 2 Georgetown in the opening rounds and will face No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the Midwest regional at Detroit on Friday. It's their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1969, when Lefty Driesell was their coach.
The meeting pits two former high school coaches who have worked up the coaching ladder, although McKillop said Wisconsin's Bo Ryan is at least a rung higher on the pay scale.
McKillop arrived at Davidson 19 years ago after an apprenticeship at Long Island's Holy Trinity High, where he coached former North Carolina player Matt Doherty, and Long Island Lutheran, where he coached former Bulls center Bill Wennington to a state title.
McKillop considered it a quick stop on the way to greatness.
But his first three seasons there, Davidson went 4-24, 10-19 and 11-17.
"I believed I could wave my magic wand of X's and O's and blend in love and discipline and then move on to the Big East," he said.
Then he started incorporating former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz's mantra of "care, commitment and trust."
"I got it," McKillop said.
Some say he hasn't changed much.
"He taught me to work hard and that I could work harder," Wennington said. "He made me realize I was a lot stronger than I thought."
McKillop has interviewed for jobs elsewhere a few times, such as an opening at St. John's, but said he is committed to Davidson.
He has led the Wildcats to four straight 20-win seasons and three straight NCAA tournaments. There's no doubt this is the best one, though.
"We're immersed in this right now," McKillop said. "I have an incredibly disciplined group of guys."
Don't call me "Cinderella"
Never mind the glass slipper
28-win team doesn't need Cinderella 'clichés'
Vince Ellis, McClatchy Tribune Services
Published: Thursday, March 27, 2008
At first glace, Davidson College appears to be your typical NCAA tournament darling.
It's not very big -- the enrolment for the school located near Charlotte, N.C., is only about 1,700. It also plays in the Southern Conference, which is probably better known for football than basketball. (Appalachian State, which stunned Michigan last season, is a league member.)
But as the 10th-seeded Wildcats prepare to face third-seeded Wisconsin in a Sweet 16 game Friday in Detroit, Davidson coach Bob McKillop isn't exactly embracing the underdog role.
"I don't dwell on clichés like Cinderella," McKillop said.
"We are a basketball team that has won 28 games. As we have faced each challenge in the postseason, we have shown we have the ability to adjust."
He has a point.
Sophomore shooting guard Stephen Curry has been, without a doubt, the best player in the NCAA tournament. Curry averaged 35 points per game in the Wildcats' upsets of No. 7 seed Gonzaga and No. 2 seed Georgetown last weekend.
In both games, Davidson (28-6) had to overcome early deficits after it appeared Curry was bottled up. Then he scored 30 points in the second half against Gonzaga and 20 in the second half against Georgetown.
After getting off to a 4-6 start, which included tough losses to North Carolina, Duke and UCLA, the Wildcats have U.S. college basketball's longest winning streak at 24 games.
But the coach is quick to say his team is more than Curry.
"Step Curry is a magnificent player and deserves all the accolades that have come his way," McKillop said.
"But our team understands that it takes a team.
"If you want to be an individual, you should have gone and played golf and tennis.
"That [Sweet 16] banner is owned by everybody on the team. Whether you are on the scout team or you are a guy that delivers the ball, you are a part of the team."
Other standouts for Davidson are senior point guard Jason Richards, who is averaging eight assists per game, and 6-foot-8 junior forward Andrew Lovedale. Lovedale has become a threat inside and averaged 11.5 points and nine rebounds in the two NCAA tournament games.
Davidson played its first two tournament games in Raleigh, N.C. Now it's on to the Motor City, but McKillop said not to be surprised if you hear a lot of Davidson chants Friday night.
"We've been fortunate that wherever we have gone, we have travelled well," McKillop said. "Our fan base is an intricate part of who we are.
"It's a relationship that's not built because they can make jump shots. It's because of who they are."
-- Detroit Free Press
28-win team doesn't need Cinderella 'clichés'
Vince Ellis, McClatchy Tribune Services
Published: Thursday, March 27, 2008
At first glace, Davidson College appears to be your typical NCAA tournament darling.It's not very big -- the enrolment for the school located near Charlotte, N.C., is only about 1,700. It also plays in the Southern Conference, which is probably better known for football than basketball. (Appalachian State, which stunned Michigan last season, is a league member.)
But as the 10th-seeded Wildcats prepare to face third-seeded Wisconsin in a Sweet 16 game Friday in Detroit, Davidson coach Bob McKillop isn't exactly embracing the underdog role.
"I don't dwell on clichés like Cinderella," McKillop said.
"We are a basketball team that has won 28 games. As we have faced each challenge in the postseason, we have shown we have the ability to adjust."
He has a point.
Sophomore shooting guard Stephen Curry has been, without a doubt, the best player in the NCAA tournament. Curry averaged 35 points per game in the Wildcats' upsets of No. 7 seed Gonzaga and No. 2 seed Georgetown last weekend.
In both games, Davidson (28-6) had to overcome early deficits after it appeared Curry was bottled up. Then he scored 30 points in the second half against Gonzaga and 20 in the second half against Georgetown.
After getting off to a 4-6 start, which included tough losses to North Carolina, Duke and UCLA, the Wildcats have U.S. college basketball's longest winning streak at 24 games.
But the coach is quick to say his team is more than Curry.
"Step Curry is a magnificent player and deserves all the accolades that have come his way," McKillop said.
"But our team understands that it takes a team.
"If you want to be an individual, you should have gone and played golf and tennis.
"That [Sweet 16] banner is owned by everybody on the team. Whether you are on the scout team or you are a guy that delivers the ball, you are a part of the team."
Other standouts for Davidson are senior point guard Jason Richards, who is averaging eight assists per game, and 6-foot-8 junior forward Andrew Lovedale. Lovedale has become a threat inside and averaged 11.5 points and nine rebounds in the two NCAA tournament games.
Davidson played its first two tournament games in Raleigh, N.C. Now it's on to the Motor City, but McKillop said not to be surprised if you hear a lot of Davidson chants Friday night.
"We've been fortunate that wherever we have gone, we have travelled well," McKillop said. "Our fan base is an intricate part of who we are.
"It's a relationship that's not built because they can make jump shots. It's because of who they are."
-- Detroit Free Press
From ESPN.com
Davidson is providing transportation, lodging, tickets to game
Associated Press
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- One of Davidson College's famous perks is the free laundry service for students. Now the school is adding another freebie: watching the Wildcats play in the NCAA tournament's round of 16.
The school's board of trustees set up a fund Wednesday to pay for any student wishing to travel to Detroit to see Davidson play Wisconsin in the Midwest Regional semifinals. Students will get free bus transportation, two nights lodging and a ticket to Friday's game.
Behind sophomore sensation Stephen Curry, Davidson upset Gonzaga and Georgetown last week for the school's first NCAA tournament wins in 39 years.
While the drop-off laundry service and trip to Detroit are free, annual tuition at the exclusive, liberal-arts school is just under $41,000 a year.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Associated Press
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- One of Davidson College's famous perks is the free laundry service for students. Now the school is adding another freebie: watching the Wildcats play in the NCAA tournament's round of 16.
The school's board of trustees set up a fund Wednesday to pay for any student wishing to travel to Detroit to see Davidson play Wisconsin in the Midwest Regional semifinals. Students will get free bus transportation, two nights lodging and a ticket to Friday's game.
Behind sophomore sensation Stephen Curry, Davidson upset Gonzaga and Georgetown last week for the school's first NCAA tournament wins in 39 years.
While the drop-off laundry service and trip to Detroit are free, annual tuition at the exclusive, liberal-arts school is just under $41,000 a year.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Just got back from Davidson
I had an open schedule at the office today, so I drove up to Davidson today to join in the send-off for the team. I was not able to be in Raleigh, and I can't go to Detroit, but I still want to be a part of this as much as I can. Man, I am glad I went up there today. It was great.
I got there over an hour early, so that I could mill around campus. I got there, and - for no particular reason - parked on Concord Road in front of the McKillops' house (I think it's their house). There was the usual Davidson flag out front, and a big painted bedsheet laid over their shrubs in front with "Congrats Cats!" written on it. There were a few other banners/bedsheets hanging on campus with "Go Cats!" and other similar things on them.
No crowd had gathered yet, so I walked past the football field down to Baker. There is still a bulldog in the mouth of the Wildcat in front of Baker. If I'm not mistaken, it's been there for several days. I walked right
inside and was thrilled to find the team in the middle of practice. There were a few reporters and cameramen sitting in the red seats, waiting on practice to finish so they could interview some of the guys. Kevin Cary did talk to a number of 
players, too, but I digress.
I took a seat and enjoyed the heck out of watching the guys run through drills. Getting to see the guys on the floor of Baker for the last time before they head to play Wisconsin in the Sweet Sixteen was quite a privilege.
After they finished practice, I spoke to Steph, Thomas & Bryant and wished them all well. They seem loose. I also spoke at length with Matt Matheny, with whom I played football at Davidson. It's great that, despite the success of this season and the magnitude of the upcoming Sweet Sixteen game, the team practice was open and the guys were just as accessible as always.
I took a few photos, and here are a couple. One is the guys running a drill, and the other is the final team huddle on the floor of Baker before departing for the Sweet Sixteen.
I also got to the send-off gathering next to the football field and library. There were about 1,000 or so people there to wave at the bus as the team left campus for their flight to Detroit.
I got there over an hour early, so that I could mill around campus. I got there, and - for no particular reason - parked on Concord Road in front of the McKillops' house (I think it's their house). There was the usual Davidson flag out front, and a big painted bedsheet laid over their shrubs in front with "Congrats Cats!" written on it. There were a few other banners/bedsheets hanging on campus with "Go Cats!" and other similar things on them.No crowd had gathered yet, so I walked past the football field down to Baker. There is still a bulldog in the mouth of the Wildcat in front of Baker. If I'm not mistaken, it's been there for several days. I walked right
inside and was thrilled to find the team in the middle of practice. There were a few reporters and cameramen sitting in the red seats, waiting on practice to finish so they could interview some of the guys. Kevin Cary did talk to a number of 
players, too, but I digress.I took a seat and enjoyed the heck out of watching the guys run through drills. Getting to see the guys on the floor of Baker for the last time before they head to play Wisconsin in the Sweet Sixteen was quite a privilege.
After they finished practice, I spoke to Steph, Thomas & Bryant and wished them all well. They seem loose. I also spoke at length with Matt Matheny, with whom I played football at Davidson. It's great that, despite the success of this season and the magnitude of the upcoming Sweet Sixteen game, the team practice was open and the guys were just as accessible as always.
I took a few photos, and here are a couple. One is the guys running a drill, and the other is the final team huddle on the floor of Baker before departing for the Sweet Sixteen.
I also got to the send-off gathering next to the football field and library. There were about 1,000 or so people there to wave at the bus as the team left campus for their flight to Detroit. These are exciting times on campus.
Props from Chapel Hill
Shooting star of DavidsonBy: Sam Rosenthal, At-Large Columnist
North Carolina opened its 2007-2008 men's basketball season with a nonconference game against the Davidson Wildcats on Nov. 14.
That night the Southern Conference juggernaut, located near Charlotte and boasting a student body of about 1,700, gave the nation's top-ranked squad a tremendous scare.
The back-and-forth game stayed close throughout, and Davidson led for much of the second half before UNC eked out a 72-68 win.
After the game, one obnoxiously loud bar patron at Four Corners said to his buddies, "I told you North Carolina isn't that good - they almost lost to Davidson."
Biting my tongue hurts, so my words deliberately reached said bozo's ears: "Or maybe it just means that Davidson is that good."
Clearly, he missed Davidson's performance in the 2007 NCAA Tournament when freshman shooting guard Stephen Curry scored 30 points in a valiant loss to a solid Maryland Terrapins team.
Read on and eat crow, Bozo.
Last Friday, 10-seed Davidson upset seventh-seeded Gonzaga, 82-76. Stephen Curry, son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, dropped 40 points on the Bulldogs - 30 in the second half - and carried Davidson to its first NCAA Tournament victory in 39 years.
Sunday my dad took me to Raleigh for the second round of March Madness. We bought the tickets to watch the Tar Heels play the second game. We saved the stubs because we saw the Wildcats in the first one.
Davidson, an underdog playing in its home state, faced two-seed Georgetown, a powerhouse playing in front of Tar Heel fans who vividly remembered losing to the Hoyas in last year's Elite Eight.
"Pops," I said, "this is a road game for Georgetown."
But in the first half the underdog - Georgetown's small cheering section - made itself heard as the Hoyas held Curry to five points and entered halftime with a 38-27 lead.
Early in the second half Davidson trailed by as many as 17 points, and Georgetown's defenders shadowed Curry's every move.
The sophomore Wildcat's teammates stood around and waited for their savior to turn water into wine.
"Son," Papa Rose said, "Georgetown's defense looks too good."
Davidson's goose was cooked. Its curtains, closed. Its daisies, pushed up.
Then Curry walked on water - or at least the basketball equivalent.
Down the stretch, he found a lot more open space - and mesh netting. It seemed as though the rim told him, "Okay, Stephen, my lid is off now. Fire away."
He scored 25 second-half points, reminding me of LeBron James versus the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals.
As Curry ignited a la King James, so did the other Wildcats, who realized that - Eureka! - they can score, too. As a team, they turned a 17-point deficit into a five-point lead with 2:56 to play.
The fans also fed off Curry. One of my tournament brackets had Georgetown picked to make the Final Four, but my vocal chords wore themselves out for Davidson.
"It's hard not to get caught up rooting for them," Pops said.
The more you watched, the more you wanted - no, needed - Davidson to pull off the upset.
The seconds ticked by like snail steps, but the Wildcats never faltered. After they won, 74-70, their bench cleared, and they stormed center-court.
In the middle of the throng, a 20-year-old kid with a 15-year-old's face pranced around like a 10-year-old on a playground, and the RBC Center joined him for recess.
In person I've never seen a comparable individual performance. Basketball fans across the nation, especially in North Carolina, will remember it for years.
You know what, though? Maybe Bozo was right to slant UNC for almost losing to Davidson. Maybe Davidson and Stephen Curry aren't really all that good.
After all … they almost lost to Georgetown.
From Fort Wayne paper
Busted bracket? Time to cheer Davidson
By Ben Smith
My bracket rests in peace now, buried with full military honors in the backyard mud. A 21-turnover salute sent it off to eternity. The epitaph on the tombstone is a simple one: Here Lies Stupid.
I can’t believe I picked Pitt to make it to the Final Four. Stupid.
I can’t believe I picked Duke to get to the Elite Eight. Stupid.
I can’t believe I fell for all that Big East hype again . Stupid, stupid, stupid.
So now I’m a Davidson guy. I’m a Davidson guy because I just watched Dell Curry’s kid, Stephen, motor past five Georgetown defenders like they were traffic cones, and I want more.
I’m a Davidson guy because the place has only 1,700 students, and my high school was almost as big as that.
I’m a Davidson guy because once, long ago, novelist Pat Conroy was a point guard for The Citadel, and he played against Davidson, and then he wrote about it in “My Losing Season,” a hoops memoir that is wistful and anguished and triumphant all at once.
The Citadel lost to Davidson twice Conroy’s senior year. The guy who guarded him in both games, off and on, was from Fort Wayne.
“I can still see Moser’s tough, Indiana face …” Conroy wrote.
Moser being Dave Moser, the Mr. Basketball runner-up for By Hey at North Side in 1965 and later the MVP for Davidson teams that reached the regional final in 1968 and ’69. That was the last time, until now, that Davidson ever got past the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“Back then, it was a little different,” says Moser, who works in Charlotte and speaks with the soft drawl of a naturalized Carolinian. “You didn’t have to play as many games then. And quite frankly we were all playing for second against Kareem, or Lew Alcindor as he was known then.”
Moser recalls losing to Carolina by four in ’68, and returning in ’69 believing Davidson was the better team this time. But Charlie Scott made a jumper from downrange at the buzzer, and the Wildcats were done, 87-85.
“Just one of those things,” Moser recalls.
And now?
“Oh, it’s exciting,” he says. “A week or so ago, I wrote (Davidson coach) Bob McKillop a note saying I remember how exciting those times were for me, and to enjoy the moment. And they certainly are.”
So there’s another reason to be a Davidson guy.
The plain truth is that we adore teams like Davidson this time of year, because the Davidsons are what give March Madness its texture and heft. If Villanova or Western Kentucky or Davidson doesn’t make the Sweet Sixteen, how sweet is it, really? Can anyone with no real rooting interest really cheer for North Carolina, no matter how much you like Tyler Hansbrough’s game?
Of course not.
I’m a Davidson guy because it’s a de facto Ivy League school, and when was the last time an Ivy League school (besides Princeton) made noise in this thing?
I’m a Davidson guy because Lefty Driesell, one of my faves, was Dave Moser’s coach when he played there.
I’m a Davidson guy because it’s still called Davidson College . And because it’s a North Carolina school not named Duke. And, of course, because of Stephen Curry – who has become That Player, the Bryce Drew or Popeye Jones who always emerges from the shadows sometime in March.
If Curry can lead the Wildcats into the Final Four, that would be wondrous. It also would be one more blow to the rotting corpse that is my bracket. But, as the counselors say, part of the grieving process is learning when to move on.
So move, Davidson. Move.
By Ben Smith
My bracket rests in peace now, buried with full military honors in the backyard mud. A 21-turnover salute sent it off to eternity. The epitaph on the tombstone is a simple one: Here Lies Stupid.
I can’t believe I picked Pitt to make it to the Final Four. Stupid.
I can’t believe I picked Duke to get to the Elite Eight. Stupid.
I can’t believe I fell for all that Big East hype again . Stupid, stupid, stupid.
So now I’m a Davidson guy. I’m a Davidson guy because I just watched Dell Curry’s kid, Stephen, motor past five Georgetown defenders like they were traffic cones, and I want more.
I’m a Davidson guy because the place has only 1,700 students, and my high school was almost as big as that.
I’m a Davidson guy because once, long ago, novelist Pat Conroy was a point guard for The Citadel, and he played against Davidson, and then he wrote about it in “My Losing Season,” a hoops memoir that is wistful and anguished and triumphant all at once.
The Citadel lost to Davidson twice Conroy’s senior year. The guy who guarded him in both games, off and on, was from Fort Wayne.
“I can still see Moser’s tough, Indiana face …” Conroy wrote.
Moser being Dave Moser, the Mr. Basketball runner-up for By Hey at North Side in 1965 and later the MVP for Davidson teams that reached the regional final in 1968 and ’69. That was the last time, until now, that Davidson ever got past the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“Back then, it was a little different,” says Moser, who works in Charlotte and speaks with the soft drawl of a naturalized Carolinian. “You didn’t have to play as many games then. And quite frankly we were all playing for second against Kareem, or Lew Alcindor as he was known then.”
Moser recalls losing to Carolina by four in ’68, and returning in ’69 believing Davidson was the better team this time. But Charlie Scott made a jumper from downrange at the buzzer, and the Wildcats were done, 87-85.
“Just one of those things,” Moser recalls.
And now?
“Oh, it’s exciting,” he says. “A week or so ago, I wrote (Davidson coach) Bob McKillop a note saying I remember how exciting those times were for me, and to enjoy the moment. And they certainly are.”
So there’s another reason to be a Davidson guy.
The plain truth is that we adore teams like Davidson this time of year, because the Davidsons are what give March Madness its texture and heft. If Villanova or Western Kentucky or Davidson doesn’t make the Sweet Sixteen, how sweet is it, really? Can anyone with no real rooting interest really cheer for North Carolina, no matter how much you like Tyler Hansbrough’s game?
Of course not.
I’m a Davidson guy because it’s a de facto Ivy League school, and when was the last time an Ivy League school (besides Princeton) made noise in this thing?
I’m a Davidson guy because Lefty Driesell, one of my faves, was Dave Moser’s coach when he played there.
I’m a Davidson guy because it’s still called Davidson College . And because it’s a North Carolina school not named Duke. And, of course, because of Stephen Curry – who has become That Player, the Bryce Drew or Popeye Jones who always emerges from the shadows sometime in March.
If Curry can lead the Wildcats into the Final Four, that would be wondrous. It also would be one more blow to the rotting corpse that is my bracket. But, as the counselors say, part of the grieving process is learning when to move on.
So move, Davidson. Move.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Cats to depart for Sweet Sixteen on Wednesday
From the basektball office:
The Wildcats are headed to Detroit to face the Wisconsin Badgers in the Sweet Sixteen!!!
Join fellow students, faculty and staff as we gather to see the team off as they depart on Wednesday evening. The gathering will take place at Dogwood Dell (located between the library and Concord Road) beginning at 5:15 PM. We expect the team to leave at approximately 5:30. Break out your best Davidson gear and let's show the team (and the local media) our Davidson Pride!
The Wildcats are headed to Detroit to face the Wisconsin Badgers in the Sweet Sixteen!!!
Join fellow students, faculty and staff as we gather to see the team off as they depart on Wednesday evening. The gathering will take place at Dogwood Dell (located between the library and Concord Road) beginning at 5:15 PM. We expect the team to leave at approximately 5:30. Break out your best Davidson gear and let's show the team (and the local media) our Davidson Pride!
I put this together and posted it on this site before the season started. I thought it appropriate to bring it back now.Monday, March 24, 2008
From Duke Basketball Report
Davidson & The Other Fifteen by DBR, March 24th, 2008
We’ve been telling you guy for several years now that Davidson is a brilliantly coached team, that the only thing separating them from their so-called betters is talent. Bob McKillop has solved that problem as well, at least for the short term, with the recruitment of Stephen Curry (a player that the ACC, en masse, passed on by the way) and his backcourt mate Jason Richards, who give them a chance to beat anyone. They had UCLA down by 18 earlier this year, pushed Duke, UNC and State to the wire, and ran off 23 in a row after those losses.
People say they were shocked that Davidson beat Georgetown. They shouldn’t have been. We certainly weren’t. Davidson is a most worthy opponent, and they deserve their spot in the Sweet 16.
People say they were shocked that Davidson beat Georgetown. They shouldn’t have been. We certainly weren’t. Davidson is a most worthy opponent, and they deserve their spot in the Sweet 16.
R.E.M. pulls for Davidson
The guys from R.E.M. threw some love to the Davidson Wildcats today on their website. Click this link and scroll down to the bottom. They linked back to this blog.
Michael, Peter & Mike: Thanks for reading, thanks for suppoting the Cats and thanks for the link!! Go Cats!!!
PS: I love Life's Rich Pageant. Awesome album.
From ESPN.com
Sneak peek at the Sweet 16
By Andy Katz
• No. 3 WISCONSIN vs. No. 10 DAVIDSON, Friday, 7:10 ET
DAVIDSON:
Was this expected? It's probably a safe assumption that outside of the Davidson locker room and its devoted fan base, few had the Wildcats in the Sweet 16. Projecting a win over Gonzaga wasn't a reach, but duplicating that with a comeback win over Georgetown wasn't the mainstream projection. Davidson isn't the most unlikely Sweet 16 team (that might go to Western Kentucky) because of its unblemished mark in the Southern Conference this season, but getting through this portion of the bracket makes it a close second to the Hilltoppers.
How did they get here? Two words: Stephen Curry. Curry went for 40 against Gonzaga and 30 against Georgetown. But look deeper at this team and you'll see Andrew Lovedale grabbing 13 key boards in the win over the Zags and Jason Richards scoring 20 against the Hoyas. Timely buckets and outworking opponents in key situations led to the Sweet 16 appearance.
What does this mean for the program? It certainly puts Davidson and Curry on the national scene. Those who follow the game closely knew about the job Bob McKillop has done over the years and how special a player Curry was at this small, private school in the Charlotte area. But the mainstream public probably didn't have a clue as to how good both were, and a Sweet 16 appearance validates all the hard work they -- and everyone else associated with the program -- have put into making Davidson relevant.
Drama factor so far? It's off the charts. The win over Gonzaga and the comeback over Georgetown put the Wildcats probably at No. 1 for overall drama so far through two rounds.
By Andy Katz
• No. 3 WISCONSIN vs. No. 10 DAVIDSON, Friday, 7:10 ET
DAVIDSON:
Was this expected? It's probably a safe assumption that outside of the Davidson locker room and its devoted fan base, few had the Wildcats in the Sweet 16. Projecting a win over Gonzaga wasn't a reach, but duplicating that with a comeback win over Georgetown wasn't the mainstream projection. Davidson isn't the most unlikely Sweet 16 team (that might go to Western Kentucky) because of its unblemished mark in the Southern Conference this season, but getting through this portion of the bracket makes it a close second to the Hilltoppers.
How did they get here? Two words: Stephen Curry. Curry went for 40 against Gonzaga and 30 against Georgetown. But look deeper at this team and you'll see Andrew Lovedale grabbing 13 key boards in the win over the Zags and Jason Richards scoring 20 against the Hoyas. Timely buckets and outworking opponents in key situations led to the Sweet 16 appearance.
What does this mean for the program? It certainly puts Davidson and Curry on the national scene. Those who follow the game closely knew about the job Bob McKillop has done over the years and how special a player Curry was at this small, private school in the Charlotte area. But the mainstream public probably didn't have a clue as to how good both were, and a Sweet 16 appearance validates all the hard work they -- and everyone else associated with the program -- have put into making Davidson relevant.
Drama factor so far? It's off the charts. The win over Gonzaga and the comeback over Georgetown put the Wildcats probably at No. 1 for overall drama so far through two rounds.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
From CNNSI.com
Curry, Davidson come up big
Writer: Gene Menez
Game: Davidson-Georgetown
Post Time: 7:43 p.m., Sunday
RALEIGH, N.C. -- The final seconds ticked off the clock, the ball was flung in the air in joy and the Wildcats went, well, wild. As 10th-seeded Davidson celebrated its upset over second-seeded Georgetown on the RBC Center court in Raleigh, N.C., the star of the day -- and of the NCAA tournament -- Stephen Curry ran over to the corner of the court closest to his parents, smiled broadly and could only shrug his shoulders.
His body language said it all: I cannot explain what just happened. Perhaps the scoreboard said it best: DAVIDSON 74, GEORGETOWN 70.
After a dreadful first half in which the sharpshooting Curry missed six of eight shots, including four of five three-pointers, and the Wildcats trailed by 11, he had a second half for the ages against the Hoyas. Facing the nation's best field goal percentage defense, Curry scored 25 points and, just as importantly, had four key assists to help rally the Wildcats over the Big East regular-season champs and send Davidson into the Sweet 16.
His two biggest buckets in the half came with the score tied at 60 and less than four minutes left. First he scooped in a layup for a two-point lead and, after a defensive stop, he buried a deep three-pointer for a five-point lead with 2:55 left. The Wildcats would not trail again.
Curry finished with 30 points; no player had scored more than 27 against Georgetown this season.
"For the most part," Georgetown coach John Thompson said of Curry, "he had guys all over him, and the ball was going in."
Davidson, which has won an NCAA-best 24 straight, now faces No. 3 seed Wisconsin in a Sweet 16 game in Detroit.
After the game, Curry spent 45 minutes signing autographs, shaking hands and taking pictures with fans on the main level of the RBC Center. For more on Curry, check out next week's issue of Sports Illustrated.
Writer: Gene Menez
Game: Davidson-Georgetown
Post Time: 7:43 p.m., Sunday
RALEIGH, N.C. -- The final seconds ticked off the clock, the ball was flung in the air in joy and the Wildcats went, well, wild. As 10th-seeded Davidson celebrated its upset over second-seeded Georgetown on the RBC Center court in Raleigh, N.C., the star of the day -- and of the NCAA tournament -- Stephen Curry ran over to the corner of the court closest to his parents, smiled broadly and could only shrug his shoulders.His body language said it all: I cannot explain what just happened. Perhaps the scoreboard said it best: DAVIDSON 74, GEORGETOWN 70.
After a dreadful first half in which the sharpshooting Curry missed six of eight shots, including four of five three-pointers, and the Wildcats trailed by 11, he had a second half for the ages against the Hoyas. Facing the nation's best field goal percentage defense, Curry scored 25 points and, just as importantly, had four key assists to help rally the Wildcats over the Big East regular-season champs and send Davidson into the Sweet 16.
His two biggest buckets in the half came with the score tied at 60 and less than four minutes left. First he scooped in a layup for a two-point lead and, after a defensive stop, he buried a deep three-pointer for a five-point lead with 2:55 left. The Wildcats would not trail again.
Curry finished with 30 points; no player had scored more than 27 against Georgetown this season.
"For the most part," Georgetown coach John Thompson said of Curry, "he had guys all over him, and the ball was going in."
Davidson, which has won an NCAA-best 24 straight, now faces No. 3 seed Wisconsin in a Sweet 16 game in Detroit.
After the game, Curry spent 45 minutes signing autographs, shaking hands and taking pictures with fans on the main level of the RBC Center. For more on Curry, check out next week's issue of Sports Illustrated.
From NY Times
Davidson Stuns Georgetown to Reach Round of 16
By VIV BERNSTEIN
Published: March 24, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. — Davidson College has always toiled amid the giants of college basketball, but just beyond the spotlight that follows North Carolina, Duke and the other power programs in the heart of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
It takes a lot to get noticed around here.
But Stephen Curry and the Wildcats have surely earned their moment on the greatest stage in the game. They are in the Round of 16 of the N.C.A.A. tournament, singing the team’s theme song, “Sweet Caroline,” all the way to Detroit.
Curry scored 30 points, including 25 in the second half, as No. 10-seeded Davidson rallied to upset No. 2 Georgetown, 74-70, on Sunday in the Midwest Regional second-round game at the RBC Center.
It was Curry’s scoop layup with 3 minutes 51 seconds remaining that broke a 60-60 tie and gave Davidson the lead for good.
The Wildcats, who have won an N.C.A.A.-best 24 games in a row, will face third-seeded Wisconsin in the regional semifinals in Detroit on Friday.
“I’m numb right now,” Davidson Coach Bob McKillop said when asked to put the weekend, including a first-round win against seventh-seeded Gonzaga, in perspective.
“I’m a dreamer and I’ve been a dreamer my whole life. And for me to not think that we could get to this moment would be selling myself and the people who are behind me short.”
But for a while Sunday, it would have been hard even for McKillop to dream that Davidson could win.
Georgetown’s defense had stifled Curry and the Hoyas had built a 17-point lead at 46-29 early in the second half. The Wildcats were all but done.
“I remember being in the huddle — I forget what time it was — we were down 16 and Coach asked us if we were having fun and got us smiling a little bit and got our focus off of where we were,” said the senior guard Jason Richards, who played a crucial role in the first half, scoring 12 of his 20 points to keep Davidson in the game while Curry struggled. “This kid started getting on fire like he did the other day and when he does, it’s tough to stop him.”
Curry found his shot and Davidson (28-6) made its comeback. He had poured in 40 against Gonzaga — 30 in the second half.
If there was a turning point for Davidson, it came with 14 minutes 24 seconds left and Georgetown ahead, 48-33. Curry, held to 5 points in the first half and 2 of 11 from the field at that point, buried a 3-pointer from the left wing and drew a foul as well. The 4-point play cut the Georgetown lead to 11.
But it did more than that for Curry.
“That was one of the first ones that went in for me during the game,” Curry said. “So definitely that got some confidence.”
And that was all he needed. The shots started falling, the Georgetown lead grew smaller and suddenly, Davidson was back in the game. It was a 3-point play by Curry that put Davidson ahead at 60-58 with 4:40 remaining when he hit a layup and was fouled, adding the free throw.
Down the stretch, Curry buried five of six foul shots, enough to hold off a Georgetown team that hoped it was going to make another run at a title after reaching the Final Four in 2007.
The Hoyas (28-6) had come in with a clear size advantage, but they never did take full advantage of it. Georgetown’s 7-foot-2 center, Roy Hibbert, who returned for his senior season rather than go pro, struggled with foul trouble in his final game and wound up with 6 points and a rebound in 16 minutes. He wasn’t a factor.
“I’m not going to comment on the officiating,” Georgetown Coach John Thompson III said, then added about the fouls, “I was upset about more than one of them.”
Mostly, Thompson was upset that his seniors, including Hibbert, guard Jonathan Wallace and forward Patrick Ewing Sr., would not play again for Georgetown. He choked up as he talked after the game.
“It’s disappointing,” Thompson said. “You know, they have put this program on their back, put us in a position where we can possibly have success in the future. I feel bad for these guys.”
If Hibbert and Company helped rebuild the once great Hoyas machine, Curry has helped do the same for Davidson, albeit on a much smaller scale.
How small? Davidson, a highly regarded liberal arts college with about 1,700 students just north of Charlotte, N.C., has an arena that seats a mere 5,700. And the Wildcats play in anonymity against teams like Elon and Wofford in the Southern Conference.
One of Davidson’s biggest games each year is against nearby U.N.C. Charlotte. They play for something called the Hornets Nest trophy, and the winner gets bragging rights for the year in Mecklenburg County.
Still, it is a program with a rich basketball history that was among the best in the country back in the 1960s when Lefty Driesell was the coach. The team had not won an N.C.A.A. tournament game since 1969 until this weekend.
But with two wins in the tournament, the Wildcats are in the hunt for another trophy. And in most years, that would be enough to make Davidson the darlings of the state.
Alas, with North Carolina steamrolling into the Round of 16 and a top contender for the N.C.A.A. championship, the Tar Heels once again own the spotlight in this basketball-fixated state.
Some things will never change.
By VIV BERNSTEIN
Published: March 24, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. — Davidson College has always toiled amid the giants of college basketball, but just beyond the spotlight that follows North Carolina, Duke and the other power programs in the heart of the Atlantic Coast Conference.It takes a lot to get noticed around here.
But Stephen Curry and the Wildcats have surely earned their moment on the greatest stage in the game. They are in the Round of 16 of the N.C.A.A. tournament, singing the team’s theme song, “Sweet Caroline,” all the way to Detroit.
Curry scored 30 points, including 25 in the second half, as No. 10-seeded Davidson rallied to upset No. 2 Georgetown, 74-70, on Sunday in the Midwest Regional second-round game at the RBC Center.
It was Curry’s scoop layup with 3 minutes 51 seconds remaining that broke a 60-60 tie and gave Davidson the lead for good.
The Wildcats, who have won an N.C.A.A.-best 24 games in a row, will face third-seeded Wisconsin in the regional semifinals in Detroit on Friday.
“I’m numb right now,” Davidson Coach Bob McKillop said when asked to put the weekend, including a first-round win against seventh-seeded Gonzaga, in perspective.
“I’m a dreamer and I’ve been a dreamer my whole life. And for me to not think that we could get to this moment would be selling myself and the people who are behind me short.”
But for a while Sunday, it would have been hard even for McKillop to dream that Davidson could win.
Georgetown’s defense had stifled Curry and the Hoyas had built a 17-point lead at 46-29 early in the second half. The Wildcats were all but done.
“I remember being in the huddle — I forget what time it was — we were down 16 and Coach asked us if we were having fun and got us smiling a little bit and got our focus off of where we were,” said the senior guard Jason Richards, who played a crucial role in the first half, scoring 12 of his 20 points to keep Davidson in the game while Curry struggled. “This kid started getting on fire like he did the other day and when he does, it’s tough to stop him.”
Curry found his shot and Davidson (28-6) made its comeback. He had poured in 40 against Gonzaga — 30 in the second half.
If there was a turning point for Davidson, it came with 14 minutes 24 seconds left and Georgetown ahead, 48-33. Curry, held to 5 points in the first half and 2 of 11 from the field at that point, buried a 3-pointer from the left wing and drew a foul as well. The 4-point play cut the Georgetown lead to 11.
But it did more than that for Curry.
“That was one of the first ones that went in for me during the game,” Curry said. “So definitely that got some confidence.”
And that was all he needed. The shots started falling, the Georgetown lead grew smaller and suddenly, Davidson was back in the game. It was a 3-point play by Curry that put Davidson ahead at 60-58 with 4:40 remaining when he hit a layup and was fouled, adding the free throw.
Down the stretch, Curry buried five of six foul shots, enough to hold off a Georgetown team that hoped it was going to make another run at a title after reaching the Final Four in 2007.
The Hoyas (28-6) had come in with a clear size advantage, but they never did take full advantage of it. Georgetown’s 7-foot-2 center, Roy Hibbert, who returned for his senior season rather than go pro, struggled with foul trouble in his final game and wound up with 6 points and a rebound in 16 minutes. He wasn’t a factor.
“I’m not going to comment on the officiating,” Georgetown Coach John Thompson III said, then added about the fouls, “I was upset about more than one of them.”
Mostly, Thompson was upset that his seniors, including Hibbert, guard Jonathan Wallace and forward Patrick Ewing Sr., would not play again for Georgetown. He choked up as he talked after the game.
“It’s disappointing,” Thompson said. “You know, they have put this program on their back, put us in a position where we can possibly have success in the future. I feel bad for these guys.”
If Hibbert and Company helped rebuild the once great Hoyas machine, Curry has helped do the same for Davidson, albeit on a much smaller scale.
How small? Davidson, a highly regarded liberal arts college with about 1,700 students just north of Charlotte, N.C., has an arena that seats a mere 5,700. And the Wildcats play in anonymity against teams like Elon and Wofford in the Southern Conference.
One of Davidson’s biggest games each year is against nearby U.N.C. Charlotte. They play for something called the Hornets Nest trophy, and the winner gets bragging rights for the year in Mecklenburg County.
Still, it is a program with a rich basketball history that was among the best in the country back in the 1960s when Lefty Driesell was the coach. The team had not won an N.C.A.A. tournament game since 1969 until this weekend.
But with two wins in the tournament, the Wildcats are in the hunt for another trophy. And in most years, that would be enough to make Davidson the darlings of the state.
Alas, with North Carolina steamrolling into the Round of 16 and a top contender for the N.C.A.A. championship, the Tar Heels once again own the spotlight in this basketball-fixated state.
Some things will never change.
From The Hoya: Georgetown U paper
David Beats GoliathWildcats Upset Hoyas in Second Round
By Emily Liner Mar 23 2008 Men's Basketball 2008 NCAA Tournament
RALEIGH, N.C. — Tenth-seeded Davidson ended Georgetown’s season with a 74-70 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.Georgetown had a 38-27 lead at halftime and was up by as many as 17 with 17:52 remaining in the game, but Davidson sophomore guard Stephen Curry powered the Wildcats’ comeback with 25 points in the second half.
“In the second half, we was up 17, I thought we were going to break it open,” said sophomore guard Jeremiah Rivers, one of many Hoyas who guarded Curry on the day. “We were just one or two plays from putting them down, and I think Curry knew that they was in trouble, and Curry’s a second-half player more than anything. … He’s a player period, but he’s just a champion in the second half.”
Curry provided Davidson with two game-changing plays. At the 14:24 mark in the second half, Curry hit a three-pointer on a fast break and made a free throw for a four-point play to catalyze a 12-2 Wildcat run.
“That was one of the first ones that went in for me during the game, so definitely that got me some confidence,” said Curry, who made four three-pointers in the second half. “That’s just a testament to our transition game because we were struggling in the halfcourt, and that was a key for us to get out in the open court and make plays. Our defense made that happen for us.”
Then with 4:39 left in the game, Curry gave Davidson its first lead in almost 30 minutes on a layup and free throw, making the score 60-58.
“We knew they were making a run, and we tried to withstand it for a majority of the time, but once they got going as a group and made some tough plays, we were not able to recover,” said Georgetown senior guard Jonathan Wallace (12 points).
“[Curry] couldn’t miss,” said Rivers. “We were trying everything, man. I was trying my best, man. I just — I mean, I didn’t know what to do against him, man. He was getting shots all over. This was just frustrating.”
After falling behind 67-60 with two minutes left, the Hoyas made three straight baskets to pull within two points. Junior guard Jessie Sapp sank a three-pointer, Wallace drove into the paint for a layup and sophomore forward DaJuan Summers added a one-handed dunk to give the Hoyas a glimmer of momentum.
On the next play, freshman guard Chris Wright fouled Curry right away, but Curry made both of his free throws to make the score 71-67.
With 23 seconds, Curry stole the ball from sophomore guard Chris Wright and was fouled by Hibbert. Curry made his two free throws, extending the Davidson lead to 67-73.
Summers hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds left, putting Georgetown within one possession, but Curry put the last nail in the 74-70 score with one more free throw. Curry made 5-of-6 free throws during that 23-second final stretch.
The loss was not the finish that Georgetown expected after a solid first half. The Hoyas went into the locker room with an 11-point lead, 38-27, thanks to their defense, which held the Wildcats to a 26.7 field-goal percentage. Curry did not even score until 10 and a half minutes into the game, and he made only 2-of-8 attempts in the first half.
The Hoyas, meanwhile, were making two-thirds of their shots. Georgetown’s starting guards combined for five three-points on seven attempts, and the Hoyas did not neglect their inside game, as the team scored 18 points in the paint.
The referees, however, played a bigger-than-usual role, calling 57 fouls during the game. The 27 fouls charged to Georgetown dwarfed the team’s 17.5 season average.
“I’m not going to comment on the officiating,” Thompson said. “I was upset about more than one of them.”
Hibbert was in foul trouble throughout the game and managed just six points and one rebound before fouling out with 16 seconds left. His first foul came within a minute of tip-off.
“I went to post up, and I had a dumb foul to start off with. I need to play smarter out there,” Hibbert said. “I talked to the referees, and they told me what I was doing, and I tried not to do it, but, you know, they made the calls. I respect the calls. You just have to keep moving on.”
In the absence of Hibbert, who only spent 16 minutes on the floor, the Georgetown bench stepped up, contributing 19 points.
After the game, the players and their coach were visibly disappointed, in particular for the way that the careers of the seniors — Hibbert, Wallace, forward Patrick Ewing Jr. and guard Tyler Crawford — had to end.
“I hope that people don’t judge this group — and I’m thinking about my seniors — based on this loss today, and looking at all that they have accomplished in their four years here, and looking at this,” Thompson said. “This loss is disappointing because of what they have done for the last four years. And so I hope that they are not looked upon or remembered just solely or primarily because of this game, because those kids — those kids are the program.
“Those kids are Georgetown.”
As for himself, Thompson said, “I can think every possession [of] something I would want to do differently.”
Postgame press conference transcript
From ASAPSports.com
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - March 23, 2008
COACH McKILLOP: Clearly another signature victory for our program, and against a tremendous basketball team. They played great defense the entire game. They were magnificent in the way they executed their system and their discipline of their system. I credit John Thompson for really making an impact on Georgetown with the way he's built his system with some great, great talent.
But I think our system is pretty darned good, too, and the catalyst of our system, sitting right here, Jason, and Steph, and just to be able to share this moment with so many fans and so many former players and so many alums, but most importantly with our players and our families is one of the most special moments I've ever had in sport.
Q. Clearly the other day you had one of those unbelievable performances, particularly in the second half and today it seemed like a total team effort.
STEPHEN CURRY: Definitely. First half, I made two points and they were swamping me everywhere I went and Jason Richards took advantage of that and came out of transition, came to the basket, took a foul, got to the free throw line and broke the momentum a little bit. Our guys did a heck of a job with their big guys, getting into foul trouble and just controlling the boards. So just from top to bottom, everybody performed their part and we came out with the win.
Q. Talk about the run, and you guy the were down, I don't know what it was, 16 or 17, and if you could each pick out a moment or two you thought was very important during that run.
JASON RICHARDS: I remember being in the huddle, I forget what time it was, we were down 16 and Coached asked us if we were having fun and got us smiling a little bit and got our focus off of where we were and came out and got some great stops and this kid starting getting on fire like he did the other day and when he does, it's tough to stop him.
I don't know if there was a significant point but just a total team effort getting stops and just finding Steph on the offensive end.
STEPHEN CURRY: I would say when we just started getting defensive stops overall. I don't think there's one point. I think we got a key foul -- they got a time-out on an in-bounds play where they couldn't get the ball in and just breaking their momentum like that and just getting stops and getting in the transition game and guys finished down low when we fed them the ball and I hit some outside shots and Jay took some drives and got to the basket.
All aspects of the game, we competed.
Q. When you hit the 3 and were fouled, after that, did you just kind of have that feeling inside that everything was going to go?
STEPHEN CURRY: I try to have that feeling every time I shoot the ball. You don't want to shoot not to miss; you want to shoot to make it.
But that was one of the first ones went in for me during the game, so definitely that got some confidence. That's just a testament to our transition game because we were struggling in the halfcourt and that was a key for us get out in the open court and make plays and our defense made that happen for us.
Q. Where did the scoop layup come from?
STEPHEN CURRY: I guess I was always short growing up, so I had to figure out a way to get to the basket and that kind of came back today.
Q. Talk about the job Jeremiah Rivers was doing defensively, and you seemed to be getting frustrated the first half and again for the second game in a row, you just seemed to be building off of -- coming from behind, a 15-point deficit here in the second half and your shots started to fall.
STEPHEN CURRY: Well, we've been working on endurance and playing for 40 minutes, so he did a great job in the first half of chasing me around screens, and like I said, I was just going to be patient and not force the issue, because I have total confidence in my teammates to make plays, and so that showed in the first half.
But second half, I just got some great screens from big guys and Jason found me in open spots. I just had a lot of confidence to shoot it. I think he did a great job for the whole game. The whole team did a great job of defending us as a whole.
Q. Do you think Georgetown misjudged you at all after the first half? Do you think they thought they had you?
STEPHEN CURRY: I thought it was pretty balanced from half to half the way they defended us, and I guess me individually.
But I just wanted to keep running and just keep cutting and getting stops, like I said, because the first half was more halfcourt oriented, and the second half, we got stops and rebounds and open court plays.
But their defensive effort was pretty consistent the whole game.
Q. I believe at one point in the second half they were hitting over 70 percent of their shots from the field, and that's right when you guys started getting down pretty good. Was there ever a sense that you just might not be able to win this game?
JASON RICHARDS: Never. That thought never crossed our mind. Being an individual basketball player, you can never think about that. We stayed focused, stuck to our system, and I mean like I said before, you can't think you're not going to win the game, to fight the full 40 minutes and that's what we did. Fortunately we came out on top.
Q. Have you ever had a rougher first 25 minutes and why, and then what ignited it? Have you ever been hotter late? I guess you have a couple days ago.
STEPHEN CURRY: I had a couple games like that earlier in the season, Elon, I can't remember the other one. Wasn't unfamiliar to me. Like I said if I didn't have confidence in my teammates, I would have got down on myself and forced the issue and forced bad shots but that's not the case. We stayed in the game the first half and then stuck to our system in the second half and I got shots and kind of worked out for us.
Q. How much did the crowd drive you guys?
STEPHEN CURRY: They were big for us, when we were down, I don't know what the biggest deficit was in the second half but when we started making a comeback, you could definitely feel the noise and the involvement from the crowd, so we definitely fed off of them a little bit and just wanted to keep it going and keep them in it and keep the runs going.
JASON RICHARDS: To add to that when we heard the whole stadium thinking, "Sweet Carolina," that's kind of our theme song, hearing all the Davidson fans and people who are not Davidson fans cheering for us, it was definitely a lot of fun out there.
Q. Did you feel any less pressure going into this game? Obviously you try not to have pressure but was there less in the Gonzaga game than this one?
STEPHEN CURRY: This being the first game against Gonzaga, there was a lot of attention, just being the first game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. So once we got the butterflies out and all that, I think we kind of relaxed and played our game and that flowed into this game.
We got down early but our confidence in our system and our defense really helped us to force that comeback and so I think it was -- once the first half is over in the Gonzaga game, I think we kind of broke loose and played our game.
Q. With nine and a half to go, he hit a three that brought you to win four, and Georgetown called a time-out, and you two looked at each other and laughed and you gave him a hug and you said something to him that sort of seemed like it was going to come. Do you remember that, and what did you say?
JASON RICHARDS: Steph is a great shooter and I know his shots were not falling early. I just said stick with it because shooters don't pass up shots and he kept firing and, just said, if you can't smile in the tournament, then something's wrong with you, and that got him to smile finally, and I think that really got him going.
Q. Where did the "Sweet Caroline" come from? Do you know the words?
JASON RICHARDS: We definitely know the words. The whole school knows the word. There was a guy who works in the sports marketing two years ago, Mark Clayton, and he actually came up with the song and he started playing it at the eight-minute Mark time-out at our home games and just kind of caught on in the last three years, it's been our theme song. It's awesome. It's a lot of fun.
Q. After both of these wins, both of you got together right after the game to do a little hand game, is that anything worth to know about?
STEPHEN CURRY: Halfway through the season Coach wanted to get our mojo back and enjoy playing in the game so after we like to celebrate a little bit. But our little handshake, Coach said that me and Jason kind of fit together like a hand in a glove, so I formed the circle as holding the glove and Jason puts his hand in it like a hand in the glove. It's kind of corny but I guess it works for us.
Q. Can you talk about where you thought the key moments were, how did you manage that comeback?
COACH McKILLOP: One of the key moments was the halftime locker room conversation, and Matt Methany, one of our assistants, used a little bit of scrutiny in terms of what we were doing, and he adjusted our pressure, our full-court pressure. We have a very subtle full-court pressure. The very slight adjustment that Matt recommended, suggested and explained just got Georgetown out of their rhythm.
Georgetown gets out of their rhythm, all of a sudden we get stops. We get stops, we get in transition, we get in transition, we learn how to take it through the net and we're getting a couple of easy baskets and it led then to a bit of confidence which fed the rest of the half.
So I think it started in the locker room at halftime.
Q. Wondering if at any times during a game when Steph puts up a shot, you actually shake your head and say why is he shooting this off-balance deep three and then maybe change your mind --
COACH McKILLOP: I have never had that feeling this year with Steph Curry, absolutely never. In fact, I did shake my head when he took that shot where he drew the two-shot foul and then he threw it up and it almost went in right in front of our bench. I did shake my head on that one, not because it was a bad shot but the IQ that he had to get that off at that point; and it almost went in. That three-pointer he made where he used that ball screen and he had the two guys right on top of him, what an incredible shot.
Q. You talked about now getting two signature wins for your program in this tournament. At what point do you start to let your thoughts drift that this tournament would be more than signature wins for your team?
COACH McKILLOP: I'm numb right now, so I can't really address that.
Beating Gonzaga, which is a program that is one of the elite programs of the last ten years; beating Georgetown which is one of the legendary programs and of course being a New York guy and knowing the battles between St. John's and Georgetown back in the late 80s, it means a lot to me and I think it means a lot to our players; we watched tape on Georgetown and saw how good they were and we beat a really, really good team today.
Q. I wanted to ask you, what was your plan on Roy Hibbert, and if you would have looked at the box score, at the end of the game and see they was only held to six points and one rebound, would you ever have figured that?
COACH McKILLOP: Our plan was the way our defense has been all year, you've got to remember, we played against Kevin Love and Tyler Hansbrough, two of the great centers in the country and Roy is another one of those great centers, so we have had experience playing against the great centers.
And it does not surprise me the way they played in the game today. We have guys that really appreciate and understand and value and accept their roles. Thomas Sander is the consummate guy in terms of understanding that.
Q. You were asked the other day in here about opportunities to move to bigger programs, and your summation was that the longer you stayed, the deeper the roots are. Did you ever think, though, that this moment would never come for you, and if so -- I know you said you're numb, but what does it mean for you personally?
COACH McKILLOP: I'm a dreamer and I've been a dreamer my whole life. And for me to not think that we could get to this moment would be selling myself and the people who are behind me short.
Do you know what I used as our pre-game talk? Just so you know that I don't toot my horn, I was cut from the 1972 Philadelphia 76ers, and that team was 9-72, and so I was cut from the worst team in NBA history, so there's a little bit of a caveat about that.
But when I went to training camp with the Sixers, I got on the elevator in Scranton, Pennsylvania and as I got on the elevator to go to the first workout, some guy got on the elevator who was competing for my position, telling me he was going to beat me up, do this, do that.
We went to the first practice and I was a point guard, and the ball went through the net and no big guy took it out; they all ran down the court. So I took the ball out, passed it in, came up the court, passed it, they shot, I ran back down the court. Ball goes in the net, I took it out, brought it back up court, threw it in; I was the take-out man. I was just happy to be there.
And I made sure our players understood, we are not just happy to be here. We are not going to be take-out men. We are going to make sure nothing intimidates us and we are going to go out there and play and play to win and that's what our guys did.
Q. On Curry's recruiting, were you other ACC schools were not after him and were you secretly hoping that somebody at the end doesn't jump in and offer him?
COACH McKILLOP: Once he made his commitment to come to Davidson College, his word is his bond and the word of his family is their bond. There's no quote, unquote, crap terminology in today's world of debate commitment. A commitment is a commitment; he makes a commitment; he's coming. So I have no doubt that once he said Davidson, he was going to Davidson.
I was surprised, but I also understood that he did not have the body that most ACC programs, SEC programs are looking for. He did look a little frail. He did look very young for his age, and in many cases they would hope that he go to prep school for a year or go and redshirt for a year. So I wasn't puzzled by that. I understood what their thinking was.
Q. When did he commit to you?
COACH McKILLOP: In October of 2006 -- 2005 maybe. 2005.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - March 23, 2008
COACH McKILLOP: Clearly another signature victory for our program, and against a tremendous basketball team. They played great defense the entire game. They were magnificent in the way they executed their system and their discipline of their system. I credit John Thompson for really making an impact on Georgetown with the way he's built his system with some great, great talent.
But I think our system is pretty darned good, too, and the catalyst of our system, sitting right here, Jason, and Steph, and just to be able to share this moment with so many fans and so many former players and so many alums, but most importantly with our players and our families is one of the most special moments I've ever had in sport.
Q. Clearly the other day you had one of those unbelievable performances, particularly in the second half and today it seemed like a total team effort.
STEPHEN CURRY: Definitely. First half, I made two points and they were swamping me everywhere I went and Jason Richards took advantage of that and came out of transition, came to the basket, took a foul, got to the free throw line and broke the momentum a little bit. Our guys did a heck of a job with their big guys, getting into foul trouble and just controlling the boards. So just from top to bottom, everybody performed their part and we came out with the win.
Q. Talk about the run, and you guy the were down, I don't know what it was, 16 or 17, and if you could each pick out a moment or two you thought was very important during that run.
JASON RICHARDS: I remember being in the huddle, I forget what time it was, we were down 16 and Coached asked us if we were having fun and got us smiling a little bit and got our focus off of where we were and came out and got some great stops and this kid starting getting on fire like he did the other day and when he does, it's tough to stop him.
I don't know if there was a significant point but just a total team effort getting stops and just finding Steph on the offensive end.
STEPHEN CURRY: I would say when we just started getting defensive stops overall. I don't think there's one point. I think we got a key foul -- they got a time-out on an in-bounds play where they couldn't get the ball in and just breaking their momentum like that and just getting stops and getting in the transition game and guys finished down low when we fed them the ball and I hit some outside shots and Jay took some drives and got to the basket.
All aspects of the game, we competed.
Q. When you hit the 3 and were fouled, after that, did you just kind of have that feeling inside that everything was going to go?
STEPHEN CURRY: I try to have that feeling every time I shoot the ball. You don't want to shoot not to miss; you want to shoot to make it.
But that was one of the first ones went in for me during the game, so definitely that got some confidence. That's just a testament to our transition game because we were struggling in the halfcourt and that was a key for us get out in the open court and make plays and our defense made that happen for us.
Q. Where did the scoop layup come from?
STEPHEN CURRY: I guess I was always short growing up, so I had to figure out a way to get to the basket and that kind of came back today.
Q. Talk about the job Jeremiah Rivers was doing defensively, and you seemed to be getting frustrated the first half and again for the second game in a row, you just seemed to be building off of -- coming from behind, a 15-point deficit here in the second half and your shots started to fall.
STEPHEN CURRY: Well, we've been working on endurance and playing for 40 minutes, so he did a great job in the first half of chasing me around screens, and like I said, I was just going to be patient and not force the issue, because I have total confidence in my teammates to make plays, and so that showed in the first half.
But second half, I just got some great screens from big guys and Jason found me in open spots. I just had a lot of confidence to shoot it. I think he did a great job for the whole game. The whole team did a great job of defending us as a whole.
Q. Do you think Georgetown misjudged you at all after the first half? Do you think they thought they had you?
STEPHEN CURRY: I thought it was pretty balanced from half to half the way they defended us, and I guess me individually.
But I just wanted to keep running and just keep cutting and getting stops, like I said, because the first half was more halfcourt oriented, and the second half, we got stops and rebounds and open court plays.
But their defensive effort was pretty consistent the whole game.
Q. I believe at one point in the second half they were hitting over 70 percent of their shots from the field, and that's right when you guys started getting down pretty good. Was there ever a sense that you just might not be able to win this game?
JASON RICHARDS: Never. That thought never crossed our mind. Being an individual basketball player, you can never think about that. We stayed focused, stuck to our system, and I mean like I said before, you can't think you're not going to win the game, to fight the full 40 minutes and that's what we did. Fortunately we came out on top.
Q. Have you ever had a rougher first 25 minutes and why, and then what ignited it? Have you ever been hotter late? I guess you have a couple days ago.
STEPHEN CURRY: I had a couple games like that earlier in the season, Elon, I can't remember the other one. Wasn't unfamiliar to me. Like I said if I didn't have confidence in my teammates, I would have got down on myself and forced the issue and forced bad shots but that's not the case. We stayed in the game the first half and then stuck to our system in the second half and I got shots and kind of worked out for us.
Q. How much did the crowd drive you guys?
STEPHEN CURRY: They were big for us, when we were down, I don't know what the biggest deficit was in the second half but when we started making a comeback, you could definitely feel the noise and the involvement from the crowd, so we definitely fed off of them a little bit and just wanted to keep it going and keep them in it and keep the runs going.
JASON RICHARDS: To add to that when we heard the whole stadium thinking, "Sweet Carolina," that's kind of our theme song, hearing all the Davidson fans and people who are not Davidson fans cheering for us, it was definitely a lot of fun out there.
Q. Did you feel any less pressure going into this game? Obviously you try not to have pressure but was there less in the Gonzaga game than this one?
STEPHEN CURRY: This being the first game against Gonzaga, there was a lot of attention, just being the first game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. So once we got the butterflies out and all that, I think we kind of relaxed and played our game and that flowed into this game.
We got down early but our confidence in our system and our defense really helped us to force that comeback and so I think it was -- once the first half is over in the Gonzaga game, I think we kind of broke loose and played our game.
Q. With nine and a half to go, he hit a three that brought you to win four, and Georgetown called a time-out, and you two looked at each other and laughed and you gave him a hug and you said something to him that sort of seemed like it was going to come. Do you remember that, and what did you say?
JASON RICHARDS: Steph is a great shooter and I know his shots were not falling early. I just said stick with it because shooters don't pass up shots and he kept firing and, just said, if you can't smile in the tournament, then something's wrong with you, and that got him to smile finally, and I think that really got him going.
Q. Where did the "Sweet Caroline" come from? Do you know the words?
JASON RICHARDS: We definitely know the words. The whole school knows the word. There was a guy who works in the sports marketing two years ago, Mark Clayton, and he actually came up with the song and he started playing it at the eight-minute Mark time-out at our home games and just kind of caught on in the last three years, it's been our theme song. It's awesome. It's a lot of fun.
Q. After both of these wins, both of you got together right after the game to do a little hand game, is that anything worth to know about?
STEPHEN CURRY: Halfway through the season Coach wanted to get our mojo back and enjoy playing in the game so after we like to celebrate a little bit. But our little handshake, Coach said that me and Jason kind of fit together like a hand in a glove, so I formed the circle as holding the glove and Jason puts his hand in it like a hand in the glove. It's kind of corny but I guess it works for us.
Q. Can you talk about where you thought the key moments were, how did you manage that comeback?
COACH McKILLOP: One of the key moments was the halftime locker room conversation, and Matt Methany, one of our assistants, used a little bit of scrutiny in terms of what we were doing, and he adjusted our pressure, our full-court pressure. We have a very subtle full-court pressure. The very slight adjustment that Matt recommended, suggested and explained just got Georgetown out of their rhythm.
Georgetown gets out of their rhythm, all of a sudden we get stops. We get stops, we get in transition, we get in transition, we learn how to take it through the net and we're getting a couple of easy baskets and it led then to a bit of confidence which fed the rest of the half.
So I think it started in the locker room at halftime.
Q. Wondering if at any times during a game when Steph puts up a shot, you actually shake your head and say why is he shooting this off-balance deep three and then maybe change your mind --
COACH McKILLOP: I have never had that feeling this year with Steph Curry, absolutely never. In fact, I did shake my head when he took that shot where he drew the two-shot foul and then he threw it up and it almost went in right in front of our bench. I did shake my head on that one, not because it was a bad shot but the IQ that he had to get that off at that point; and it almost went in. That three-pointer he made where he used that ball screen and he had the two guys right on top of him, what an incredible shot.
Q. You talked about now getting two signature wins for your program in this tournament. At what point do you start to let your thoughts drift that this tournament would be more than signature wins for your team?
COACH McKILLOP: I'm numb right now, so I can't really address that.
Beating Gonzaga, which is a program that is one of the elite programs of the last ten years; beating Georgetown which is one of the legendary programs and of course being a New York guy and knowing the battles between St. John's and Georgetown back in the late 80s, it means a lot to me and I think it means a lot to our players; we watched tape on Georgetown and saw how good they were and we beat a really, really good team today.
Q. I wanted to ask you, what was your plan on Roy Hibbert, and if you would have looked at the box score, at the end of the game and see they was only held to six points and one rebound, would you ever have figured that?
COACH McKILLOP: Our plan was the way our defense has been all year, you've got to remember, we played against Kevin Love and Tyler Hansbrough, two of the great centers in the country and Roy is another one of those great centers, so we have had experience playing against the great centers.
And it does not surprise me the way they played in the game today. We have guys that really appreciate and understand and value and accept their roles. Thomas Sander is the consummate guy in terms of understanding that.
Q. You were asked the other day in here about opportunities to move to bigger programs, and your summation was that the longer you stayed, the deeper the roots are. Did you ever think, though, that this moment would never come for you, and if so -- I know you said you're numb, but what does it mean for you personally?
COACH McKILLOP: I'm a dreamer and I've been a dreamer my whole life. And for me to not think that we could get to this moment would be selling myself and the people who are behind me short.
Do you know what I used as our pre-game talk? Just so you know that I don't toot my horn, I was cut from the 1972 Philadelphia 76ers, and that team was 9-72, and so I was cut from the worst team in NBA history, so there's a little bit of a caveat about that.
But when I went to training camp with the Sixers, I got on the elevator in Scranton, Pennsylvania and as I got on the elevator to go to the first workout, some guy got on the elevator who was competing for my position, telling me he was going to beat me up, do this, do that.
We went to the first practice and I was a point guard, and the ball went through the net and no big guy took it out; they all ran down the court. So I took the ball out, passed it in, came up the court, passed it, they shot, I ran back down the court. Ball goes in the net, I took it out, brought it back up court, threw it in; I was the take-out man. I was just happy to be there.
And I made sure our players understood, we are not just happy to be here. We are not going to be take-out men. We are going to make sure nothing intimidates us and we are going to go out there and play and play to win and that's what our guys did.
Q. On Curry's recruiting, were you other ACC schools were not after him and were you secretly hoping that somebody at the end doesn't jump in and offer him?
COACH McKILLOP: Once he made his commitment to come to Davidson College, his word is his bond and the word of his family is their bond. There's no quote, unquote, crap terminology in today's world of debate commitment. A commitment is a commitment; he makes a commitment; he's coming. So I have no doubt that once he said Davidson, he was going to Davidson.
I was surprised, but I also understood that he did not have the body that most ACC programs, SEC programs are looking for. He did look a little frail. He did look very young for his age, and in many cases they would hope that he go to prep school for a year or go and redshirt for a year. So I wasn't puzzled by that. I understood what their thinking was.
Q. When did he commit to you?
COACH McKILLOP: In October of 2006 -- 2005 maybe. 2005.
From Deadspin.com: Down Goes Georgetown!
Curry Is the Son of Sons
Stephen Curry is a cold-blooded assassin. He's like Leon in The Professional. You're not sure about him in the early goings but he wins you over in some crucial moments. Eventually you begin to love him although you know he's destined to die in the end. Anyways... Curry's 30 points (70 in two games) carried Davidson past a Georgetown team that had harbored championship aspirations. Things began to turn around in the second half for Curry, and just about everybody else on the floor. After making the 17-point comeback the Wildcats went on to win 74-70. And like yours, my bracket is (messed up).
Stephen Curry is a cold-blooded assassin. He's like Leon in The Professional. You're not sure about him in the early goings but he wins you over in some crucial moments. Eventually you begin to love him although you know he's destined to die in the end. Anyways... Curry's 30 points (70 in two games) carried Davidson past a Georgetown team that had harbored championship aspirations. Things began to turn around in the second half for Curry, and just about everybody else on the floor. After making the 17-point comeback the Wildcats went on to win 74-70. And like yours, my bracket is (messed up).
From "Rush the Court" blog
Hoya Killers By: rtmsf
On Friday, we made a post asking “Is Stephen Curry becoming a March legend?” Today, we feel like we can answer the question with a resounding “Yes”. Although today wasn’t his finest shooting performance as he went 8/21 from the field and 5/15 from 3, Curry led the Wildcats to the biggest upset of the tournament knocking off #2 seed Georgetown 74-70 in a game Curry sealed with some clutch free throw shooting in the final minute.
The entire Wildcat team showed their mettle coming back from 17 down in the second half to tie the game up before going on a 7-0 run with 4 minutes left to give them the breathing room they needed before bringing in the closer (Curry at the FT line) to seal it. Curry led the way with 30 pts (25 in the 2nd half), but he also had a lot of support from Jason Richards who chipped in 20.
On the other side of the ball, Georgetown is left to pick up the pieces. As on the preseason favorites to win it all, they never really came together. While several new stars emerged, the Hoyas (much like their star Roy Hibbert) never became the juggernaut everyone expected them to become. The Hoyas used hot shooting (ended up 63.4% from the field) to build a big lead, but were unable to hold onto the ball and consequently the lead. Turning the ball over 20 times compared to the Wildcats’ 4 turnovers and having Hibbert only play 16 minutes before fouling out was too much for the Hoyas to overcome. As a result, John Thompson III and the Hoyas legacy players (Jeremiah Rivers and Patrick Ewing Jr) will be heading back to Washington, DC while Bob McKillop and Stephen Curry will head to Detroit for the Sweet 16 to play the Wisconsin Badgers.
From CBSSportsline.com
Davidson KOs Final Four hopeful Georgetown in Round 2
March 23, 2008
CBSSports.com wire reports
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Stephen Curry couldn't stop jumping up and down at midcourt at the final buzzer. Little Davidson was on its way to the NCAA tournament's round of 16 after another brilliant performance by its big-time guard.
Curry scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half and Davidson staged a remarkable comeback behind their star sophomore to stun mighty Georgetown 74-70 on Sunday in the second round of the Midwest Regional.
Curry missed 10 of his first 12 shots but stepped up at crunch time for Davidson, which trailed by 16 points with 15 minutes left. He had the go-ahead basket, a key 3-pointer, and then hit five of six free throws in the final 23 seconds in a performance that left the Hoyas, and everyone else, stunned.
No. 2 seed Georgetown was shooting 71 percent from the field early in the second half and led 48-32 before a stunning collapse under the weight of 20 turnovers and Curry's dominance.
Jason Richards added 20 points and kept Davidson (28-6) in it early when Curry was missing everything.
Jessie Sapp scored 14 points and Jonathan Wallace finished with 12 for Georgetown (28-6), which lost despite shooting 63 percent from the field.
Davidson, which hadn't won an NCAA tournament game since 1969 before Friday, advanced to face Wisconsin on Friday in Detroit.
Georgetown, the nation's stingiest defensive team, came in allowing only 57.6 points per game and 37 percent shooting. That defensive prowess was on display early.
With waves of different defenders fighting through screens, Curry looked exhausted, and Davidson appeared spent.
Georgetown built a big lead and then started making mistakes. Ineffective 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert picked up his fourth foul by pushing off in the post. It was one of a series of turnovers that allowed Davidson to get back in it.
When Georgetown's defense finally lost Curry, he buried a 3-pointer from the right wing. He then fed Andrew Lovedale for a layup to make it 50-48 with 8:47 left.
After picking up his fourth foul with 4:15 left, Curry scored on a nifty scoop shot in the lane and hit a deep 3 to give Davidson a 65-60 lead with 2:56 left.
It led to a roar from the partisan crowd. Not only was Davidson playing 160 miles from campus, but North Carolina fans adopted the in-state school ahead of the Tar Heels' later game against Arkansas.
Davidson was now getting the breaks, too. Curry, son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, had a 3-point attempt partially blocked, but it landed in Lovedale's hands for a layup to make it 67-60.
The Hoyas' comeback bid was foiled by Curry's free-throw shooting, allowing Davidson to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 24 in the most improbable fashion.
As the final seconds ticked down, the baby-faced Curry jumped at midcourt, did a chest bump with Richards and was mobbed by the rest of his teammates.
Then, the team gathered in front of the band and sang Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," which had become the theme song during Davidson's memorable season. The Wildcats hadn't been a player in the NCAA tournament since Lefty Driesell led them to two regional finals in the 1960s.
Georgetown could only look on, stunned at its second-round exit a year after reaching the Final Four under coach John Thompson III.
March 23, 2008
CBSSports.com wire reports
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Stephen Curry couldn't stop jumping up and down at midcourt at the final buzzer. Little Davidson was on its way to the NCAA tournament's round of 16 after another brilliant performance by its big-time guard.
Curry scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half and Davidson staged a remarkable comeback behind their star sophomore to stun mighty Georgetown 74-70 on Sunday in the second round of the Midwest Regional.Curry missed 10 of his first 12 shots but stepped up at crunch time for Davidson, which trailed by 16 points with 15 minutes left. He had the go-ahead basket, a key 3-pointer, and then hit five of six free throws in the final 23 seconds in a performance that left the Hoyas, and everyone else, stunned.
No. 2 seed Georgetown was shooting 71 percent from the field early in the second half and led 48-32 before a stunning collapse under the weight of 20 turnovers and Curry's dominance.
Jason Richards added 20 points and kept Davidson (28-6) in it early when Curry was missing everything.
Jessie Sapp scored 14 points and Jonathan Wallace finished with 12 for Georgetown (28-6), which lost despite shooting 63 percent from the field.
Davidson, which hadn't won an NCAA tournament game since 1969 before Friday, advanced to face Wisconsin on Friday in Detroit.
Georgetown, the nation's stingiest defensive team, came in allowing only 57.6 points per game and 37 percent shooting. That defensive prowess was on display early.
With waves of different defenders fighting through screens, Curry looked exhausted, and Davidson appeared spent.
Georgetown built a big lead and then started making mistakes. Ineffective 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert picked up his fourth foul by pushing off in the post. It was one of a series of turnovers that allowed Davidson to get back in it.
When Georgetown's defense finally lost Curry, he buried a 3-pointer from the right wing. He then fed Andrew Lovedale for a layup to make it 50-48 with 8:47 left.
After picking up his fourth foul with 4:15 left, Curry scored on a nifty scoop shot in the lane and hit a deep 3 to give Davidson a 65-60 lead with 2:56 left.
It led to a roar from the partisan crowd. Not only was Davidson playing 160 miles from campus, but North Carolina fans adopted the in-state school ahead of the Tar Heels' later game against Arkansas.
Davidson was now getting the breaks, too. Curry, son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, had a 3-point attempt partially blocked, but it landed in Lovedale's hands for a layup to make it 67-60.
The Hoyas' comeback bid was foiled by Curry's free-throw shooting, allowing Davidson to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 24 in the most improbable fashion.
As the final seconds ticked down, the baby-faced Curry jumped at midcourt, did a chest bump with Richards and was mobbed by the rest of his teammates.
Then, the team gathered in front of the band and sang Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," which had become the theme song during Davidson's memorable season. The Wildcats hadn't been a player in the NCAA tournament since Lefty Driesell led them to two regional finals in the 1960s.
Georgetown could only look on, stunned at its second-round exit a year after reaching the Final Four under coach John Thompson III.
From ESPN.com
Instant Analysis: Curry leads Davidson upset ... again
By Heather Dinich
ESPN.com
RALEIGH, N.C. -- With a little March magic and a little guard named Stephen Curry, Davidson knocked off Georgetown.
Curry did it again. After being shut down in the first half, he hit his hot streak in the second and his 30 points propelled 10th-seeded Davidson into the Sweet 16 with a 74-70 win over Georgetown. The Wildcats overcame foul trouble and a poor first-half shooting performance with gritty defense and another spectacular comeback by Curry. Thomas Sander, who fouled out, and Andrew Lovedale took turns guarding 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert. They also won the game by making free throws down the stretch.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Curry. He scored 25 points in 14 minutes -- all in the second half, of course. Oh, and he was playing with four fouls. Curry sank 5 of 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the deal for the Wildcats. Don't forget his assists, either. He found Lovedale at the right times.
STAT OF THE GAME: 16 -- number of minutes Hibbert played. Three players -- including Roy Hibbert, Curry and Sander -- all played long stretches with four fouls.
STAT OF THE GAME II: 10 of 11 -- free throws made by Davidson in the final 7:13. Eight of those attempts were by Curry.
TURNING POINT: Hibbert picked up his fourth foul at the 11:37 mark in the second half after getting tangled up with Sander under the basket. The call elicited an angry roar from Hoya fans, and Hibbert returned to the bench. Meanwhile, Davidson was working on cutting a 17-point deficit, and the momentum in the arena shifted.
TURNING POINT II: After trailing by as many as 17 and getting flat-out outplayed for most of the game, Davidson finally turned it on. Trailing 50-39, the Cats scored nine unanswered points and the Carolina crowd roared. During that stretch, Curry made an impressive cross-court assist to Lovedale and then scored the next basket on his own -- a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to four.
WHAT IT MEANS: Davidson is making its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1969, when Lefty Driesell led the Wildcats to the East Regional finals before falling to North Carolina. This time, they'll face Wisconsin.
First-half analysis: G'town 38, Davidson 27
TURNING POINT: Austin Freeman's 3-pointer with 3:07 remaining capped a 7-0 Georgetown run that put the Hoyas ahead 37-23, then their largest lead of the game. Davidson made just one field goal in the final 6 minutes.
PLAYER OF THE HALF: If you're wondering what happened to Stephen Curry, ask Jeremiah Rivers. He's been hiding him. Rivers obviously wasn't the only defender covering Curry, but he was the best. Even when Curry was able to scurry around a screen or get away from Rivers for a fleeting moment, the Wildcat ran into another Hoya defender.
STAT OF THE HALF: 5: the number of minutes played by Georgetown center Roy Hibbert, who picked up two quick fouls.
STAT OF THE HALF II: 5: the number of points scored by Curry, who is averaging 25.5 points per game this season. Maybe he's a second-half kinda guy.
TIME IN: Georgetown coach John Thompson III's request for a timeout around the four-minute mark went ignored. No matter. Vernon Macklin's hook shot made up for it and gave the Hoyas a 34-23 lead -- and finally a timeout.
MACK MAN: Hoya fans knew to cheer for Macklin's free throws. After all, he came into the game having made just 8 of 40 this season. He made 4 of 6 in the first half.
FREQUENT FOULERS: Forward Andrew Lovedale picked up two quick fouls in the first 3:03 of the game -- not a good start for one of the few players on Davidson's roster that could help counter Georgetown's size. Speaking of size … Hibbert, the Hoyas' 7-foot-2 center was also charged with two early fouls and took a seat after his second with less than 13 minutes still to play. By the halftime break, a total of eight players already had two fouls -- Curry included.
CURRY COUNT: Curry, who scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half against Gonzaga on Friday, started the game 0 of 4 from the field and didn't get much more production beyond that. He shot 2-for-8 in the half, including just 1 of 5 from 3-point range.
DOWN IN FRONT: Early in the first half, the Georgetown bench got a verbal warning from one of the officials to get back in its collective box. "Guys sit," said official Paul Janssen. "Sit down down here, please!"
By Heather Dinich
ESPN.com
RALEIGH, N.C. -- With a little March magic and a little guard named Stephen Curry, Davidson knocked off Georgetown.
Curry did it again. After being shut down in the first half, he hit his hot streak in the second and his 30 points propelled 10th-seeded Davidson into the Sweet 16 with a 74-70 win over Georgetown. The Wildcats overcame foul trouble and a poor first-half shooting performance with gritty defense and another spectacular comeback by Curry. Thomas Sander, who fouled out, and Andrew Lovedale took turns guarding 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert. They also won the game by making free throws down the stretch.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Curry. He scored 25 points in 14 minutes -- all in the second half, of course. Oh, and he was playing with four fouls. Curry sank 5 of 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the deal for the Wildcats. Don't forget his assists, either. He found Lovedale at the right times.
STAT OF THE GAME: 16 -- number of minutes Hibbert played. Three players -- including Roy Hibbert, Curry and Sander -- all played long stretches with four fouls.
STAT OF THE GAME II: 10 of 11 -- free throws made by Davidson in the final 7:13. Eight of those attempts were by Curry.
TURNING POINT: Hibbert picked up his fourth foul at the 11:37 mark in the second half after getting tangled up with Sander under the basket. The call elicited an angry roar from Hoya fans, and Hibbert returned to the bench. Meanwhile, Davidson was working on cutting a 17-point deficit, and the momentum in the arena shifted.
TURNING POINT II: After trailing by as many as 17 and getting flat-out outplayed for most of the game, Davidson finally turned it on. Trailing 50-39, the Cats scored nine unanswered points and the Carolina crowd roared. During that stretch, Curry made an impressive cross-court assist to Lovedale and then scored the next basket on his own -- a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to four.
WHAT IT MEANS: Davidson is making its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1969, when Lefty Driesell led the Wildcats to the East Regional finals before falling to North Carolina. This time, they'll face Wisconsin.
First-half analysis: G'town 38, Davidson 27
TURNING POINT: Austin Freeman's 3-pointer with 3:07 remaining capped a 7-0 Georgetown run that put the Hoyas ahead 37-23, then their largest lead of the game. Davidson made just one field goal in the final 6 minutes.
PLAYER OF THE HALF: If you're wondering what happened to Stephen Curry, ask Jeremiah Rivers. He's been hiding him. Rivers obviously wasn't the only defender covering Curry, but he was the best. Even when Curry was able to scurry around a screen or get away from Rivers for a fleeting moment, the Wildcat ran into another Hoya defender.
STAT OF THE HALF: 5: the number of minutes played by Georgetown center Roy Hibbert, who picked up two quick fouls.
STAT OF THE HALF II: 5: the number of points scored by Curry, who is averaging 25.5 points per game this season. Maybe he's a second-half kinda guy.
TIME IN: Georgetown coach John Thompson III's request for a timeout around the four-minute mark went ignored. No matter. Vernon Macklin's hook shot made up for it and gave the Hoyas a 34-23 lead -- and finally a timeout.
MACK MAN: Hoya fans knew to cheer for Macklin's free throws. After all, he came into the game having made just 8 of 40 this season. He made 4 of 6 in the first half.
FREQUENT FOULERS: Forward Andrew Lovedale picked up two quick fouls in the first 3:03 of the game -- not a good start for one of the few players on Davidson's roster that could help counter Georgetown's size. Speaking of size … Hibbert, the Hoyas' 7-foot-2 center was also charged with two early fouls and took a seat after his second with less than 13 minutes still to play. By the halftime break, a total of eight players already had two fouls -- Curry included.
CURRY COUNT: Curry, who scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half against Gonzaga on Friday, started the game 0 of 4 from the field and didn't get much more production beyond that. He shot 2-for-8 in the half, including just 1 of 5 from 3-point range.
DOWN IN FRONT: Early in the first half, the Georgetown bench got a verbal warning from one of the officials to get back in its collective box. "Guys sit," said official Paul Janssen. "Sit down down here, please!"
The title of this article says it all
NCAA Notebook: Davidson Doesn't Fear Georgetown Combined Wire Services
March 23, 2008
Stephen Curry was asked which of Davidson's opponents played the most physical defense.
"I'd say UCLA," Curry said.
There weren't many cupcakes on Davidson's non-Southern Conference schedule, which featured No. 1 seeds North Carolina and UCLA and No. 2 seed Duke.
The Wildcats (27-6) didn't beat any of them, losing by an average of seven points. But coach Bob McKillop's team gained a measure of confidence simply by hanging tough. Now, he hopes it pays off today against 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert and Georgetown in Raleigh, N.C.
"I'd be foolish not to allude to the fact that our guys have played against [UCLA's] Kevin Love and [North Carolina's] Tyler Hansbrough. ... not that we did anything extraordinary against them, but we hung in there," McKillop said. "We came out on a losing end, but we learned some valuable lessons."
From News 14
2 N.C. teams fight for Sweet 16 spots
03/23/2008 11:53 AM
By: News 14 Carolina Web Staff
NORTH CAROLINA -- As the NCAA Tournament moves forward, two North Carolina teams are ready to fight for a place in the Sweet 16.
The Davidson Wildcats, fresh off their upset victory over Gonzaga -- the team’s first NCAA Tournament victory in 39 years -- plays No. 2 seed Georgetown at 2:50 p.m. Sunday.
Davidson pulled past Gonzaga thanks in part to 40 points from Stephen Curry -- including a 3-point shot with about a minute left in the game to give his team the lead.
Later on Sunday, No. 1-seeded UNC will look to avoid the upset bug that is flying through the tournament. The Tar Heels has no problem getting through the first round, having beaten up on Mount St. Mary’s on Friday.
03/23/2008 11:53 AM
By: News 14 Carolina Web Staff
NORTH CAROLINA -- As the NCAA Tournament moves forward, two North Carolina teams are ready to fight for a place in the Sweet 16.
The Davidson Wildcats, fresh off their upset victory over Gonzaga -- the team’s first NCAA Tournament victory in 39 years -- plays No. 2 seed Georgetown at 2:50 p.m. Sunday.Davidson pulled past Gonzaga thanks in part to 40 points from Stephen Curry -- including a 3-point shot with about a minute left in the game to give his team the lead.
Later on Sunday, No. 1-seeded UNC will look to avoid the upset bug that is flying through the tournament. The Tar Heels has no problem getting through the first round, having beaten up on Mount St. Mary’s on Friday.
From Orlando Sentinel
Davidson's Curry a legend in the making
Tim Stephens - Sentinel Staff Writer
We told you he was good.
But "good" doesn't begin to describe Stephen Curry's performance Friday in Davidson's first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969.
In going gonzo against Gonzaga, Curry produced one of the best individual efforts in recent tourney memory and made himself a household name.
Scoring 40 points, 30 in the second half, will do that.
And did we mention he also nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game? It was one of eight the sophomore sank in the game.
By now you may have learned his story. He's the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry and wanted to go to his dad's alma mater, Virginia Tech. But he was only 5 feet 11 coming out of high school and received little recruiting attention.
All he's done at Davidson is grow four inches and score more career points (over 1,550) than any other sophomore in the nation.
His legend is already big in Southern Conference territory. If he shoots Davidson past No. 2 seed Georgetown today for its 24th consecutive victory, it'll be Bunyanesque.
Tim Stephens - Sentinel Staff Writer
We told you he was good.But "good" doesn't begin to describe Stephen Curry's performance Friday in Davidson's first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969.
In going gonzo against Gonzaga, Curry produced one of the best individual efforts in recent tourney memory and made himself a household name.
Scoring 40 points, 30 in the second half, will do that.
And did we mention he also nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game? It was one of eight the sophomore sank in the game.
By now you may have learned his story. He's the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry and wanted to go to his dad's alma mater, Virginia Tech. But he was only 5 feet 11 coming out of high school and received little recruiting attention.
All he's done at Davidson is grow four inches and score more career points (over 1,550) than any other sophomore in the nation.
His legend is already big in Southern Conference territory. If he shoots Davidson past No. 2 seed Georgetown today for its 24th consecutive victory, it'll be Bunyanesque.
Article on Rossiter brothers from NY Daily News
Sibling revelry drives RossitersBY SEAN BRENNAN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Sunday, March 23rd 2008, 4:00 AM
RALEIGH, N.C. - Steve and Patti Rossiter are living the dream, even if it's costing them a small fortune to fill up the gas tank.
The Rossiters - Steve, a retired fireman from Ladder 149 in Bay Ridge, and Patti, a special education teacher on Staten Island - are in the midst of their own version of March Madness as they shuttle from city to city to watch their sons Stephen, a sophomore at Davidson, and Ryan, a freshman at Siena, create March memories.
"It's been an unbelievably proud time for us," Steve Rossiter said as he and Patti drove from Tampa, where they watched Ryan's Siena team shock Vanderbilt Friday night, to Raleigh to catch Stephen's Davidson squad when it takes on Georgetown today. "We were confident both schools would make the NCAA Tournament. But to have them both actually win was incredible."
Stephen, a graduate of Monsignor Farrell HS who scored four points and grabbed four rebounds in Davidson's victory over Gonzaga Friday, said he was trying to find a TV Friday night to watch his brother's game in Tampa, but came up empty. "I couldn't get the game on TV, they were all showing the North Carolina game down here," Stephen said. "So I was switching back and forth from 'Titanic' to that game. But I very briefly talked to him to say congratulations. He was very excited."
Steve and Patti Rossiter decided to take in Siena's first-round game because "we saw Stephen in Buffalo in last year's tournament and so this was Ryan's first one. But we're headed for Raleigh now for Stephen's game," Steve said.
Stephen said his father has become almost a permanent fixture at his two sons' games. "I'd say he's made 80% of my home games and a lot of the road games," he said. "And he makes most of Ryan's games, too, because the MAAC schools are all pretty close to the city. My mom can't make as many games, though, because she works."
But according to Stephen, Patti has her own way of staying involved.
"She started texting this year," Stephen said. "The first time she did it, it took her about 20 minutes to write three words. And she starts using the slang that me and my brother don't even use. She thinks it's a good thing."
The Rossiter brothers now each sit one victory away from heading to Detroit for the Midwest Regional. And while Stephen is hesitant to talk about it, Mom and Dad are ready to gas up the car for another road trip.
"That," Steve said, "would be outstanding."
More from The Charlotte Observer
NCAA at Raleigh Rossiter family reunion a step closer to reality
KEVIN CARY AND KEN TYSIAC
Notes
Rossiter family reunion a step closer to reality
Davidson's Stephen Rossiter might get a reunion with his younger brother this week. Ryan Rossiter plays for Siena, which upset Vanderbilt on Friday. If Davidson and Siena win today, both will advance to the Midwest Regional in Detroit."It's real exciting," he said. "But I can't think about that until after" today.
Stephen Rossiter's parents missed his game against Gonzaga on Friday to see Ryan play in Tampa, Fla., but he said he expects them to be in attendance today against Georgetown. -- KEVIN CARY
Dell's cheers delight son Stephen Curry
Davidson's StephenCurry said he didn't feel any differently Saturday, one day after scoring 40 points to help the Wildcats to their first NCAA tournament win in 39 years. He said all the national coverage he's received since Friday won't matter as much as something his father did late during Friday's game.
Dell Curry is known to sit with his fist under his chin. That changed Friday, when he helped lead the cheers for his son.
"When I saw my dad stand up and cheer for me, that was pretty special," Stephen Curry said. "That's what I'll remember." -- K.C.
Last meeting a springboard for Hoyas
Georgetown coach John Thompson III still considers his team's last win against Davidson, 76-51 at Belk Arena three seasons ago, as a signature moment."That is one of the biggest wins since I have been at Georgetown by far," he said. "It was our first year, and that team they had with (Brendan) Winters, (Kenny) Grant and Matt McKillop -- they were a terrific team. To win that game down there was huge for this program. It helped get the understanding and belief in our program, because we knew how good that team was." -- K.C.
Hoyas expect hostile crowd
NCAA tournament bracketing rules prevented No. 2 seed Georgetown from playing at the Verizon Center in Washington because that is the Hoyas' home court.
Rules didn't prevent Georgetown from getting matched with Davidson in the Wildcats' home state. The RBC Center crowd overwhelmingly supported the Wildcats against Gonzaga.
"You don't go through our conference without having played in hostile environments," Thompson said of the Big East. "I'm pretty sure our fans will be drowned out, but we're used to it." -- K.C.
KEVIN CARY AND KEN TYSIAC
Notes
Rossiter family reunion a step closer to reality
Davidson's Stephen Rossiter might get a reunion with his younger brother this week. Ryan Rossiter plays for Siena, which upset Vanderbilt on Friday. If Davidson and Siena win today, both will advance to the Midwest Regional in Detroit."It's real exciting," he said. "But I can't think about that until after" today.
Stephen Rossiter's parents missed his game against Gonzaga on Friday to see Ryan play in Tampa, Fla., but he said he expects them to be in attendance today against Georgetown. -- KEVIN CARY
Dell's cheers delight son Stephen Curry Davidson's StephenCurry said he didn't feel any differently Saturday, one day after scoring 40 points to help the Wildcats to their first NCAA tournament win in 39 years. He said all the national coverage he's received since Friday won't matter as much as something his father did late during Friday's game.
Dell Curry is known to sit with his fist under his chin. That changed Friday, when he helped lead the cheers for his son.
"When I saw my dad stand up and cheer for me, that was pretty special," Stephen Curry said. "That's what I'll remember." -- K.C.
Last meeting a springboard for Hoyas
Georgetown coach John Thompson III still considers his team's last win against Davidson, 76-51 at Belk Arena three seasons ago, as a signature moment."That is one of the biggest wins since I have been at Georgetown by far," he said. "It was our first year, and that team they had with (Brendan) Winters, (Kenny) Grant and Matt McKillop -- they were a terrific team. To win that game down there was huge for this program. It helped get the understanding and belief in our program, because we knew how good that team was." -- K.C.
Hoyas expect hostile crowd
NCAA tournament bracketing rules prevented No. 2 seed Georgetown from playing at the Verizon Center in Washington because that is the Hoyas' home court.
Rules didn't prevent Georgetown from getting matched with Davidson in the Wildcats' home state. The RBC Center crowd overwhelmingly supported the Wildcats against Gonzaga.
"You don't go through our conference without having played in hostile environments," Thompson said of the Big East. "I'm pretty sure our fans will be drowned out, but we're used to it." -- K.C.
Observations
• Stephen Curry might be nationally known, but he can't compete on the Davidson social scene with teammate Andrew Lovedale. Lovedale received 172 text messages from friends and fans after Friday's victory, more than four times what Curry got.
• Davidson forward Thomas Sander had his right thumb wrapped Saturday after injuring it against Gonzaga. He said it felt better, but the Wildcats will need him to heal fast to face 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert and Georgetown.
By the Numbers
147
3-pointers Davidson's Curry has this season. That's the third-highest total in Division I history, and it is 11 from the record set by Darrin Fitzgerald of Butler in 1987-88.
7-2
Georgetown's record in the NCAA tournament under Thompson III
19
Consecutive years with at least one NCAA tournament win for North Carolina coach Roy Williams, dating to his time at Kansas. That's a tournament record.
11
Assists Davidson senior Jason Richards needs to break the school career record of 646 held by Ali Ton, who was a senior in 1998-99.
31
Points senior Sonny Weems scored during a first-round win against Indiana, the second-highest NCAA tournament total in Arkansas history.
• Stephen Curry might be nationally known, but he can't compete on the Davidson social scene with teammate Andrew Lovedale. Lovedale received 172 text messages from friends and fans after Friday's victory, more than four times what Curry got.
• Davidson forward Thomas Sander had his right thumb wrapped Saturday after injuring it against Gonzaga. He said it felt better, but the Wildcats will need him to heal fast to face 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert and Georgetown.
By the Numbers
147
3-pointers Davidson's Curry has this season. That's the third-highest total in Division I history, and it is 11 from the record set by Darrin Fitzgerald of Butler in 1987-88.
7-2
Georgetown's record in the NCAA tournament under Thompson III
19
Consecutive years with at least one NCAA tournament win for North Carolina coach Roy Williams, dating to his time at Kansas. That's a tournament record.
11
Assists Davidson senior Jason Richards needs to break the school career record of 646 held by Ali Ton, who was a senior in 1998-99.
31
Points senior Sonny Weems scored during a first-round win against Indiana, the second-highest NCAA tournament total in Arkansas history.
From HoopsWorld.com
Davidson looking for another upset vs. Georgetown
No. 10 Davidson (27-6) at No. 2 Georgetown (28-5) 2:50 pm EDT
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) - Davidson overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to escape the first round. Posting a second straight upset, however, will prove far more difficult.
Tenth-seeded Davidson looks to continue its run in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday when they take on No. 2 seed Georgetown in a Midwest Region second-round matchup.
Stephen Curry scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half Friday to lead the Wildcats (27-6) to a 82-76 victory over No. 7 Gonzaga in the first round of the Midwest Regional.
The son of former NBA player Dell Curry, the sophomore guard sank six 3-pointers and scored 11 consecutive points at one point after the break as the Davidson overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half.
Curry, who entered the Tournament fifth in the nation in scoring, will need another jaw-dropping performance if his team has a chance to beat Georgetown - a No. 2 seed for the second straight season which advanced to the Final Four in 2007.
The Hoyas (28-5) used a 17-3 run over a nine-minute stretch in the first half to build a 14-point lead, which they never relinquished, en route to an easy 66-47 victory against No. 15 Maryland-Baltimore County on Friday.
Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace led Georgetown with 13 points each while Patrick Ewing Jr. added 10, eight of which came in the second half.
No. 10 Davidson (27-6) at No. 2 Georgetown (28-5) 2:50 pm EDT
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) - Davidson overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to escape the first round. Posting a second straight upset, however, will prove far more difficult.
Tenth-seeded Davidson looks to continue its run in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday when they take on No. 2 seed Georgetown in a Midwest Region second-round matchup.
Stephen Curry scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half Friday to lead the Wildcats (27-6) to a 82-76 victory over No. 7 Gonzaga in the first round of the Midwest Regional.
The son of former NBA player Dell Curry, the sophomore guard sank six 3-pointers and scored 11 consecutive points at one point after the break as the Davidson overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half.
Curry, who entered the Tournament fifth in the nation in scoring, will need another jaw-dropping performance if his team has a chance to beat Georgetown - a No. 2 seed for the second straight season which advanced to the Final Four in 2007.
The Hoyas (28-5) used a 17-3 run over a nine-minute stretch in the first half to build a 14-point lead, which they never relinquished, en route to an easy 66-47 victory against No. 15 Maryland-Baltimore County on Friday.
Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace led Georgetown with 13 points each while Patrick Ewing Jr. added 10, eight of which came in the second half.
From The Sports Network
Davidson and Georgetown square off in Raleigh
By Sports Network
The 10th-seeded Davidson Wildcats carry the nation's longest winning streak into the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will meet up with the second-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in the Midwest Regional in Raleigh. The survivor of this bout will meet Wisconsin in the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats began tourney play with a mild upset, as they outlasted seventh- seed Gonzaga, 82-76, in the first round on Friday. It was the first tournament victory since 1969 for Davidson, which extended its winning streak to a nation-best 23 games. Now at 6-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats are just one more upset away from reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1969.
As for Georgetown, it took care of business in its first round game, as expected, posting a 66-47 triumph over 15th-seeded UMBC. The Hoyas have now won their last four NCAA Tournament first round games, as they improved to 45-21 all-time in this event, including a Final Four showing last season.
Georgetown and Davidson have met twice previously on the hardwood, with the Hoyas capturing both encounters.
Stephen Curry dropped in 40 points, including 30 in the second half, as Davidson overcame Gonzaga for an 82-76 win on Friday. Curry finished the game 8-of-10 from long range and recorded five steals, while Jason Richards had 15 points and nine helpers. Andrew Lovedale recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats, who shot 49.1 percent from the field, including an 11-of-22 performance from three-point land. For the season, Curry ranks among the top scorers in the nation with an average of 25.5 ppg and he is also grabbing 4.7 rpg and shooting 45.0 percent from beyond the arc. The Southern Conference Player of the Year is also a solid defender, leading Davidson with 65 steals. Richards chips in with 12.7 ppg and he has been in charge of setting up Curry and the rest of his teammates, handing out a nation-high 8.0 apg. Overall, the Wildcats are scoring a hardy 78.8 ppg, while limiting their opponents to just 63.3 ppg.
Georgetown won the battle on the boards, 40-29, and held UMBC to a dismal 32.0 percent shooting effort from the field, as it captured a 66-47 win on Friday. The Hoyas made good on 51.0 percent of their attempts from the field and that helped compensate for 15 turnovers. Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace scored 13 points apiece and they combined for 13 rebounds, while Austin Freeman and Patrick Ewing Jr. chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively. For the season, Hibbert tops the club in scoring with 13.6 ppg on a sizzling 60.5 percent shooting from the field. The 7-2 center also leads the squad in rebounding (6.5 rpg), as well as blocked shots (74). DaJuan Summers, who posted six points and five boards on Friday, checks in 11.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg for the season, and Wallace chips in with 10.7 ppg. The Hoyas as a team, have thrived at the defensive end of the court, where they are holding foes to a mere 57.6 ppg and only 36.6 percent shooting from the field.
By Sports Network
The 10th-seeded Davidson Wildcats carry the nation's longest winning streak into the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will meet up with the second-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in the Midwest Regional in Raleigh. The survivor of this bout will meet Wisconsin in the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats began tourney play with a mild upset, as they outlasted seventh- seed Gonzaga, 82-76, in the first round on Friday. It was the first tournament victory since 1969 for Davidson, which extended its winning streak to a nation-best 23 games. Now at 6-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats are just one more upset away from reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1969.
As for Georgetown, it took care of business in its first round game, as expected, posting a 66-47 triumph over 15th-seeded UMBC. The Hoyas have now won their last four NCAA Tournament first round games, as they improved to 45-21 all-time in this event, including a Final Four showing last season.
Georgetown and Davidson have met twice previously on the hardwood, with the Hoyas capturing both encounters.
Stephen Curry dropped in 40 points, including 30 in the second half, as Davidson overcame Gonzaga for an 82-76 win on Friday. Curry finished the game 8-of-10 from long range and recorded five steals, while Jason Richards had 15 points and nine helpers. Andrew Lovedale recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats, who shot 49.1 percent from the field, including an 11-of-22 performance from three-point land. For the season, Curry ranks among the top scorers in the nation with an average of 25.5 ppg and he is also grabbing 4.7 rpg and shooting 45.0 percent from beyond the arc. The Southern Conference Player of the Year is also a solid defender, leading Davidson with 65 steals. Richards chips in with 12.7 ppg and he has been in charge of setting up Curry and the rest of his teammates, handing out a nation-high 8.0 apg. Overall, the Wildcats are scoring a hardy 78.8 ppg, while limiting their opponents to just 63.3 ppg.
Georgetown won the battle on the boards, 40-29, and held UMBC to a dismal 32.0 percent shooting effort from the field, as it captured a 66-47 win on Friday. The Hoyas made good on 51.0 percent of their attempts from the field and that helped compensate for 15 turnovers. Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace scored 13 points apiece and they combined for 13 rebounds, while Austin Freeman and Patrick Ewing Jr. chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively. For the season, Hibbert tops the club in scoring with 13.6 ppg on a sizzling 60.5 percent shooting from the field. The 7-2 center also leads the squad in rebounding (6.5 rpg), as well as blocked shots (74). DaJuan Summers, who posted six points and five boards on Friday, checks in 11.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg for the season, and Wallace chips in with 10.7 ppg. The Hoyas as a team, have thrived at the defensive end of the court, where they are holding foes to a mere 57.6 ppg and only 36.6 percent shooting from the field.
From the Charlotte Observer
Davidson needs more Curry magic
SCOTT FOWLER - IN MY OPINION
RALEIGH --Davidson's win against Gonzaga on Friday was one of the biggest in school history -- the first time one of coach Bob McKillop's 19 Davidson squads had ever beaten a ranked team or won an NCAA tournament game.
But the players' celebration was necessarily brief. If Gonzaga was like climbing a 10-foot ladder for Davidson, Georgetown will be like climbing a crane. If Davidson could somehow beat Georgetown today (2:50 p.m. tip-off), a national spotlight would shine on the Wildcats for at least four more days.
To pull off that upset, Stephen Curry will have to be magnificent. Again.
Curry's 40-point performance in the win Friday against Gonzaga was amazing, but it would be even more amazing if he scored 30 against Georgetown. No player has scored more than 27 against Georgetown all season. I think Curry will need to score in the high 20s for Davidson to win, and one other unsung hero would need to emerge.
"They are a very physical team," Curry said of Georgetown. "I think they are a little bigger than us from top to bottom."
Georgetown might play better defense than anyone in America. North Carolina fans still remember the way the Hoyas shut the Tar Heels down in overtime last season, upsetting UNC to move to the Final Four.
Said McKillop: "You have to find a crack here, you have to find an opening there. ... You need to steal points against them to be successful."
Georgetown loves to play a zone and will likely open up in a matchup version today. But when the Hoyas play man-to-man, they will first try to stick Jeremiah Rivers on Curry. That will be a matchup between two former NBA players' sons -- Stephen the son of Dell, Jeremiah the son of Doc s.
When I asked Georgetown coach John Thompson III how he would guard Curry today, he joked: "You got any suggestions? Because no one has guarded him yet."
More seriously, Thompson said the Hoyas would not "re-invent the wheel" to guard Curry.
"We are not going to try to come up with the special `Davidson/Curry' defense," the coach said.
Curry said he expected Georgetown to use a lot of zone, and the Hoyas are very adept at switching on screens so as not to allow shooters any space. He also expects the sort of physical defense that UCLA played against him this season (when Curry went 6-for-19 and scored only 15 points).
"I see it a lot, cutting through the middle trying to get open, I get elbows and shoulders just to get me off my cut," Curry said. "I think I'm pretty good at getting around it and maybe using my quickness to counteract my lack of size."
Curry often tries to get his teammates involved early in the game, passing up the deep shots he takes in the second half. He scored only 10 in the first half vs. Gonzaga, then led Davidson's comeback from 11 points down in the second half with 30 more.
One big advantage for Davidson today: It should feel like a home game. North Carolina fans will fill the arena early -- the Tar Heels play the second game in Raleigh against Arkansas, at 5:20 p.m. -- and no UNC fan worth his salt likes Georgetown after last season.
Will that be enough? Only if Curry has one more heavenly performance left inside that frail frame.
**************************
Georgetown's defense
The Hoyas (28-5) are once again one of the NCAA' top defensive teams. A look at the numbers:
0
Number of individual players who have scored 28 or more points against Georgetown this season.
10
Number of teams that have scored more than 60 points against Georgetown this season.
36.6
Field-goal percentage Georgetown's defense allows (lowest in the nation).
58
Total point average of Georgetown opponents this season.
SCOTT FOWLER - IN MY OPINION
RALEIGH --Davidson's win against Gonzaga on Friday was one of the biggest in school history -- the first time one of coach Bob McKillop's 19 Davidson squads had ever beaten a ranked team or won an NCAA tournament game.But the players' celebration was necessarily brief. If Gonzaga was like climbing a 10-foot ladder for Davidson, Georgetown will be like climbing a crane. If Davidson could somehow beat Georgetown today (2:50 p.m. tip-off), a national spotlight would shine on the Wildcats for at least four more days.
To pull off that upset, Stephen Curry will have to be magnificent. Again.
Curry's 40-point performance in the win Friday against Gonzaga was amazing, but it would be even more amazing if he scored 30 against Georgetown. No player has scored more than 27 against Georgetown all season. I think Curry will need to score in the high 20s for Davidson to win, and one other unsung hero would need to emerge.
"They are a very physical team," Curry said of Georgetown. "I think they are a little bigger than us from top to bottom."
Georgetown might play better defense than anyone in America. North Carolina fans still remember the way the Hoyas shut the Tar Heels down in overtime last season, upsetting UNC to move to the Final Four.
Said McKillop: "You have to find a crack here, you have to find an opening there. ... You need to steal points against them to be successful."
Georgetown loves to play a zone and will likely open up in a matchup version today. But when the Hoyas play man-to-man, they will first try to stick Jeremiah Rivers on Curry. That will be a matchup between two former NBA players' sons -- Stephen the son of Dell, Jeremiah the son of Doc s.
When I asked Georgetown coach John Thompson III how he would guard Curry today, he joked: "You got any suggestions? Because no one has guarded him yet."
More seriously, Thompson said the Hoyas would not "re-invent the wheel" to guard Curry.
"We are not going to try to come up with the special `Davidson/Curry' defense," the coach said.
Curry said he expected Georgetown to use a lot of zone, and the Hoyas are very adept at switching on screens so as not to allow shooters any space. He also expects the sort of physical defense that UCLA played against him this season (when Curry went 6-for-19 and scored only 15 points).
"I see it a lot, cutting through the middle trying to get open, I get elbows and shoulders just to get me off my cut," Curry said. "I think I'm pretty good at getting around it and maybe using my quickness to counteract my lack of size."
Curry often tries to get his teammates involved early in the game, passing up the deep shots he takes in the second half. He scored only 10 in the first half vs. Gonzaga, then led Davidson's comeback from 11 points down in the second half with 30 more.
One big advantage for Davidson today: It should feel like a home game. North Carolina fans will fill the arena early -- the Tar Heels play the second game in Raleigh against Arkansas, at 5:20 p.m. -- and no UNC fan worth his salt likes Georgetown after last season.
Will that be enough? Only if Curry has one more heavenly performance left inside that frail frame.
**************************
Georgetown's defense
The Hoyas (28-5) are once again one of the NCAA' top defensive teams. A look at the numbers:
0
Number of individual players who have scored 28 or more points against Georgetown this season.
10
Number of teams that have scored more than 60 points against Georgetown this season.
36.6
Field-goal percentage Georgetown's defense allows (lowest in the nation).
58
Total point average of Georgetown opponents this season.
From the Charlotte Observer
DAVIDSON VS. GEORGETOWN: 2:50 P.M., WBTV, CH. 3
Wildcats will try to fluster Hibbert
Davidson plans to deny post space to 7-2 center
KEVIN CARY
RALEIGH --Davidson's defensive philosophy against Roy Hibbert today boils down to a simple physics question: Can an irresistible force overtake an immovable object?
Hibbert is the Georgetown anchor that won't budge in the post. He's 7-foot-2, 275 pounds. That's 6 inches taller and almost 50 pounds heavier than every Davidson defender he'll face. The senior averages almost 14 points, shoots 60 percent and is the catalyst to the Hoyas' offense.
The key, Davidson players say, is not letting Hibbert set up where he wants. To do that, they say they must lean on him to nudge him out of position, or deny entry passes to keep the ball from him.
"You can't stop his height," said Davidson senior Thomas Sander, one of four Davidson players expected to take turns against Hibbert. "But you can stop where he catches the ball."
Sander, Boris Meno, Stephen Rossiter and Andrew Lovedale are expected to dig in against Hibbert. The quartet has had success against bigger players this season, holding North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and UCLA's Kevin Love under their averages.
"We have to do it as a big guy by committee," Sander said. "Everyone has to give all their energy to stopping him."
Hibbert's defenders will have help. Davidson typically double teams players after they catch the ball close to the basket, sometimes with another big defender and other times with a guard. But Hibbert is a better passer than most big men -- he averages two assists -- and that could give Georgetown (28-5) open outside shots.
"I know they are going to try to wear me down," Hibbert said. "But I know what I need to do. I have to read the double teams, and find the open man."
If he can, Davidson (27-6) could be in trouble. The Hoyas shoot 38 percent on 3-pointers . They hit 17 in a game against Villanova when Hibbert was held scoreless.
Davidson coach Bob McKillop said his players must be alert, and they have to be tough. Hibbert reportedly shouted "I'm a monster!" after scoring in the Big East tournament, but Lovedale isn't backing down.
"It is going to be a challenge," Lovedale said. "But we aren't surrendering that space."
*****************
Slowing down the stars
How All-Americans Tyler Hansbrough and Kevin Love fared against Davidson this season:
Tyler Hansbrough
Points vs. Davidson: 14
Shot attempts: 6
Season Averages: 22.9 ppg, 13 shot attempts
Kevin Love
Points vs. Davidson: 12
Shot attempts: 5
Season Averages: 17.2 ppg, 10 attempts
Wildcats will try to fluster Hibbert
Davidson plans to deny post space to 7-2 center
KEVIN CARY
RALEIGH --Davidson's defensive philosophy against Roy Hibbert today boils down to a simple physics question: Can an irresistible force overtake an immovable object?
Hibbert is the Georgetown anchor that won't budge in the post. He's 7-foot-2, 275 pounds. That's 6 inches taller and almost 50 pounds heavier than every Davidson defender he'll face. The senior averages almost 14 points, shoots 60 percent and is the catalyst to the Hoyas' offense.
The key, Davidson players say, is not letting Hibbert set up where he wants. To do that, they say they must lean on him to nudge him out of position, or deny entry passes to keep the ball from him.
"You can't stop his height," said Davidson senior Thomas Sander, one of four Davidson players expected to take turns against Hibbert. "But you can stop where he catches the ball."
Sander, Boris Meno, Stephen Rossiter and Andrew Lovedale are expected to dig in against Hibbert. The quartet has had success against bigger players this season, holding North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and UCLA's Kevin Love under their averages.
"We have to do it as a big guy by committee," Sander said. "Everyone has to give all their energy to stopping him."
Hibbert's defenders will have help. Davidson typically double teams players after they catch the ball close to the basket, sometimes with another big defender and other times with a guard. But Hibbert is a better passer than most big men -- he averages two assists -- and that could give Georgetown (28-5) open outside shots.
"I know they are going to try to wear me down," Hibbert said. "But I know what I need to do. I have to read the double teams, and find the open man."
If he can, Davidson (27-6) could be in trouble. The Hoyas shoot 38 percent on 3-pointers . They hit 17 in a game against Villanova when Hibbert was held scoreless.
Davidson coach Bob McKillop said his players must be alert, and they have to be tough. Hibbert reportedly shouted "I'm a monster!" after scoring in the Big East tournament, but Lovedale isn't backing down.
"It is going to be a challenge," Lovedale said. "But we aren't surrendering that space."
*****************
Slowing down the stars
How All-Americans Tyler Hansbrough and Kevin Love fared against Davidson this season:
Tyler Hansbrough
Points vs. Davidson: 14
Shot attempts: 6
Season Averages: 22.9 ppg, 13 shot attempts
Kevin Love
Points vs. Davidson: 12
Shot attempts: 5
Season Averages: 17.2 ppg, 10 attempts
From The Washington Times
Curry needs no razor to cut through defenses
By Barker Davis
March 23, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. — Legend has it that William "Billy the Kid" Bonney earned his nickname for his deceptively youthful appearance.
"Yeah, I think I've heard that," said Davidson guard Stephen Curry, who doesn't own a razor but is the deadliest sharpshooter in the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament, in which his 10th-seeded Wildcats (27-6) will face second-seeded Georgetown (28-5) today for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. "I do enjoy it when I hear people say that I don't look like much."
Liberally listed at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, the wispy sophomore wouldn't make anyone's all-airport team. He is college basketball's anti-Joey Dorsey, all game and no frame. But perhaps Curry was weighed while holding two season's worth of Southern Conference hardware.
The fact is there isn't a major conference coach in the country, much less one in the ACC-crazed region around his native Charlotte, N.C., who won't admit his staff didn't whiff on Curry.
"Yep, we all missed out on Stephen [pronounced Stef-en]," North Carolina's Roy Williams said. "Here's a kid right under all our noses who can shoot it silly, and he doesn't get a single ACC offer."
Curry did get one half-hearted offer from Virginia Tech, the alma mater of his famous father, Wardell Stephen Curry. The Hokies' Seth Greenberg didn't have a scholarship available for the 5-11 senior from Charlotte Christian two years ago.
But he offered Curry the option to walk on last season and sit behind seniors Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon before taking one of their scholarship slots this season.
"Steph always talked about wanting to go to Virginia Tech, but he just didn't feel like they really wanted him," said Dell Curry, the longtime NBA 3-point specialist who now works for the Charlotte Bobcats. "I think he still has a chip on his shoulder from all the schools that said he was too small."
Curry stood 6-1 by the time he reported to Davidson to play for coach Bob McKillop.
He then scored 32 points in his second college game against Michigan, put up 30 in Davidson's season-ending loss to Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament and finished just behind Kevin Durant among freshman scorers while setting an NCAA freshman record for 3-pointers (122).
Adding two more inches and considerably more defensive attention this season, he finished fifth in the nation in scoring (25.5 points) while leading the Wildcats to a 23-0 record in the Southern Conference, including the tournament, and an active NCAA-best 23-game winning streak.
"He has a sense of poise that is unparalleled I think for a 20-year-old," McKillop said. "He has a great basketball IQ. And he's physically gifted. He has an ability to change speeds very, very quickly. He has great feet."
And one of the quickest and most sublime shooting strokes the college game has seen in some time.
In Davidson's first-round victory over Gonzaga, Curry dropped 40 points on a defense designed to contain him.
The Bulldogs tried a matchup zone, man-to-man, triangle-and-two and even a box-and-one against Curry, all to no avail as he connected on eight of 10 3-point attempts to lead the Wildcats to an 82-76 comeback victory.
"Have you got any suggestions [on how to play him] because no one has guarded him yet," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "You watch tape after tape, and people are paying attention to him. They are dotting their I's and crossing their T's defensively, and the kid makes contested shots with guys draped all over him that he doesn't need any time to get off. ...
"Does it worry me? Yes. He's a special player, and he's the focal point of everything they do."
[2] Georgetown (28-5) by [10] Davidson (27-6)
2:50 p.m., RBC Center, Raleigh, N.C.
BREAKING DOWN GEORGETOWN
Georgetown coach John Thompson III rarely has seemed so nervous about an opponent. Davidson can match Georgetown's athleticism, and it plays an efficient style similar to the Hoyas. Ordinarily, the Hoyas know going into a game that opposing teams will outstrip them in the bad-shot department. Not Davidson. But the Wildcats make few mistakes on offense, take few suspect shots and allow few uncontested hoops on defense.
The Hoyas would love to pound the Wildcats' undersized frontcourt with senior center Roy Hibbert. But that's unlikely to happen. Davidson's veteran big men held North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough to 14 points and UCLA's Kevin Love to 12 points with a combination of early doubling and entry denial. Don't be surprised if the Hoyas shift to a smaller, quicker lineup featuring Patrick Ewing Jr. in the post in lieu of Hibbert. Open shots from the perimeter will be available, but the Hoyas will have to improve upon their weak first-round performance from behind the arc (8-for-23) if they expect to advance.
BREAKING DOWN DAVIDSON
The Wildcats are a tough team to figure. While they did push a slew of elite opponents (North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, N.C. State, Charlotte) early in the season, they didn't manage to beat any of them. And while it's impossible to dismiss the nation's longest winning streak (23 games), Gonzaga was the only team among the Wildcats' list of victims ranked among the top 100 in the RPI.
There are two things about Davidson that are beyond debate: Longtime coach Bob McKillop is one of the shrewdest men in the business, and sophomore Stephen Curry might be the best pure shooter in the nation. The Wildcats' offense is structured around finding ways to get open looks for Curry.
MATCHUP TO WATCH:
Stephen Curry vs. the Georgetown defense
The Hoyas are likely to throw every set and player on the roster at Curry, who is like a more elusive version of Villanova's Scottie Reynolds. Expect the Hoyas to switch defenses regularly, experimenting early with both junior guard Jessie Sapp on Curry in a man set and the entire team jumping out on him as the Hoyas switch on every screen out of their base 2-3 zone. Perhaps the ultimate solution will be sophomore guard Jeremiah Rivers, the Hoyas' best on-ball defender. Georgetown will do everything in its power to make somebody other than Curry beat them.
By Barker Davis
March 23, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C. — Legend has it that William "Billy the Kid" Bonney earned his nickname for his deceptively youthful appearance.
"Yeah, I think I've heard that," said Davidson guard Stephen Curry, who doesn't own a razor but is the deadliest sharpshooter in the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament, in which his 10th-seeded Wildcats (27-6) will face second-seeded Georgetown (28-5) today for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. "I do enjoy it when I hear people say that I don't look like much."
Liberally listed at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, the wispy sophomore wouldn't make anyone's all-airport team. He is college basketball's anti-Joey Dorsey, all game and no frame. But perhaps Curry was weighed while holding two season's worth of Southern Conference hardware.
The fact is there isn't a major conference coach in the country, much less one in the ACC-crazed region around his native Charlotte, N.C., who won't admit his staff didn't whiff on Curry.
"Yep, we all missed out on Stephen [pronounced Stef-en]," North Carolina's Roy Williams said. "Here's a kid right under all our noses who can shoot it silly, and he doesn't get a single ACC offer."
Curry did get one half-hearted offer from Virginia Tech, the alma mater of his famous father, Wardell Stephen Curry. The Hokies' Seth Greenberg didn't have a scholarship available for the 5-11 senior from Charlotte Christian two years ago.
But he offered Curry the option to walk on last season and sit behind seniors Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon before taking one of their scholarship slots this season.
"Steph always talked about wanting to go to Virginia Tech, but he just didn't feel like they really wanted him," said Dell Curry, the longtime NBA 3-point specialist who now works for the Charlotte Bobcats. "I think he still has a chip on his shoulder from all the schools that said he was too small."
Curry stood 6-1 by the time he reported to Davidson to play for coach Bob McKillop.
He then scored 32 points in his second college game against Michigan, put up 30 in Davidson's season-ending loss to Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament and finished just behind Kevin Durant among freshman scorers while setting an NCAA freshman record for 3-pointers (122).
Adding two more inches and considerably more defensive attention this season, he finished fifth in the nation in scoring (25.5 points) while leading the Wildcats to a 23-0 record in the Southern Conference, including the tournament, and an active NCAA-best 23-game winning streak.
"He has a sense of poise that is unparalleled I think for a 20-year-old," McKillop said. "He has a great basketball IQ. And he's physically gifted. He has an ability to change speeds very, very quickly. He has great feet."
And one of the quickest and most sublime shooting strokes the college game has seen in some time.
In Davidson's first-round victory over Gonzaga, Curry dropped 40 points on a defense designed to contain him.
The Bulldogs tried a matchup zone, man-to-man, triangle-and-two and even a box-and-one against Curry, all to no avail as he connected on eight of 10 3-point attempts to lead the Wildcats to an 82-76 comeback victory.
"Have you got any suggestions [on how to play him] because no one has guarded him yet," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "You watch tape after tape, and people are paying attention to him. They are dotting their I's and crossing their T's defensively, and the kid makes contested shots with guys draped all over him that he doesn't need any time to get off. ...
"Does it worry me? Yes. He's a special player, and he's the focal point of everything they do."
[2] Georgetown (28-5) by [10] Davidson (27-6)
2:50 p.m., RBC Center, Raleigh, N.C.
BREAKING DOWN GEORGETOWN
Georgetown coach John Thompson III rarely has seemed so nervous about an opponent. Davidson can match Georgetown's athleticism, and it plays an efficient style similar to the Hoyas. Ordinarily, the Hoyas know going into a game that opposing teams will outstrip them in the bad-shot department. Not Davidson. But the Wildcats make few mistakes on offense, take few suspect shots and allow few uncontested hoops on defense.
The Hoyas would love to pound the Wildcats' undersized frontcourt with senior center Roy Hibbert. But that's unlikely to happen. Davidson's veteran big men held North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough to 14 points and UCLA's Kevin Love to 12 points with a combination of early doubling and entry denial. Don't be surprised if the Hoyas shift to a smaller, quicker lineup featuring Patrick Ewing Jr. in the post in lieu of Hibbert. Open shots from the perimeter will be available, but the Hoyas will have to improve upon their weak first-round performance from behind the arc (8-for-23) if they expect to advance.
BREAKING DOWN DAVIDSON
The Wildcats are a tough team to figure. While they did push a slew of elite opponents (North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, N.C. State, Charlotte) early in the season, they didn't manage to beat any of them. And while it's impossible to dismiss the nation's longest winning streak (23 games), Gonzaga was the only team among the Wildcats' list of victims ranked among the top 100 in the RPI.
There are two things about Davidson that are beyond debate: Longtime coach Bob McKillop is one of the shrewdest men in the business, and sophomore Stephen Curry might be the best pure shooter in the nation. The Wildcats' offense is structured around finding ways to get open looks for Curry.
MATCHUP TO WATCH:
Stephen Curry vs. the Georgetown defense
The Hoyas are likely to throw every set and player on the roster at Curry, who is like a more elusive version of Villanova's Scottie Reynolds. Expect the Hoyas to switch defenses regularly, experimenting early with both junior guard Jessie Sapp on Curry in a man set and the entire team jumping out on him as the Hoyas switch on every screen out of their base 2-3 zone. Perhaps the ultimate solution will be sophomore guard Jeremiah Rivers, the Hoyas' best on-ball defender. Georgetown will do everything in its power to make somebody other than Curry beat them.
From The Washington Times
In this game, Hoyas try to be Space Invaders
By Tom Knott
March 23, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C.
The smothering defense of the Georgetown basketball team meets the shooting technician known as Stephen Curry in the second round of the NCAA tournament at RBC Center today.
That intriguing subplot promises to captivate the adherents of both programs, one accustomed to being in the national spotlight and the other coming off its first win in the NCAA tournament since 1969, when coach Lefty Driesell led Davidson to a regional final.
Curry is the wisp of a shooting guard who was ignored by all the programs in the major conferences, despite the good genes of his father, Dell, who spent 16 seasons in the NBA.
Curry's 40-point gem against Gonzaga — a sort of national coming-out party for the sophomore — stimulated the anxiety of Hoyas coach John Thompson III.
"What strikes me about him is what strikes everybody," Thompson III said after the Hoyas defeated Maryland-Baltimore County in the first round of the NCAA tournament. "He can shoot the cover off the ball, and he has teammates who are not threatened by that. They set screens for him and get him the ball."
Wildcats coach Bob McKillop has built the team's offense around Curry, an atypical approach in the egalitarian-minded culture of college basketball.
"Bob McKillop has put him on a stage to be successful, and I don't think any other school could have done that," Curry's father said.
It is an approach that has lifted the 1,700-student liberal arts institution out of obscurity.
McKillop said his was an easy decision after he first evaluated Curry's individual workouts in his freshman season.
"I said in our alumni gatherings that this is someone special," McKillop said. "He has an uncanny ability to get the ball released. He has a great ability to get open, and he has teammates who are willing to get him open. You do not see that in the stat sheet. You do not see how many screens have been set. He is one of a kind when it comes to using screens and getting off shots."
That point undoubtedly was stressed by Thompson III and his assistants on their day between games.
Beat Curry to the spots on the floor off the screens, limit his open looks and a trip to the Sweet 16 will be yours. Allow him too much space — he does not need much — and you are liable to end up with an abbreviated appearance in the NCAA tournament.
The Wildcats, playing 160 miles from their campus and the underdog, will be the crowd favorite.
The crowd and Curry are the principal challenges before the Hoyas, who have limited opponents to a .366 shooting percentage, the best in the nation.
Gonzaga tried a variety of defensive tactics against Curry — a man-to-man, a 3-2 zone and a diamond-and-one — and none worked.
Gonzaga guard Steven Gray was entrusted with defending Curry much of the game and found it frustrating.
"I don't know if I've ever been run off that many screens in trying to defend someone," he said. "And he knows how to use them. He's very knowledgeable in that way."
The Hoyas have the proper mix of size and athleticism to stymie the efficiency of Curry, who shoots 49.1 percent from the field, 45.0 percent from the 3-point line and 88.7 percent from the free throw line.
And his 25.5 scoring average is not merely the product of playing in the Southern Conference. He scored 24 points in a four-point loss to North Carolina, 20 points in a six-point loss to Duke and 29 points in a one-point loss to N.C. State this season. UCLA held him to 6-for-19 shooting and 15 points in its 75-63 victory in December.
"He's one of the more special players in the tournament," Thompson III said.
Special enough to send a team home if it fails to stay in his face.
By Tom Knott
March 23, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C.
The smothering defense of the Georgetown basketball team meets the shooting technician known as Stephen Curry in the second round of the NCAA tournament at RBC Center today.
That intriguing subplot promises to captivate the adherents of both programs, one accustomed to being in the national spotlight and the other coming off its first win in the NCAA tournament since 1969, when coach Lefty Driesell led Davidson to a regional final.
Curry is the wisp of a shooting guard who was ignored by all the programs in the major conferences, despite the good genes of his father, Dell, who spent 16 seasons in the NBA.
Curry's 40-point gem against Gonzaga — a sort of national coming-out party for the sophomore — stimulated the anxiety of Hoyas coach John Thompson III.
"What strikes me about him is what strikes everybody," Thompson III said after the Hoyas defeated Maryland-Baltimore County in the first round of the NCAA tournament. "He can shoot the cover off the ball, and he has teammates who are not threatened by that. They set screens for him and get him the ball."
Wildcats coach Bob McKillop has built the team's offense around Curry, an atypical approach in the egalitarian-minded culture of college basketball.
"Bob McKillop has put him on a stage to be successful, and I don't think any other school could have done that," Curry's father said.
It is an approach that has lifted the 1,700-student liberal arts institution out of obscurity.
McKillop said his was an easy decision after he first evaluated Curry's individual workouts in his freshman season.
"I said in our alumni gatherings that this is someone special," McKillop said. "He has an uncanny ability to get the ball released. He has a great ability to get open, and he has teammates who are willing to get him open. You do not see that in the stat sheet. You do not see how many screens have been set. He is one of a kind when it comes to using screens and getting off shots."
That point undoubtedly was stressed by Thompson III and his assistants on their day between games.
Beat Curry to the spots on the floor off the screens, limit his open looks and a trip to the Sweet 16 will be yours. Allow him too much space — he does not need much — and you are liable to end up with an abbreviated appearance in the NCAA tournament.
The Wildcats, playing 160 miles from their campus and the underdog, will be the crowd favorite.
The crowd and Curry are the principal challenges before the Hoyas, who have limited opponents to a .366 shooting percentage, the best in the nation.
Gonzaga tried a variety of defensive tactics against Curry — a man-to-man, a 3-2 zone and a diamond-and-one — and none worked.
Gonzaga guard Steven Gray was entrusted with defending Curry much of the game and found it frustrating.
"I don't know if I've ever been run off that many screens in trying to defend someone," he said. "And he knows how to use them. He's very knowledgeable in that way."
The Hoyas have the proper mix of size and athleticism to stymie the efficiency of Curry, who shoots 49.1 percent from the field, 45.0 percent from the 3-point line and 88.7 percent from the free throw line.
And his 25.5 scoring average is not merely the product of playing in the Southern Conference. He scored 24 points in a four-point loss to North Carolina, 20 points in a six-point loss to Duke and 29 points in a one-point loss to N.C. State this season. UCLA held him to 6-for-19 shooting and 15 points in its 75-63 victory in December.
"He's one of the more special players in the tournament," Thompson III said.
Special enough to send a team home if it fails to stay in his face.
From Rocky Mount Telegram
Davidson bandwagon continues to grow
By Jessie H. Nunery
Rocky Mount Telegram
Sunday, March 23, 2008
RALEIGH — One of Davidson coach Bob McKillop's favorite phrases is "Smell the roses."
Wildcats players are not the only ones breathing in the sweet fragrances of NCAA Tournament life.
The school is developing quite a following after the Wildcats defeated Gonzaga on Friday for their first NCAA Tournament victory in 39 years.
Davidson will have the backing of people in different countries and continents when it faces No. 2 Georgetown (28-5) at 2:50 p.m. today in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Davidson has players on its roster from the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. From Davidson to New York City – the latter is McKillop's hometown – the Wildcats' stature has grown.
"That tells you what this experience is about and what this event is about," McKillop said. 'It's just wonderful for me to be able to talk to someone by either text or e-mail or phone that I haven't talked to in 50 years."
Players and coaches said their phones either rang or buzzed with text messages after Friday's victory. Sophomore guard Stephen Curry, who scored a tournament-high 40 points against Gonzaga, did not have the most calls. That honor went to senior forward Boris Meno, who had the busiest phone with more than 170 messages and calls.
Meno, who hails from Paris, is part of the team's French connection. William Archambualt and Max Paulhus Gosselin are both from Quebec, Canada.
"They speak it a lot during practice, but I have no idea what their saying," Curry said. "It's pretty cool to be a part of this diverse team. Everybody brings their own culture and language to the table and we form what we are here at Davidson."
The city of Davidson declared Friday "Davidson Wildcats Basketball Day." The city's residents wore black and red.
"When you're able to do that by performing as a team on the basketball court, it gives you a great sense of pride," McKillop said. "I think our guys have channeled that as just affirmation. What they have done is not a fluke. What that have done is something to be very proud of."
Georgetown players and coaches watched Friday as the RBC Center crowd gave its support to the Wildcats. Hoyas coach John Thompson III said he isn't concerned as much about the Davidson fans as he is the team's sharp-shooting guard.
"You got any suggestions?," Thompson said when asked about how to slow Curry. "No one has guarded him yet. He's a terrific player. He's a special player and he's the focal point of everything that they do. We just hope he misses – and we haven't seen to many games where he's missed – so we'll see."
Davidson (27-6) has the nation's longest winning streak – 23 games. Georgetown is a physical, defensive team with an imposing 7-foot-2 inch center.
Roy Hibbert's size will challenge Davidson in the post. The Wildcats do not have a player in their normal rotation who stands taller than 6-8.
But Davidson's roses are smelling pretty good right now. Wildcats freshman Mike Schmitt, a former Rocky Mount Academy standout, said the team is sticking to what brought it to this point. Besides, parts of the world will be watching the Wildcats.
"Basketball is a team sport," Schmitt said. "We're aware of Hibbert's presence but we don't want to deviate from our game plan to much just to stop him."
By Jessie H. Nunery
Rocky Mount Telegram
Sunday, March 23, 2008
RALEIGH — One of Davidson coach Bob McKillop's favorite phrases is "Smell the roses."
Wildcats players are not the only ones breathing in the sweet fragrances of NCAA Tournament life.
The school is developing quite a following after the Wildcats defeated Gonzaga on Friday for their first NCAA Tournament victory in 39 years.
Davidson will have the backing of people in different countries and continents when it faces No. 2 Georgetown (28-5) at 2:50 p.m. today in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Davidson has players on its roster from the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. From Davidson to New York City – the latter is McKillop's hometown – the Wildcats' stature has grown.
"That tells you what this experience is about and what this event is about," McKillop said. 'It's just wonderful for me to be able to talk to someone by either text or e-mail or phone that I haven't talked to in 50 years."
Players and coaches said their phones either rang or buzzed with text messages after Friday's victory. Sophomore guard Stephen Curry, who scored a tournament-high 40 points against Gonzaga, did not have the most calls. That honor went to senior forward Boris Meno, who had the busiest phone with more than 170 messages and calls.
Meno, who hails from Paris, is part of the team's French connection. William Archambualt and Max Paulhus Gosselin are both from Quebec, Canada.
"They speak it a lot during practice, but I have no idea what their saying," Curry said. "It's pretty cool to be a part of this diverse team. Everybody brings their own culture and language to the table and we form what we are here at Davidson."
The city of Davidson declared Friday "Davidson Wildcats Basketball Day." The city's residents wore black and red.
"When you're able to do that by performing as a team on the basketball court, it gives you a great sense of pride," McKillop said. "I think our guys have channeled that as just affirmation. What they have done is not a fluke. What that have done is something to be very proud of."
Georgetown players and coaches watched Friday as the RBC Center crowd gave its support to the Wildcats. Hoyas coach John Thompson III said he isn't concerned as much about the Davidson fans as he is the team's sharp-shooting guard.
"You got any suggestions?," Thompson said when asked about how to slow Curry. "No one has guarded him yet. He's a terrific player. He's a special player and he's the focal point of everything that they do. We just hope he misses – and we haven't seen to many games where he's missed – so we'll see."
Davidson (27-6) has the nation's longest winning streak – 23 games. Georgetown is a physical, defensive team with an imposing 7-foot-2 inch center.
Roy Hibbert's size will challenge Davidson in the post. The Wildcats do not have a player in their normal rotation who stands taller than 6-8.
But Davidson's roses are smelling pretty good right now. Wildcats freshman Mike Schmitt, a former Rocky Mount Academy standout, said the team is sticking to what brought it to this point. Besides, parts of the world will be watching the Wildcats.
"Basketball is a team sport," Schmitt said. "We're aware of Hibbert's presence but we don't want to deviate from our game plan to much just to stop him."
Davidson picked to upset Georgetown by this guy
BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • March 18, 2008
I see you picked Davidson to make the Sweet 16. Admit it: You can't name three of its players.
Look at you, trotting out the tired old, "you don't even know who you're picking" argument. Tell me something: If names are such a big deal, how come everybody has one?
This is what I know: Davidson has won 22 straight games and lost to North Carolina by four and Duke by six. The Wildcats also led UCLA by 18 before losing.
Plus, I am only really counting on Davidson for one major upset, over second-seeded Georgetown. And when it comes to upsets, I am a big believer in the "upsettee theory," which is that you pick AGAINST the favorite as much as you pick the underdog.
Georgetown made the Final Four last year and seems due for an early knockout.
I see you picked Davidson to make the Sweet 16. Admit it: You can't name three of its players.
Look at you, trotting out the tired old, "you don't even know who you're picking" argument. Tell me something: If names are such a big deal, how come everybody has one?
This is what I know: Davidson has won 22 straight games and lost to North Carolina by four and Duke by six. The Wildcats also led UCLA by 18 before losing.
Plus, I am only really counting on Davidson for one major upset, over second-seeded Georgetown. And when it comes to upsets, I am a big believer in the "upsettee theory," which is that you pick AGAINST the favorite as much as you pick the underdog.
Georgetown made the Final Four last year and seems due for an early knockout.
Good article on McKillop (I added a little to it in one spot...you'll see)
LI native McKillop builds Davidson into contender
Shaun Powell
March 18, 2008
He's been away almost two decades, long enough to raise a few kids and forget what rush-hour traffic is like on the LIE, but Bob McKillop never forgot his local basketball roots, which remain stronger than his New York accent after all these years.
"There's a mentality you kept when you grew up playing ball in the parks and playground," he said. "You have to win and stay on the court because someone's got 'winners'. For me, whether it was Hickey Field, or Centennial Park, or Rockaway, or Prospect Park in East Meadow, you had to respond. I treasure those times because it toughened you and if you lost, you sat. It ruined your night."
Well, he's back on the playground, in a sense, and he hopes to ruin someone else's night - or, at the very least, plenty of NCAA office pools. As the tournament begins, everyone's looking for the next George Mason, a little team that can go a long way. And the school most qualified is Davidson College in North Carolina, a speck on the Division I level, coached by McKillop, now officially a long way from Long Island.
Davidson (26-6) brings what you need to win in March. For your bracket consideration, the Wildcats offer terrific guard play with Stephen Curry and Jason Richards and have an eager group of role players. They also have 22 straight wins, one of the longest streaks in the country.
This season, the homely academic school with an enrollment of only 1,700 students lost to N.C. State by a point, to North Carolina by four and to Duke by six, proof that it can hang with the bigs. Everything feels right for the Wildcats to shake up the tournament the way Gonzaga used to, which is pretty interesting, given that Davidson opens with Gonzaga on Friday.
Any advancement through the tournament would be the crowning achievement for McKillop, a legendary high school coach on Long Island back in the day and star player at Hofstra. He's looking for his first NCAA Tournament win (NOT ANY MORE!!! GO CATS!!!) but is respected on the Davidson campus for what he isn't looking for: his next job.
Most coaches, especially those on the mid-major level, spend their careers chasing bigger programs and better shoe contracts. McKillop was one of them, always surveying the landscape, checking the vacancies at State U., plotting his next move. But, 19 years and counting, he's still at Davidson, having long ago realized that it's better to tackle the job you have rather than the one you don't.
"I was not ready for the college game when I arrived," said McKillop, 4-24 in his first year. "I thought I could wave a magic wand and fix everything. I also had my eye on the next step rather than my eye on the program. In my fourth year here, I was on the last year of my contract. I made a decision to put my total focus on the players and my energy into this job."
Ever since, Davidson and McKillop have flourished. He's now an eight-time 20-game winner and generally regarded as one of the top mid-major coaches. Even more remarkable is how McKillop built a winning program at a school that's not only small but rigid academically. There aren't many cat burglars who can sneak into Davidson, much less honors students, because the school admits only about 35 percent of those who apply.
Davidson did, however, welcome a coach who did everything possible on Long Island from a basketball standpoint. McKillop was big-time at Hofstra as a player, then won big at Holy Trinity and Long Island Lutheran as a coach.
Over time, while turning around the Davidson program, he wondered about working at the next college level, possibly even returning home for a dream job. Who wouldn't? But he was never quite on St. John's radar - which, given the struggles of our local Division I team, was St. John's loss.
Should Davidson cause a stir in the tourney and McKillop become the "hot coach" that everyone wants, would he leave? Well, it would take something special to pry McKillop, 57, from what he regards as a special situation. But first things first. He wants to feel the warmth of a tourney win for the first time, get folks in North Carolina excited about a team other than Duke and the Tar Heels, then brace for a projected second-round match with Georgetown.
"We just want to be at our best," McKillop said.
If it all goes right, Davidson will beat a few teams and maybe even tie another: George Mason.
Davidson College
Founded: In 1837 by ministers of the Concord Presbyterians.
Located: Davidson, N.C., 19 miles north of Charlotte.
Enrollment: 1,700
Famous alumni: Dean Rusk, secretary of state under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961-69; Patricia Cornwell, author of contemporary American novels
Team nickname: Wildcats
NCAA history: Tenth appearance, and third consecutive.
Long Island connection: Nineteen-year coach Bob McKillop, who played high school basketball at Chaminade (one of his fellow classmates was Bill O'Reilly). Played college basketball at Hofstra after transferring from East Carolina. Coached high school basketball at Holy Trinity (86-25 from 1973-78) and L.I. Lutheran (182-51 from 1979-89).
Shaun Powell
March 18, 2008
He's been away almost two decades, long enough to raise a few kids and forget what rush-hour traffic is like on the LIE, but Bob McKillop never forgot his local basketball roots, which remain stronger than his New York accent after all these years.
"There's a mentality you kept when you grew up playing ball in the parks and playground," he said. "You have to win and stay on the court because someone's got 'winners'. For me, whether it was Hickey Field, or Centennial Park, or Rockaway, or Prospect Park in East Meadow, you had to respond. I treasure those times because it toughened you and if you lost, you sat. It ruined your night."
Well, he's back on the playground, in a sense, and he hopes to ruin someone else's night - or, at the very least, plenty of NCAA office pools. As the tournament begins, everyone's looking for the next George Mason, a little team that can go a long way. And the school most qualified is Davidson College in North Carolina, a speck on the Division I level, coached by McKillop, now officially a long way from Long Island.
Davidson (26-6) brings what you need to win in March. For your bracket consideration, the Wildcats offer terrific guard play with Stephen Curry and Jason Richards and have an eager group of role players. They also have 22 straight wins, one of the longest streaks in the country.
This season, the homely academic school with an enrollment of only 1,700 students lost to N.C. State by a point, to North Carolina by four and to Duke by six, proof that it can hang with the bigs. Everything feels right for the Wildcats to shake up the tournament the way Gonzaga used to, which is pretty interesting, given that Davidson opens with Gonzaga on Friday.
Any advancement through the tournament would be the crowning achievement for McKillop, a legendary high school coach on Long Island back in the day and star player at Hofstra. He's looking for his first NCAA Tournament win (NOT ANY MORE!!! GO CATS!!!) but is respected on the Davidson campus for what he isn't looking for: his next job.
Most coaches, especially those on the mid-major level, spend their careers chasing bigger programs and better shoe contracts. McKillop was one of them, always surveying the landscape, checking the vacancies at State U., plotting his next move. But, 19 years and counting, he's still at Davidson, having long ago realized that it's better to tackle the job you have rather than the one you don't.
"I was not ready for the college game when I arrived," said McKillop, 4-24 in his first year. "I thought I could wave a magic wand and fix everything. I also had my eye on the next step rather than my eye on the program. In my fourth year here, I was on the last year of my contract. I made a decision to put my total focus on the players and my energy into this job."
Ever since, Davidson and McKillop have flourished. He's now an eight-time 20-game winner and generally regarded as one of the top mid-major coaches. Even more remarkable is how McKillop built a winning program at a school that's not only small but rigid academically. There aren't many cat burglars who can sneak into Davidson, much less honors students, because the school admits only about 35 percent of those who apply.
Davidson did, however, welcome a coach who did everything possible on Long Island from a basketball standpoint. McKillop was big-time at Hofstra as a player, then won big at Holy Trinity and Long Island Lutheran as a coach.
Over time, while turning around the Davidson program, he wondered about working at the next college level, possibly even returning home for a dream job. Who wouldn't? But he was never quite on St. John's radar - which, given the struggles of our local Division I team, was St. John's loss.
Should Davidson cause a stir in the tourney and McKillop become the "hot coach" that everyone wants, would he leave? Well, it would take something special to pry McKillop, 57, from what he regards as a special situation. But first things first. He wants to feel the warmth of a tourney win for the first time, get folks in North Carolina excited about a team other than Duke and the Tar Heels, then brace for a projected second-round match with Georgetown.
"We just want to be at our best," McKillop said.
If it all goes right, Davidson will beat a few teams and maybe even tie another: George Mason.
Davidson College
Founded: In 1837 by ministers of the Concord Presbyterians.
Located: Davidson, N.C., 19 miles north of Charlotte.
Enrollment: 1,700
Famous alumni: Dean Rusk, secretary of state under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961-69; Patricia Cornwell, author of contemporary American novels
Team nickname: Wildcats
NCAA history: Tenth appearance, and third consecutive.
Long Island connection: Nineteen-year coach Bob McKillop, who played high school basketball at Chaminade (one of his fellow classmates was Bill O'Reilly). Played college basketball at Hofstra after transferring from East Carolina. Coached high school basketball at Holy Trinity (86-25 from 1973-78) and L.I. Lutheran (182-51 from 1979-89).
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Diverse Davidson isn't divided
By Vahe Gregorian
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/23/2008
RALEIGH, N.C. — As if "We Are the World" were playing in the background, Davidson coach Bob McKillop couldn't resist waxing philosophical about the diverse makeup of his team.
The Wildcats feature six foreign players, including two from Canada and one each from Turkey, England, Nigeria and the Congo — by way of France.
"The cultural diversity of our team is something I'm so proud of," McKillop said. "And maybe it's a lesson for the world to understand that no matter what your color, no matter what your religion, no matter what your nationality, you can all come together for a purpose."
That's what the 10th-seeded Wildcats did Friday, winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 1969 and 23rd game in a row to advance to Sunday's second-round meeting with No. 2 seed Georgetown at the RBC Center.
The range of conversations extends beyond what normal college basketball teams might discuss.
"Every single player is bringing something from his own culture," said Can Civi, a junior from Istanbul.
Not that the cultures don't clash at times.
Canadians Will Archambault and Max Paulhus Gosselin and Frenchman Boris Meno might speak French to mess not only with opponents but also with teammates.
"It's fun, but it's difficult at times because they will be speaking different languages and we don't know what they are saying," Davidson senior guard Jason Richards said.
While Richards leads the nation in assists and backcourt mate Stephen Curry is fifth in scoring and earned national attention with his 40-point effort in Friday's win over Gonzaga, the team's role players are just as crucial and play with McKillop's overarching point of emphasis.
"If you help someone, you help yourself," said junior forward Andrew Lovedale, a native of Nigeria.
Among others, Lovedale applies that off the court as well.
"If God had put Andrew in the Garden of Eden, we would still be there," McKillop said. "That's the kind of man he is."
Lovedale, who seemed embarrassed by McKillop's words, is forever grateful for his opportunity to play basketball and study at Davidson, where he is a political science major.
His odyssey to North Carolina came by way of England, where he attended high school. The first NCAA Tournament game he ever saw was the one he played in his freshman year, a 70-62 loss to Ohio State.
"I couldn't believe it was me playing in such a big tournament," he said. "The thing that comes to mind is, why me? Anyone could have been in the position I'm in."
Lovedale has used that position to take back shoes and shirts to Nigeria and try to illuminate teammates and classmates on the political and economic strife in the continent.
"As much as I'm here to learn, I feel like I'm here to bring a message from Africa," said Lovedale, who didn't mean just to teammates at the school of 1,700. "When I look in the stands, I don't see fans, I see friends."
The school recently proclaimed one of 25 "new Ivy" League institutions by Newsweek also has had 23 Rhodes Scholars. It also has basketball history, albeit 40 years back.
Beating Gonzaga on Friday was an affirmation of its direction, but Davidson has a ways to go before it can be what Gonzaga has been.
"They have done that by what they have done year after year after year," McKillop said. "They are not a shooting star; they are a shining star, and that's our aspiration."
By Vahe Gregorian
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/23/2008
RALEIGH, N.C. — As if "We Are the World" were playing in the background, Davidson coach Bob McKillop couldn't resist waxing philosophical about the diverse makeup of his team.
The Wildcats feature six foreign players, including two from Canada and one each from Turkey, England, Nigeria and the Congo — by way of France.
"The cultural diversity of our team is something I'm so proud of," McKillop said. "And maybe it's a lesson for the world to understand that no matter what your color, no matter what your religion, no matter what your nationality, you can all come together for a purpose."
That's what the 10th-seeded Wildcats did Friday, winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 1969 and 23rd game in a row to advance to Sunday's second-round meeting with No. 2 seed Georgetown at the RBC Center.
The range of conversations extends beyond what normal college basketball teams might discuss.
"Every single player is bringing something from his own culture," said Can Civi, a junior from Istanbul.
Not that the cultures don't clash at times.
Canadians Will Archambault and Max Paulhus Gosselin and Frenchman Boris Meno might speak French to mess not only with opponents but also with teammates.
"It's fun, but it's difficult at times because they will be speaking different languages and we don't know what they are saying," Davidson senior guard Jason Richards said.
While Richards leads the nation in assists and backcourt mate Stephen Curry is fifth in scoring and earned national attention with his 40-point effort in Friday's win over Gonzaga, the team's role players are just as crucial and play with McKillop's overarching point of emphasis.
"If you help someone, you help yourself," said junior forward Andrew Lovedale, a native of Nigeria.
Among others, Lovedale applies that off the court as well.
"If God had put Andrew in the Garden of Eden, we would still be there," McKillop said. "That's the kind of man he is."
Lovedale, who seemed embarrassed by McKillop's words, is forever grateful for his opportunity to play basketball and study at Davidson, where he is a political science major.
His odyssey to North Carolina came by way of England, where he attended high school. The first NCAA Tournament game he ever saw was the one he played in his freshman year, a 70-62 loss to Ohio State.
"I couldn't believe it was me playing in such a big tournament," he said. "The thing that comes to mind is, why me? Anyone could have been in the position I'm in."
Lovedale has used that position to take back shoes and shirts to Nigeria and try to illuminate teammates and classmates on the political and economic strife in the continent.
"As much as I'm here to learn, I feel like I'm here to bring a message from Africa," said Lovedale, who didn't mean just to teammates at the school of 1,700. "When I look in the stands, I don't see fans, I see friends."
The school recently proclaimed one of 25 "new Ivy" League institutions by Newsweek also has had 23 Rhodes Scholars. It also has basketball history, albeit 40 years back.
Beating Gonzaga on Friday was an affirmation of its direction, but Davidson has a ways to go before it can be what Gonzaga has been.
"They have done that by what they have done year after year after year," McKillop said. "They are not a shooting star; they are a shining star, and that's our aspiration."
From Richmond Times Dispatch
In one stellar game, son was just like dad
By BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
RALEIGH, N.C. There were any number of wow moments during Stephen Curry Day at the NCAA playoffs on a Freaky Friday with oodles of magic and interplanetary range electrifying the building, but the best moments were all about father-and-son.
There was, for instance, the one near the end of the first half when Curry the younger trapped himself between impulses and hiccupped a turnover. Whereupon his father (who was no slouch from distant Zip Codes, if you recall) sprang from his second-row seat and shouted to William Tell masquerading as a Davidson sophomore, "Shoot the ball, man!"
About 20 minutes of game clock and numerous Curry connections later -- score tied, a second-round berth up for grabs -- Wildcats forward Andrew Lovedale dug for a loose ball under the basket, snatched it, pivoted and whipped a pass to Curry.
Who was stationed beyond the 3-point arc.
Wide open.
And locked in.
The shot soared toward the rim, all eyes following its flight. And as it settled into the net for 77-74 en route to 82-76 over Gonzaga and euphoria, Curry the son turned to Curry the father and pointed to him with his right index finger -- much as Dell Curry had done during his heyday when his own parents were in the stands.
"He's been there my whole life," Stephen (it's pronounced STEFF-in] would say later. "The things I do on the court kind of come from him. He's in my head during the game, and I like to keep him involved."
Tres cool, no? Buzzer sounds, Stephen Curry flings the ball toward the rafters and bounds off the floor with waves toward his loved ones in Section 102. And a horde of reporters engulfs his joyful father -- much as Zags defenders had tried to gang-tackle this slender 6-3 guard without a ripple of success.
"I tell you, I hit some big shots in my career, but I don't think I ever hit any that big," Dell said. "I know what my parents felt like now, except I never won an NCAA game."
Davidson hadn't either since 1969, when Lefty Driesell was the coach. Yesterday's breakthrough owed most everything to Curry, who erupted for 40 points, was an 8-for-10 deadeye from 3-point range, came up with five steals and distorted Gonzaga's defense on every possession to provide his teammates with numerous openings.
"Obviously, he's a tremendous shooter," Zags guard David Pendergraft said. "One of the things I was amazed with is his shot is so soft. He shoots it from 23 feet and you'd think he was shooting from 5 feet, it's so soft when it gets there. It's good coaching. He's well-trained."
The kid had a good teacher. Dell Curry, in short, is the best player in Virginia Tech history and as sweet a shooter as anyone who's inhabited an NBA arena -- something he did for 16 seasons. He nurtured Stephen's game ("I always saw his shot in high school, but he's a better player than I was") and sent him to a small Christian academy in Charlotte, where Dell now works in community relations for the NBA Hornets. Stephen flourished there.
And nobody wanted him -- nobody major, anyhow. Davidson, Winthrop and VCU offered a scholarship. Tech, where he'd dreamed of going, had no grants available so didn't. If you want to bottom-line it, the Hokies make these NCAAs and then some with Stephen Curry in the lineup. Fact is, any roster would be all the glossier with him on it.
"I believe most of the big-timers felt Steph was too slight, too young, not strong enough," said Davidson coach Bob McKillop. "They felt he needed to go to prep school, that he needed to get stronger, needed to eat an elephant."
At 180 pounds, the young man is still more willowy than brawny -- but obviously able to shoulder a load. He scored 30 points in a first-round loss to Maryland last year. He's rung up 1,573 -- and counting -- during these two seasons. And yesterday, he rang sirens for little Davidson with 40 big ones and swish after swish.
"I had a lot of confidence to shoot it," he said.
Like father, like . . .
Well, you know how that goes.
By BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
RALEIGH, N.C. There were any number of wow moments during Stephen Curry Day at the NCAA playoffs on a Freaky Friday with oodles of magic and interplanetary range electrifying the building, but the best moments were all about father-and-son.
There was, for instance, the one near the end of the first half when Curry the younger trapped himself between impulses and hiccupped a turnover. Whereupon his father (who was no slouch from distant Zip Codes, if you recall) sprang from his second-row seat and shouted to William Tell masquerading as a Davidson sophomore, "Shoot the ball, man!"
About 20 minutes of game clock and numerous Curry connections later -- score tied, a second-round berth up for grabs -- Wildcats forward Andrew Lovedale dug for a loose ball under the basket, snatched it, pivoted and whipped a pass to Curry.
Who was stationed beyond the 3-point arc.
Wide open.
And locked in.
The shot soared toward the rim, all eyes following its flight. And as it settled into the net for 77-74 en route to 82-76 over Gonzaga and euphoria, Curry the son turned to Curry the father and pointed to him with his right index finger -- much as Dell Curry had done during his heyday when his own parents were in the stands.
"He's been there my whole life," Stephen (it's pronounced STEFF-in] would say later. "The things I do on the court kind of come from him. He's in my head during the game, and I like to keep him involved."
Tres cool, no? Buzzer sounds, Stephen Curry flings the ball toward the rafters and bounds off the floor with waves toward his loved ones in Section 102. And a horde of reporters engulfs his joyful father -- much as Zags defenders had tried to gang-tackle this slender 6-3 guard without a ripple of success.
"I tell you, I hit some big shots in my career, but I don't think I ever hit any that big," Dell said. "I know what my parents felt like now, except I never won an NCAA game."
Davidson hadn't either since 1969, when Lefty Driesell was the coach. Yesterday's breakthrough owed most everything to Curry, who erupted for 40 points, was an 8-for-10 deadeye from 3-point range, came up with five steals and distorted Gonzaga's defense on every possession to provide his teammates with numerous openings.
"Obviously, he's a tremendous shooter," Zags guard David Pendergraft said. "One of the things I was amazed with is his shot is so soft. He shoots it from 23 feet and you'd think he was shooting from 5 feet, it's so soft when it gets there. It's good coaching. He's well-trained."
The kid had a good teacher. Dell Curry, in short, is the best player in Virginia Tech history and as sweet a shooter as anyone who's inhabited an NBA arena -- something he did for 16 seasons. He nurtured Stephen's game ("I always saw his shot in high school, but he's a better player than I was") and sent him to a small Christian academy in Charlotte, where Dell now works in community relations for the NBA Hornets. Stephen flourished there.
And nobody wanted him -- nobody major, anyhow. Davidson, Winthrop and VCU offered a scholarship. Tech, where he'd dreamed of going, had no grants available so didn't. If you want to bottom-line it, the Hokies make these NCAAs and then some with Stephen Curry in the lineup. Fact is, any roster would be all the glossier with him on it.
"I believe most of the big-timers felt Steph was too slight, too young, not strong enough," said Davidson coach Bob McKillop. "They felt he needed to go to prep school, that he needed to get stronger, needed to eat an elephant."
At 180 pounds, the young man is still more willowy than brawny -- but obviously able to shoulder a load. He scored 30 points in a first-round loss to Maryland last year. He's rung up 1,573 -- and counting -- during these two seasons. And yesterday, he rang sirens for little Davidson with 40 big ones and swish after swish.
"I had a lot of confidence to shoot it," he said.
Like father, like . . .
Well, you know how that goes.
A few days old, but worth posting
NCAA Tournament Sleeper: Davidson
The Davidson Wildcats finished the regular season with a impressive record of 26-6; a record that is more impressive when you consider some of their losses: at North Carolina, Duke and UCLA by a combined 22 points.
Led by dynamic sophomore Stephen Curry, the Wildcats have shown they are afraid of no one and can compete with any team in the nation at any time. This makes them a perfect Cinderella team.
Why? Because the tournament is all about upsets, and their first two opponents are both known for losing to less talented teams.
Looking at Davidson's draw, a few things stand out.
First, they get another mid-major in the first round in Gonzaga. Second, potential second round foe, Georgetown, is a team prone to upsets. Third, and most important, neither Gonzaga or Georgetown has a go-to scorer.
In the NCAA tournament, nearly every game comes down to the final few minutes, and having a go-to guy can often be the difference between winning and losing. And when the game comes down to the wire, few can match Curry when it comes to scoring at will.
Curry will have help as he tries to lead Davidson on a deep run through the field.
In the NCAA tournament, when game control is so important, the Wildcats have a phenomenal point guard capable of dictating tempo for them.
Point guard Jason Richards may be the most important player to the Wildcats in the tournament. He's the floor general, in charge of controlling the game, and has done a magnificent job this year of doing so.
Finally, Davidson's trip to the tournament last year may be their biggest asset. As a No. 13 seed, the Wildcats narrowly lost in the first round to fourth-seeded Maryland.
Curry scored 30 points as a freshman, proving that he is capable of being the go-to player every Cinderella requires.
Put it all together, and you get an extremely talented team capable of beating anyone in the nation. Watch for Curry to lead the Wildcats to the sweet 16 as a 10 seed, and maybe even further.
The Davidson Wildcats finished the regular season with a impressive record of 26-6; a record that is more impressive when you consider some of their losses: at North Carolina, Duke and UCLA by a combined 22 points.
Led by dynamic sophomore Stephen Curry, the Wildcats have shown they are afraid of no one and can compete with any team in the nation at any time. This makes them a perfect Cinderella team.
Why? Because the tournament is all about upsets, and their first two opponents are both known for losing to less talented teams.
Looking at Davidson's draw, a few things stand out.
First, they get another mid-major in the first round in Gonzaga. Second, potential second round foe, Georgetown, is a team prone to upsets. Third, and most important, neither Gonzaga or Georgetown has a go-to scorer.
In the NCAA tournament, nearly every game comes down to the final few minutes, and having a go-to guy can often be the difference between winning and losing. And when the game comes down to the wire, few can match Curry when it comes to scoring at will.
Curry will have help as he tries to lead Davidson on a deep run through the field.
In the NCAA tournament, when game control is so important, the Wildcats have a phenomenal point guard capable of dictating tempo for them.
Point guard Jason Richards may be the most important player to the Wildcats in the tournament. He's the floor general, in charge of controlling the game, and has done a magnificent job this year of doing so.
Finally, Davidson's trip to the tournament last year may be their biggest asset. As a No. 13 seed, the Wildcats narrowly lost in the first round to fourth-seeded Maryland.
Curry scored 30 points as a freshman, proving that he is capable of being the go-to player every Cinderella requires.
Put it all together, and you get an extremely talented team capable of beating anyone in the nation. Watch for Curry to lead the Wildcats to the sweet 16 as a 10 seed, and maybe even further.
Washington Post: Davidson/Georgetown
Hoyas Are Charged With Putting Out Curry's Fire
By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 23, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C., March 22 -- There is a part of Chris Wright that admires what Davidson sophomore Stephen Curry did against Gonzaga in a Midwest Region first-round game on Friday: A 6-foot-2 guard, Curry scored 40 points and essentially carried his 10th-seeded team to its first NCAA tournament victory since 1969.
Wright, a freshman guard at Georgetown, was as prolific a scorer in high school as Curry has been in college, so he can appreciate the difficulty and the work that goes into a performance like that. But Wright also realizes that Sunday, it will be the second-seeded Hoyas' turn to try to slow down Curry.
"Right now we're not about admiring anybody," Wright said. "We want to win. He's a great player. You have to try to do what you have to do to stop him."
Few teams, if any, have been able to stop Curry, who averages 25.5 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting (45 percent from three-point range). His performance against seventh-seeded Gonzaga was electrifying: He scored 30 of the Wildcats' 46 points in the second half, as they overcame an 11-point deficit, and he made 8 of 10 three-point shots, including one that gave Davidson the lead to stay with 64 seconds to play.
Coach Bob McKillop compared it to "an opening-night star performance on Broadway," one that got rave reviews. On Saturday, Curry's picture was splashed across both the front page ("Curry Power") and the sports section ("Curry Is Simply Sizzling") of the Charlotte Observer.
But his teammates, who watched Curry score at least 30 points in eight other games this season, weren't surprised. Said junior Max Paulhus Gosselin, "I thought, 'There we go again. He's on fire.' "
For senior Jason Richards, the signature moment of the game was when Curry hit a three-pointer and then slapped the NCAA logo at midcourt. "You could tell how much fun he was having, and how much fun we were having," Richards said.
For senior Thomas Sander, it was a sequence in which Curry missed a fast-break layup against Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo, but came back on the next possession to score and draw a foul. "He's so good, he plays play-to-play and doesn't let anything get to him," Sander said.
Gonzaga tried everything -- man-to-man, triangle-and-two, zone -- against Curry, but he still got his shots (22, to be exact). Aside from Curry's innate talent -- his father, Dell, starred at Virginia Tech and played 16 seasons in the NBA -- the Wildcats as a team work hard to set screens and find ways to get him the ball.
"A lot of his points come off plays like this, where there's an offensive rebound or scramble and he toes up on the line and they are trained to find him in a scramble situation," Gonzaga Coach Mark Few said. "It doesn't have a whole lot to do with your man-to-man defense, because you're pursuing rebounds. . . . [His teammates] find him, they know their roles, and you know, we actually guarded him probably as well as we could."
So that is the challenge the Hoyas face Sunday. They have several players who can shadow Curry -- Jonathan Wallace, Jessie Sapp, Jeremiah Rivers, Tyler Crawford and Wright -- but they all stressed the importance of team defense. Georgetown is used to switching on screens on the perimeter, "but you have to switch well, because if you don't, then he'll knock the shot down quick," Sapp said.
"You're not going to leave anybody out on an island and let him get destroyed by himself. We're a team," Wright said. "Defensively, one person is not going to beat us. Our style is to play tough on-the-ball defense and help. That's what we have to do to stop good teams."
Over the past three seasons, the Hoyas have faced several outstanding shooters in the Big East: Syracuse's Gerry McNamara, Villanova's Allan Ray and Scottie Reynolds, Notre Dame's Colin Falls -- all players that "you have to know where they're at all the time," in Sapp's words. Those experiences, of having to be attentive at all times, should help.
"With Stephen, I think you have to keep him as uncomfortable as you can," said Rivers, Georgetown's best perimeter defender. "He's coming off of screens, his teammates look for him. He's real smart. He doesn't force much. He knows how to play the game, which probably makes it the hardest for a defender. For me, I'm just going to try to make him think differently than he usually does."
Curry said he has seen pretty much every defense possible this season. He has had success against almost all of them. UCLA was the most physical and the biggest team he has faced, and he was 6 of 19 from the field and scored 15 points, his third-lowest total of the season.
"He's a special player and he's the focal point of everything that they do," Georgetown Coach John Thompson III said. "The kid makes contested shots with guys draped all over him, and he doesn't need any time to get [a shot] off, and most importantly, his teammates do a terrific job in the screening and the passing. We just hope he misses, but we haven't seen too many games where he's missed."
By Camille Powell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 23, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C., March 22 -- There is a part of Chris Wright that admires what Davidson sophomore Stephen Curry did against Gonzaga in a Midwest Region first-round game on Friday: A 6-foot-2 guard, Curry scored 40 points and essentially carried his 10th-seeded team to its first NCAA tournament victory since 1969.
Wright, a freshman guard at Georgetown, was as prolific a scorer in high school as Curry has been in college, so he can appreciate the difficulty and the work that goes into a performance like that. But Wright also realizes that Sunday, it will be the second-seeded Hoyas' turn to try to slow down Curry.
"Right now we're not about admiring anybody," Wright said. "We want to win. He's a great player. You have to try to do what you have to do to stop him."
Few teams, if any, have been able to stop Curry, who averages 25.5 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting (45 percent from three-point range). His performance against seventh-seeded Gonzaga was electrifying: He scored 30 of the Wildcats' 46 points in the second half, as they overcame an 11-point deficit, and he made 8 of 10 three-point shots, including one that gave Davidson the lead to stay with 64 seconds to play.
Coach Bob McKillop compared it to "an opening-night star performance on Broadway," one that got rave reviews. On Saturday, Curry's picture was splashed across both the front page ("Curry Power") and the sports section ("Curry Is Simply Sizzling") of the Charlotte Observer.
But his teammates, who watched Curry score at least 30 points in eight other games this season, weren't surprised. Said junior Max Paulhus Gosselin, "I thought, 'There we go again. He's on fire.' "
For senior Jason Richards, the signature moment of the game was when Curry hit a three-pointer and then slapped the NCAA logo at midcourt. "You could tell how much fun he was having, and how much fun we were having," Richards said.
For senior Thomas Sander, it was a sequence in which Curry missed a fast-break layup against Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo, but came back on the next possession to score and draw a foul. "He's so good, he plays play-to-play and doesn't let anything get to him," Sander said.
Gonzaga tried everything -- man-to-man, triangle-and-two, zone -- against Curry, but he still got his shots (22, to be exact). Aside from Curry's innate talent -- his father, Dell, starred at Virginia Tech and played 16 seasons in the NBA -- the Wildcats as a team work hard to set screens and find ways to get him the ball.
"A lot of his points come off plays like this, where there's an offensive rebound or scramble and he toes up on the line and they are trained to find him in a scramble situation," Gonzaga Coach Mark Few said. "It doesn't have a whole lot to do with your man-to-man defense, because you're pursuing rebounds. . . . [His teammates] find him, they know their roles, and you know, we actually guarded him probably as well as we could."
So that is the challenge the Hoyas face Sunday. They have several players who can shadow Curry -- Jonathan Wallace, Jessie Sapp, Jeremiah Rivers, Tyler Crawford and Wright -- but they all stressed the importance of team defense. Georgetown is used to switching on screens on the perimeter, "but you have to switch well, because if you don't, then he'll knock the shot down quick," Sapp said.
"You're not going to leave anybody out on an island and let him get destroyed by himself. We're a team," Wright said. "Defensively, one person is not going to beat us. Our style is to play tough on-the-ball defense and help. That's what we have to do to stop good teams."
Over the past three seasons, the Hoyas have faced several outstanding shooters in the Big East: Syracuse's Gerry McNamara, Villanova's Allan Ray and Scottie Reynolds, Notre Dame's Colin Falls -- all players that "you have to know where they're at all the time," in Sapp's words. Those experiences, of having to be attentive at all times, should help.
"With Stephen, I think you have to keep him as uncomfortable as you can," said Rivers, Georgetown's best perimeter defender. "He's coming off of screens, his teammates look for him. He's real smart. He doesn't force much. He knows how to play the game, which probably makes it the hardest for a defender. For me, I'm just going to try to make him think differently than he usually does."
Curry said he has seen pretty much every defense possible this season. He has had success against almost all of them. UCLA was the most physical and the biggest team he has faced, and he was 6 of 19 from the field and scored 15 points, his third-lowest total of the season.
"He's a special player and he's the focal point of everything that they do," Georgetown Coach John Thompson III said. "The kid makes contested shots with guys draped all over him, and he doesn't need any time to get [a shot] off, and most importantly, his teammates do a terrific job in the screening and the passing. We just hope he misses, but we haven't seen too many games where he's missed."
From Georgetown Student Paper: The Hoya
Bland Opener Done, Hoyas' Tourney Gets Spicy in Second Round Curry's 40 Leads Davidson to Sunday Date With GU
By Harlan Goode
RALEIGH, N.C. — For those in search of madness, go look in a nuthouse. You won’t find it in this space. No Duke-Belmont ballistics here. Not a moment of Drake and Western Kentucky drama. A Toreros-Huskies upset special this was not. Not in a game pitting Georgetown against UMBC. Not in a bout between bulldog and not-so-golden retriever. Not after Stephen Curry’s 40-point performance lit up the RBC Center like Times Square on New Years’ Eve. When the Davidson star left late Friday afternoon, all the excitement went out with him. By the time Georgetown was halfway through playing their game of fetch with the Retrievers, the seats were all empty. Fans had simply had enough histrionics for the day. They needed a siesta.
The Hoyas never allowed things to get interesting in the 66-47 game. They played sound, fundamental basketball from the opening tip, quietly built a formidable lead, and proved themselves to be one of the tournament’s top teams.
It might have been worse ratings for CBS than “Bless This House,” but the Hoyas could care less. Why stress when you can just win?
“[That’s] how we should take care of everybody,” said Patrick Ewing Jr., who admitted earlier in the week that he doesn’t fully enjoy the tournament until it’s over because of his tunnel vision focus. “The game is never safe until the clock says zero. Even in today’s game, when they started hitting threes, I got a little worried.”
In sports, unlike in life, there is a clear winner and a loser. It is perhaps the games’ greatest allure: one team proves itself better than another. Most of the time. The NCAA tournament is the one sporting event where the line between better and worse blurs murky. Is Kansas State really better than USC? (Or, perhaps more appropriately, is Michael Beasley really better than O.J. Mayo?) When a game teeters on the iron rim and the waning seconds of double overtime — such as the Western Kentucky-Drake contest did earlier Friday — are we fully convinced that one squad is superior to the other?
But Georgetown’s opening round win was different. It was persuasive. They corrected the rebounding problem that had foiled their attempt at a second consecutive Big East Tournament title. They omitted the incessant turnovers that are a staple of the two vs. 15 matchup. They hit the back court shot with relative precision, and Roy Hibbert held his ground below the basket.
Now that it’s a distant memory, Jon Wallace can look back on last season’s last-second win over Vanderbilt or the palpitating comeback against North Carolina with fond memory. But don’t think he — or any of his teammates — want to relive them. They’d rather have days like Friday from here until San Antonio.
You think John Thompson III watched a worn-out Mike Krzyzewski stammer and stutter on the press conference dais last night and wished he could be in his shoes?
“I don’t prefer those last second opportunities,” said Wallace, who cringed watching Duke squeak by Thursday night. “You do not want that, you don’t want that at all — that was kind of scary last night.”
The drama queens will have their feast come Easter Sunday. Davidson’s Curry is going to spice things up for Thompson and the second-seeded Hoyas. Who won’t be watching to see if the nation’s top field goal percentage defense can stop a man who coolly drained 8-of-10 three pointers in his first ever tournament win?
“Watching Davidson makes me feel worried,” said Thompson, visions of a hollowed out Coach K no doubt dancing through his mind. “We were fortunate to get out of here, and we have to start preparing for not only a very good team, but one of the most special players in this tournament.”
The stale air that hung suspended in the near-empty arena Friday afternoon should be amped with electricity come Sunday. Davidson packed the stands with eager fans against Gonzaga and more will undoubtedly swarm in from Charlotte, all hanging on their star sophomore’s every move. Coupled with the army of angry Carolina fans marching in vengeful lockstep against Wallace and the team that ruined their ’07 season, the RBC Center will make the Carrier Dome sound like a piano recital.
Don’t think the Hoyas are going to let the hype creep into their psyche. This is a team that has been here before, one that knows that the best way to keep a hostile crowd out of a game is to never let them in in the first place.
“It’s always stressful, but they are going to have a sixth man on the court,” Jessie Sapp said. “It’s going to be a huge advantage for them, but we’ve played through it all year.”
The Hoyas’ first round honeymoon is over. From here on, the trail to San Antonio turns treacherous, the tributaries of the River Walk choppy. Let the fun begin.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
From WRAL
UNC, Davidson Enjoy Home Feel of RBC Center
By Barry Jacobs
There are two home teams playing this Sunday afternoon at the RBC Center in the second round of the NCAA East Region.
One, as expected, is ACC champion North Carolina, which made short work of the 16 seed, Mount St. Mary’s, 113-74. The top ranked, top seeded Tar Heels are now 22-1 in NCAA Tournament games played within the state. They face No. 9 Arkansas, which decisively handled No. 8 Indiana in its opener.
The other entrant with strong RBC support is not another ACC school, as happened in 2004, the last time the tournament was played in Raleigh. That year, Duke and Wake Forest were here. Rather, the darling of fans, at least during its 82-76 opening round upset of No. 7 Gonzaga, was Davidson College of the Southern Conference.
“Yesterday was unbelievable,” said Jason Richards of the 10th-seeded Wildcats. “The whole crowd in the arena starting cheering for us, which was very nice. Hopefully it will be that way tomorrow.”
The victory by Davidson, paced by 40 points from sophomore All-America Stephen Curry, was the first in NCAA competition by a SoCon school since Chattanooga won twice in 1997, and the first by Davidson, a national power 40 years ago, in six tries since 1969.
Curry’s scoring total was a new individual record for N.C. State’s home arena. “The kid makes tough, contested shots with guys draped all over him,” said John Thompson III, head coach at Georgetown. “You got any suggestions? Because no one has guarded him yet.”
Davidson, a school with an enrollment of 1,700 that is located just north of Charlotte, will face second seed Georgetown, which painfully vanquished UNC for the right to go to the 2007 Final Four. That matchup at 2:50 PM should ensure plenty of support from Tar Heel faithful on hand to see their team tip off at 5:20 PM. The games are sold out.
The Wildcats, winners of 23 in a row, the nation’s longest current streak, are poised and experienced. Their strength is their backcourt of Curry, averaging 25.5 points, and playmaker Richards, the Division I leader in assists per game (8.0).
But Davidson, 27-6, is smaller, less athletic, and certainly less heralded than the Hoyas, a team that paces the nation in field goal percentage defense (.366) and is fifth in scoring defense (57.6). “They are a team of defenders, that’s what makes them efficient defensively,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. “You have to find a crack here, an opening there...You need to steal points against them to be successful.”
The Big East power, 28-5 and second-seeded in the Midwest, is led by 7-2 center Roy Hibbert in both scoring (13.6 points) and rebounds (6.5). Georgetown employs its usual physical brand of defense, and spreads the court with its offense, a style not unlike that played by Davidson.
A rugged early nonconference schedule that included games against North Carolina, Duke, and UCLA should help the Wildcats. They lost all three contests, but went against powerful big men Kevin Love of UCLA and UNC’s Tyler Hansbrough. That makes the challenge of handling Hibbard and company a bit less daunting.
Hansbrough and the Tar Heels’ frontline will face their own challenge against Arkansas (23-11). The Razorbacks delivered Indiana’s fourth loss in seven games since assistant Dan Dakich took over for fired Kelvin Sampson, implicated in a pattern of NCAA rule-breaking.
Arkansas possesses a wealth of frontcourt size, led by a pair of 6-10 seniors, Darian Townes and Vincent Hunter. Steven Hill, a 7-foot reserve whose headband almost controls the long locks that flow seamlessly into his full beard, was fourth in the Southeastern Conference with 2.2 blocked shots per game. Facing that array, and more, UNC coach Roy Williams said Hansbrough, his All-America, must make quicker decisions with the ball.
For all its height, Arkansas is led in rebounding by 6-1 guard Patrick Beverley (6.7).
The team’s top scorer is senior wing Sonny Weems, who had 31 points against the Hoosiers on 12 of 14 shooting from the floor, a performance overshadowed by Curry’s outburst earlier in the day. On a squad that has more turnovers than assists, senior Gary Ervin is the floor leader.
“I think they’re a very good basketball team,” Williams said. He noted recent Arkansas wins over Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament – part of a 9-8 finish to the season -- and ticked off the team’s strengths. “Their athleticism. The guys that can score. The pace they play. They’re unselfish. Defense, they play man, they play zone, they press. They don’t let you get in rhythm.”
Yet that very propensity to press, and an appetite to quickly convert defensive rebounds into fast break opportunities, plays right into the hands of the 33-2 Tar Heels.
“About the style of play, we like to run up and down the court, so they’re playing our style of play, which makes us a lot more comfortable,” said UNC point guard Ty Lawson. Williams said his playmaker still lacks the explosiveness he possessed prior to injuring his ankle seven weeks ago.
Arkansas’ first-year coach, John Pelphrey, a former Kentucky player (1989-92), was involved in one of the great games in tournament history when UK was defeated in overtime by Duke, 104-103, on Christian Laettner’s shot at the buzzer in the 1992 East Region final. He also lost twice at Kentucky during the regular season to North Carolina, a program he spoke of with near reverence.
“They play the game the right way,” Pelphrey said of Williams' squad. “They don’t turn it over a lot. They shoot the ball. They’re a team. They have tremendous depth. As fast as anybody we’ll play, make or miss.”
By Barry Jacobs
There are two home teams playing this Sunday afternoon at the RBC Center in the second round of the NCAA East Region.
One, as expected, is ACC champion North Carolina, which made short work of the 16 seed, Mount St. Mary’s, 113-74. The top ranked, top seeded Tar Heels are now 22-1 in NCAA Tournament games played within the state. They face No. 9 Arkansas, which decisively handled No. 8 Indiana in its opener.
The other entrant with strong RBC support is not another ACC school, as happened in 2004, the last time the tournament was played in Raleigh. That year, Duke and Wake Forest were here. Rather, the darling of fans, at least during its 82-76 opening round upset of No. 7 Gonzaga, was Davidson College of the Southern Conference.
“Yesterday was unbelievable,” said Jason Richards of the 10th-seeded Wildcats. “The whole crowd in the arena starting cheering for us, which was very nice. Hopefully it will be that way tomorrow.”
The victory by Davidson, paced by 40 points from sophomore All-America Stephen Curry, was the first in NCAA competition by a SoCon school since Chattanooga won twice in 1997, and the first by Davidson, a national power 40 years ago, in six tries since 1969.
Curry’s scoring total was a new individual record for N.C. State’s home arena. “The kid makes tough, contested shots with guys draped all over him,” said John Thompson III, head coach at Georgetown. “You got any suggestions? Because no one has guarded him yet.”
Davidson, a school with an enrollment of 1,700 that is located just north of Charlotte, will face second seed Georgetown, which painfully vanquished UNC for the right to go to the 2007 Final Four. That matchup at 2:50 PM should ensure plenty of support from Tar Heel faithful on hand to see their team tip off at 5:20 PM. The games are sold out.
The Wildcats, winners of 23 in a row, the nation’s longest current streak, are poised and experienced. Their strength is their backcourt of Curry, averaging 25.5 points, and playmaker Richards, the Division I leader in assists per game (8.0).
But Davidson, 27-6, is smaller, less athletic, and certainly less heralded than the Hoyas, a team that paces the nation in field goal percentage defense (.366) and is fifth in scoring defense (57.6). “They are a team of defenders, that’s what makes them efficient defensively,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. “You have to find a crack here, an opening there...You need to steal points against them to be successful.”
The Big East power, 28-5 and second-seeded in the Midwest, is led by 7-2 center Roy Hibbert in both scoring (13.6 points) and rebounds (6.5). Georgetown employs its usual physical brand of defense, and spreads the court with its offense, a style not unlike that played by Davidson.
A rugged early nonconference schedule that included games against North Carolina, Duke, and UCLA should help the Wildcats. They lost all three contests, but went against powerful big men Kevin Love of UCLA and UNC’s Tyler Hansbrough. That makes the challenge of handling Hibbard and company a bit less daunting.
Hansbrough and the Tar Heels’ frontline will face their own challenge against Arkansas (23-11). The Razorbacks delivered Indiana’s fourth loss in seven games since assistant Dan Dakich took over for fired Kelvin Sampson, implicated in a pattern of NCAA rule-breaking.
Arkansas possesses a wealth of frontcourt size, led by a pair of 6-10 seniors, Darian Townes and Vincent Hunter. Steven Hill, a 7-foot reserve whose headband almost controls the long locks that flow seamlessly into his full beard, was fourth in the Southeastern Conference with 2.2 blocked shots per game. Facing that array, and more, UNC coach Roy Williams said Hansbrough, his All-America, must make quicker decisions with the ball.
For all its height, Arkansas is led in rebounding by 6-1 guard Patrick Beverley (6.7).
The team’s top scorer is senior wing Sonny Weems, who had 31 points against the Hoosiers on 12 of 14 shooting from the floor, a performance overshadowed by Curry’s outburst earlier in the day. On a squad that has more turnovers than assists, senior Gary Ervin is the floor leader.
“I think they’re a very good basketball team,” Williams said. He noted recent Arkansas wins over Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament – part of a 9-8 finish to the season -- and ticked off the team’s strengths. “Their athleticism. The guys that can score. The pace they play. They’re unselfish. Defense, they play man, they play zone, they press. They don’t let you get in rhythm.”
Yet that very propensity to press, and an appetite to quickly convert defensive rebounds into fast break opportunities, plays right into the hands of the 33-2 Tar Heels.
“About the style of play, we like to run up and down the court, so they’re playing our style of play, which makes us a lot more comfortable,” said UNC point guard Ty Lawson. Williams said his playmaker still lacks the explosiveness he possessed prior to injuring his ankle seven weeks ago.
Arkansas’ first-year coach, John Pelphrey, a former Kentucky player (1989-92), was involved in one of the great games in tournament history when UK was defeated in overtime by Duke, 104-103, on Christian Laettner’s shot at the buzzer in the 1992 East Region final. He also lost twice at Kentucky during the regular season to North Carolina, a program he spoke of with near reverence.
“They play the game the right way,” Pelphrey said of Williams' squad. “They don’t turn it over a lot. They shoot the ball. They’re a team. They have tremendous depth. As fast as anybody we’ll play, make or miss.”
Georgetown coach concerned about Curry
Georgetown must overcome hot-shooting Stephen Curry, little Davidson to advance
The Associated Press
Published: March 22, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C.
The Associated Press
Published: March 22, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C.
The tape kept showing Davidson guard Stephen Curry working off multiple screens before catching the ball in traffic. He'd get just the slightest of daylight, and the ball would be out of his hands in an instant with a near-perfect shooting stroke.
It was stomach-churning viewing for Georgetown coach John Thompson III ahead of Sunday's matchup with Curry and the Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA's Midwest Regional.
"Got any suggestions?" Thompson said to a reporter during a news conference Saturday. "Because no one has guarded him yet."
Even mighty Georgetown, the school with the nation's stingiest defense, is concerned about little Davidson and its youthful-looking sophomore with the magic shooting touch.
Two days after Curry hit 8 of 10 3-pointers, scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half, and hit the go-ahead 3 with a minute left in an 82-76 win over Gonzaga, the task of trying to find a way to slow perhaps the best shooter in college basketball rests with Georgetown.
"People are dotting the Is and crossing the Ts when it comes to guarding him, and the kid makes tough, contested shots with guys draped all over him," Thompson said after his film study. "He doesn't need any time to get it off. Most importantly, his teammates do a terrific job of helping him, in terms of screening and the passing."
It makes for an intriguing matchup when 10th-seeded Davidson (27-6) puts the nation's longest winning streak of 23 games on the line against the big, bad Hoyas.
No. 2 seed Georgetown (28-5), a year removed from a run to the Final Four, has a huge height advantage up front with 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert. The Hoyas have an experienced backcourt with Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp. They're coming off a 66-47 rout of Maryland-Baltimore County on Friday when they showed off a deep bench that includes versatile Patrick Ewing Jr.
With a suffocating halfcourt defense, Georgetown is giving up only 57.6 points per game. Opponents are shooting 37 percent from the field.
But they haven't faced Curry yet.
The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry is averaging 25.5 points per game and has made a nation-high 147 3-pointers. His 1,573 points in less than two seasons is more than any other sophomore in the nation.
Curry, shooting 45 percent from 3-point range, almost single-handedly guided the liberal-arts school of 1,700 students to its first NCAA tournament win in 39 years Friday.
It brought the small town 20 miles north of Charlotte to a near complete stop. Players and coaches were adding up their congratulatory text messages, voice mails and e-mails on Saturday.
"I think the record on our team for yesterday was Andrew (Lovedale)," Curry said. "He had about 170-something."
The springy, 6-8 Lovedale grabbed the offensive rebound that led to Curry's winning bucket on Friday. Lovedale and 6-8 senior Thomas Sander are the tallest starters, and will be giving up six inches to Hibbert.
"He's a challenge because we have not faced someone of his size all year long," coach Bob McKillop said. "I would be foolish not to allude to the fact that our guys have played against (UCLA's) Kevin Love and (North Carolina's) Tyler Hansbrough, just to name two of them who are pretty darned good players."
North Carolina held Hansbrough to 14 points and Love to 12. The Wildcats played both powers tough earlier in the season, only to lose.
But Davidson hasn't lost since Dec. 21 against North Carolina State, and will have the crowd behind it on Sunday.
Playing about 160 miles from campus, Davidson's fans will outnumber Georgetown supporters. Plus, North Carolina fans, who will be in the building for the second game pitting the Tar Heels and Arkansas, adopted Davidson on Friday.
Georgetown ended North Carolina's NCAA tournament run last year, meaning the fans in light blue will likely stick with the underdog Wildcats.
"We like hostile environments," insisted Hibbert. "I think when people are yelling at us we do better in those situations. It's another away game for us."
While Hibbert won't have to worry about chasing Curry around the perimeter, Sapp and Wallace will. And Curry is what stands in the way of Georgetown's third consecutive trip to the round of 16.
"We just have to hope that he misses," Thompson said. "And we haven't seen too many games where he's missed."
It was stomach-churning viewing for Georgetown coach John Thompson III ahead of Sunday's matchup with Curry and the Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA's Midwest Regional.
"Got any suggestions?" Thompson said to a reporter during a news conference Saturday. "Because no one has guarded him yet."
Even mighty Georgetown, the school with the nation's stingiest defense, is concerned about little Davidson and its youthful-looking sophomore with the magic shooting touch.
Two days after Curry hit 8 of 10 3-pointers, scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half, and hit the go-ahead 3 with a minute left in an 82-76 win over Gonzaga, the task of trying to find a way to slow perhaps the best shooter in college basketball rests with Georgetown.
"People are dotting the Is and crossing the Ts when it comes to guarding him, and the kid makes tough, contested shots with guys draped all over him," Thompson said after his film study. "He doesn't need any time to get it off. Most importantly, his teammates do a terrific job of helping him, in terms of screening and the passing."
It makes for an intriguing matchup when 10th-seeded Davidson (27-6) puts the nation's longest winning streak of 23 games on the line against the big, bad Hoyas.
No. 2 seed Georgetown (28-5), a year removed from a run to the Final Four, has a huge height advantage up front with 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert. The Hoyas have an experienced backcourt with Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp. They're coming off a 66-47 rout of Maryland-Baltimore County on Friday when they showed off a deep bench that includes versatile Patrick Ewing Jr.
With a suffocating halfcourt defense, Georgetown is giving up only 57.6 points per game. Opponents are shooting 37 percent from the field.
But they haven't faced Curry yet.
The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry is averaging 25.5 points per game and has made a nation-high 147 3-pointers. His 1,573 points in less than two seasons is more than any other sophomore in the nation.
Curry, shooting 45 percent from 3-point range, almost single-handedly guided the liberal-arts school of 1,700 students to its first NCAA tournament win in 39 years Friday.
It brought the small town 20 miles north of Charlotte to a near complete stop. Players and coaches were adding up their congratulatory text messages, voice mails and e-mails on Saturday.
"I think the record on our team for yesterday was Andrew (Lovedale)," Curry said. "He had about 170-something."
The springy, 6-8 Lovedale grabbed the offensive rebound that led to Curry's winning bucket on Friday. Lovedale and 6-8 senior Thomas Sander are the tallest starters, and will be giving up six inches to Hibbert.
"He's a challenge because we have not faced someone of his size all year long," coach Bob McKillop said. "I would be foolish not to allude to the fact that our guys have played against (UCLA's) Kevin Love and (North Carolina's) Tyler Hansbrough, just to name two of them who are pretty darned good players."
North Carolina held Hansbrough to 14 points and Love to 12. The Wildcats played both powers tough earlier in the season, only to lose.
But Davidson hasn't lost since Dec. 21 against North Carolina State, and will have the crowd behind it on Sunday.
Playing about 160 miles from campus, Davidson's fans will outnumber Georgetown supporters. Plus, North Carolina fans, who will be in the building for the second game pitting the Tar Heels and Arkansas, adopted Davidson on Friday.
Georgetown ended North Carolina's NCAA tournament run last year, meaning the fans in light blue will likely stick with the underdog Wildcats.
"We like hostile environments," insisted Hibbert. "I think when people are yelling at us we do better in those situations. It's another away game for us."
While Hibbert won't have to worry about chasing Curry around the perimeter, Sapp and Wallace will. And Curry is what stands in the way of Georgetown's third consecutive trip to the round of 16.
"We just have to hope that he misses," Thompson said. "And we haven't seen too many games where he's missed."
Non-scholarship football schools doing well in basketball
Around FCS: Hoops or Football?
Published: March 21, 2008
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Like most folks interested in sports, I'm keeping a keen eye on the opening rounds of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament this week. But as I'm watching teams like Davidson, Georgetown, Drake, Butler, San Diego and Cornell, I'm thinking about how college basketball impacts the Football Championship Subdivision.
It comes as no surprise that some of the teams that are thriving on the basketball court are non-scholarship schools in FCS.
There has always been a tendency for some schools to divert funds from football to benefit basketball, particularly for colleges that struggle with their budgets. And there have always been schools that have been better-known for their hoops prowess than their gridiron success.
But seldom has there been a year where the rewards for such a strategy have seemed so plentiful.
In all, four teams that compete in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League (Butler, Davidson, Drake and San Diego) made the field in NCAA basketball. Georgetown - a Patriot League member in football - and the Ivy League's Cornell also punched NCAA tickets.
Four of those six (Georgetown, Davidson, Drake and Butler) have notable basketball resumes.
Georgetown has won a national championship. Drake nearly beat Lew Alcindor and UCLA in a Final Four. Davidson has come within an eyelash of a Final Four appearance. Butler's Hinkle Gym was the venue for the film "Hoosiers." And San Diego has made a trio of trips to the NCAA tournament.
Sacred Heart lost to American in the final of the Northeast Conference, to keep another FCS team from reaching the tourney.
American was one of 17 schools without football to reach the NCAAs. Siena and St. Mary's are among those who have dropped their FCS programs in recent years, to the benefit of basketball.
Only four scholarship teams in FCS made the NCAA hoop field - Villanova, Mississippi Valley State, Portland State and Austin Peay. Two of them are known for their basketball, two are not.
Villanova has long been a basketball powerhouse, with two trips to NCAA championship game and one national championship banner hanging from the rafters of its arena. There is little doubt on the Main Line where the Wildcats' fancy lies.
Austin Peay is another school with a rich basketball tradition. Anyone remember Fly Williams? Interestingly, the Governors made the basketball tournament in the same year that they decided to move back to the Ohio Valley Conference in football, and began offering football scholarships again.
Mississippi Valley State made its fourth trip to the NCAA basketball tournament, but more people remember Jerry Rice, Willie Totten, and their football accomplishments than anyone who has played basketball there.
Portland State's basketball program may have been helped by the rising profile of the Vikings' football team, as coach Jerry Glanville has tirelessly promoted the school since being hired a year ago. Whatever the case, PSU earned its first NCAA hoops trip.
One of the more interesting cases of a school de-emphasizing football and seeing its basketball fortunes soar is Davidson, a school that made some noise with an upset over Gonzaga on Friday afternoon.
The Wildcats chose to drop athletic scholarships in football after the 1987 season, and were promptly kicked out of the Southern Conference. Davidson petitioned for reinstatement and was accepted back in every sport but football in 1991. The Wildcats remained a football independent until joining the PFL in 2001.
In the meantime, Davidson has seen a resurgence in its basketball fortunes, hearkening back to days of coaches Lefty Driesell and Terry Holland. The Wildcats have made five NCAA tournament appearances under coach Bob McKillop, including three in succession.
Taking a different approach to helping basketball is Western Kentucky, which matched up with Drake in a first-round tournament encounter on Friday. The Hilltoppers, the 2002 FCS national champions, moved to the Football Bowl Subdivision at least in part due to a stated desire to make its basketball program more attractive.
WKU's football program has gone steadily downhill since their championship run of 2002, and isn't likely to improve much with a frequent diet of money games. But the Hilltoppers, who reached the Final Four in 1971 with center Jim McDaniels patrolling the middle, have long cared more about basketball, with football as a mere afterthought.
Western Kentucky hopes that in moving up to 85 scholarships in football that it will be able to attract a better basketball home than its current Sun Belt Conference locale. The Hilltoppers would like to find themselves in Conference USA, or perhaps the Mid-American Conference, in years to come.
There isn't much love lost around FCS or in WKU's former football league - the Gateway Conference - for the Hilltoppers, due to the bridges they burned on their way out of FCS.
Like most FCS supporters, I was rooting whole-heartedly for Drake in its first-round, overtime battle with Western Kentucky - even thought the Bulldogs came up just a little short of a big upset.
And, I'll continue to root for those FCS schools throughout the NCAA basketball tournament.
Published: March 21, 2008
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Like most folks interested in sports, I'm keeping a keen eye on the opening rounds of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament this week. But as I'm watching teams like Davidson, Georgetown, Drake, Butler, San Diego and Cornell, I'm thinking about how college basketball impacts the Football Championship Subdivision.
It comes as no surprise that some of the teams that are thriving on the basketball court are non-scholarship schools in FCS.
There has always been a tendency for some schools to divert funds from football to benefit basketball, particularly for colleges that struggle with their budgets. And there have always been schools that have been better-known for their hoops prowess than their gridiron success.
But seldom has there been a year where the rewards for such a strategy have seemed so plentiful.
In all, four teams that compete in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League (Butler, Davidson, Drake and San Diego) made the field in NCAA basketball. Georgetown - a Patriot League member in football - and the Ivy League's Cornell also punched NCAA tickets.
Four of those six (Georgetown, Davidson, Drake and Butler) have notable basketball resumes.
Georgetown has won a national championship. Drake nearly beat Lew Alcindor and UCLA in a Final Four. Davidson has come within an eyelash of a Final Four appearance. Butler's Hinkle Gym was the venue for the film "Hoosiers." And San Diego has made a trio of trips to the NCAA tournament.
Sacred Heart lost to American in the final of the Northeast Conference, to keep another FCS team from reaching the tourney.
American was one of 17 schools without football to reach the NCAAs. Siena and St. Mary's are among those who have dropped their FCS programs in recent years, to the benefit of basketball.
Only four scholarship teams in FCS made the NCAA hoop field - Villanova, Mississippi Valley State, Portland State and Austin Peay. Two of them are known for their basketball, two are not.
Villanova has long been a basketball powerhouse, with two trips to NCAA championship game and one national championship banner hanging from the rafters of its arena. There is little doubt on the Main Line where the Wildcats' fancy lies.
Austin Peay is another school with a rich basketball tradition. Anyone remember Fly Williams? Interestingly, the Governors made the basketball tournament in the same year that they decided to move back to the Ohio Valley Conference in football, and began offering football scholarships again.
Mississippi Valley State made its fourth trip to the NCAA basketball tournament, but more people remember Jerry Rice, Willie Totten, and their football accomplishments than anyone who has played basketball there.
Portland State's basketball program may have been helped by the rising profile of the Vikings' football team, as coach Jerry Glanville has tirelessly promoted the school since being hired a year ago. Whatever the case, PSU earned its first NCAA hoops trip.
One of the more interesting cases of a school de-emphasizing football and seeing its basketball fortunes soar is Davidson, a school that made some noise with an upset over Gonzaga on Friday afternoon.
The Wildcats chose to drop athletic scholarships in football after the 1987 season, and were promptly kicked out of the Southern Conference. Davidson petitioned for reinstatement and was accepted back in every sport but football in 1991. The Wildcats remained a football independent until joining the PFL in 2001.
In the meantime, Davidson has seen a resurgence in its basketball fortunes, hearkening back to days of coaches Lefty Driesell and Terry Holland. The Wildcats have made five NCAA tournament appearances under coach Bob McKillop, including three in succession.
Taking a different approach to helping basketball is Western Kentucky, which matched up with Drake in a first-round tournament encounter on Friday. The Hilltoppers, the 2002 FCS national champions, moved to the Football Bowl Subdivision at least in part due to a stated desire to make its basketball program more attractive.
WKU's football program has gone steadily downhill since their championship run of 2002, and isn't likely to improve much with a frequent diet of money games. But the Hilltoppers, who reached the Final Four in 1971 with center Jim McDaniels patrolling the middle, have long cared more about basketball, with football as a mere afterthought.
Western Kentucky hopes that in moving up to 85 scholarships in football that it will be able to attract a better basketball home than its current Sun Belt Conference locale. The Hilltoppers would like to find themselves in Conference USA, or perhaps the Mid-American Conference, in years to come.
There isn't much love lost around FCS or in WKU's former football league - the Gateway Conference - for the Hilltoppers, due to the bridges they burned on their way out of FCS.
Like most FCS supporters, I was rooting whole-heartedly for Drake in its first-round, overtime battle with Western Kentucky - even thought the Bulldogs came up just a little short of a big upset.
And, I'll continue to root for those FCS schools throughout the NCAA basketball tournament.
Curry future NBAer (Let's hope for the 2010 NBA draft)
He might look like he's 16 years old, but he shoots like a seasoned pro. I didn't see Stephen Curry's name on the top of any lists of likely top NBA draft picks heading into March Madness, but he's certainly on mine now.
Check out...
the Charlotte Observer's Above the Rim blog. Lots of Davidson stuff.
Also, Davidson's Charlotte Observer page.
Also, Davidson's Charlotte Observer page.
Lefty thinks Davidson can beat the Hoyas
Davidson's rise reminds coach of Lefty's strong run with team in '60s
The Virginian-Pilot
March 23, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C.
The Virginian-Pilot
March 23, 2008
RALEIGH, N.C.
Lefty Driesell's name was mentioned here in the break between first- and second-round NCAA t ournament games.
Davidson College, one of the schools where Driesell coached, is back on the national radar as it heads into this afternoon's game against No. 2 seed Georgetown. When the 10th seed toppled Gonzaga on Friday, it marked the Wildcats' first tournament victory since 1969, Driesell's last season with the school.
For a fleeting moment Saturday afternoon, Bob McKillop waxed nostalgic about an era when tiny Davidson was a prominent player on the national stage. That was before Driesell departed for Maryland and the balance of power in college basketball shifted even further to schools from heavyweight conferences.
What Driesell accomplished in the ' 60s, McKillop said, was no less than "one of the extraordinary stories in college annals."
"Well, he's probably right," Driesell said Saturday from his Virginia Beach home, laughing over the phone at the happy memories.
"Davidson's kind of always been my favorite, because it was my first college job," he added. "I was only 28 years old when I went there."
It was a different era, to say the least.
"I grew up in a time period," said the 57-year-old McKillop, in his 19th year as Wildcats head coach, "when people wanted to go to Davidson College."
People, young men and women, still clamor to attend the small, academically rigorous school - enrollment 1,700 - located just outside of Charlotte, N.C.
"Players," McKillop said. That's what he meant.
Stephen Curry is a player; the most compelling in the tournament to date. Curry is at Davidson, though, only because Virginia Tech and other schools rejected him.
Forty-five years ago, Driesell fought more or less on even terms in his recruiting battles, even though Davidson's enrollment at the time was less than 1,000 and all male. The Lefthander didn't earn his reputation as a master recruiter by accident.
"The thing that I sold was, Davidson is a great academic school," he said.
The second syllable of Lefty's last name is "sell." Could he ever. Before the 1964-65 season, Sports Illustrated picked Davidson as its No. 1 team. His final season at Davidson, his team finished No. 3 in the polls.
"See if there's ever been a school ranked as high for as many years as we were with 900 men in the school," he said. "Only men."
For Lefty, Charlie Scott was the one that got away. Scott verbally committed to Davidson before signing with North Carolina and Dean Smith. In 1969, in Driesell's final game for Davidson, it was Scott who hit the game-winning shot at the East Regional final that kept Davidson from reaching the Final Four.
That game lives on for fans who recall Driesell's catalogue of heartbreak, but no one of any age could possibly imagine Davidson and North Carolina in a recruiting battle for the same player today. It would never happen.
McKillop understands his program's limitations, but he's put together a team that, with an upset today, could create something of a national identity of its own.
With a 23-game winning streak, the longest in the nation, and Curry firing from the outside, who's to say that Davidson doesn't have a chance against bigger, stronger Georgetown?
Not Lefty.
"When you've got a guy who can shoot like that," he said, "you can beat anybody."
Davidson knows what to expect from Georgetown because McKillop scheduled the big boys this season, losing by only four points to North Carolina in Charlotte in November, and falling to UCLA and Duke.
"Bobby's done a great job of getting them playing together," said Driesell. "I'd like to see them go to the Final Four like George Mason did a couple years ago."
Davidson's success has Lefty feeling frisky.
"I might come down for the game," he said, "if I can get someone to come with me. And if I can get a ticket."
That last part should be no problem.
--Bob Molinaro
Davidson College, one of the schools where Driesell coached, is back on the national radar as it heads into this afternoon's game against No. 2 seed Georgetown. When the 10th seed toppled Gonzaga on Friday, it marked the Wildcats' first tournament victory since 1969, Driesell's last season with the school.
For a fleeting moment Saturday afternoon, Bob McKillop waxed nostalgic about an era when tiny Davidson was a prominent player on the national stage. That was before Driesell departed for Maryland and the balance of power in college basketball shifted even further to schools from heavyweight conferences.
What Driesell accomplished in the ' 60s, McKillop said, was no less than "one of the extraordinary stories in college annals."
"Well, he's probably right," Driesell said Saturday from his Virginia Beach home, laughing over the phone at the happy memories.
"Davidson's kind of always been my favorite, because it was my first college job," he added. "I was only 28 years old when I went there."
It was a different era, to say the least.
"I grew up in a time period," said the 57-year-old McKillop, in his 19th year as Wildcats head coach, "when people wanted to go to Davidson College."
People, young men and women, still clamor to attend the small, academically rigorous school - enrollment 1,700 - located just outside of Charlotte, N.C.
"Players," McKillop said. That's what he meant.
Stephen Curry is a player; the most compelling in the tournament to date. Curry is at Davidson, though, only because Virginia Tech and other schools rejected him.
Forty-five years ago, Driesell fought more or less on even terms in his recruiting battles, even though Davidson's enrollment at the time was less than 1,000 and all male. The Lefthander didn't earn his reputation as a master recruiter by accident.
"The thing that I sold was, Davidson is a great academic school," he said.
The second syllable of Lefty's last name is "sell." Could he ever. Before the 1964-65 season, Sports Illustrated picked Davidson as its No. 1 team. His final season at Davidson, his team finished No. 3 in the polls.
"See if there's ever been a school ranked as high for as many years as we were with 900 men in the school," he said. "Only men."
For Lefty, Charlie Scott was the one that got away. Scott verbally committed to Davidson before signing with North Carolina and Dean Smith. In 1969, in Driesell's final game for Davidson, it was Scott who hit the game-winning shot at the East Regional final that kept Davidson from reaching the Final Four.
That game lives on for fans who recall Driesell's catalogue of heartbreak, but no one of any age could possibly imagine Davidson and North Carolina in a recruiting battle for the same player today. It would never happen.
McKillop understands his program's limitations, but he's put together a team that, with an upset today, could create something of a national identity of its own.
With a 23-game winning streak, the longest in the nation, and Curry firing from the outside, who's to say that Davidson doesn't have a chance against bigger, stronger Georgetown?
Not Lefty.
"When you've got a guy who can shoot like that," he said, "you can beat anybody."
Davidson knows what to expect from Georgetown because McKillop scheduled the big boys this season, losing by only four points to North Carolina in Charlotte in November, and falling to UCLA and Duke.
"Bobby's done a great job of getting them playing together," said Driesell. "I'd like to see them go to the Final Four like George Mason did a couple years ago."
Davidson's success has Lefty feeling frisky.
"I might come down for the game," he said, "if I can get someone to come with me. And if I can get a ticket."
That last part should be no problem.
--Bob Molinaro
From NY Times
For the Currys, a Keen Shooting Eye Runs in the Family
RALEIGH, N.C. — Dell Curry spent 16 seasons smooth-shooting his way through the N.B.A. as a guard for Utah, Cleveland, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Toronto. He was a model of consistency from behind the 3-point arc, which inevitably made him unbeatable in all of those family games of H-O-R-S-E.
That was until one day last year, when Curry finally lost. The winner? Stephen Curry, Dell’s son and a guard for the Davidson Wildcats.
“Right now I have the win streak going,” Stephen Curry said Thursday. “He can still shoot, so competitions are pretty even.”
Stephen Curry can shoot a little, too, as Gonzaga found out on Friday. Curry scored 40 points to lead 10th-seeded Davidson to an 82-76 victory against No. 7 Gonzaga in a Midwest Region first-round game at the RBC Center. It was the first tournament victory in 39 years for Davidson, and it sent the Wildcats into a second-round game against No. 2 Georgetown on Sunday.
Curry’s performance came in front of his parents, who are regulars at Davidson games and watched from the front row.
“It was amazing, man,” said Dell Curry, who retired from the N.B.A. in 2002 and now works for the Charlotte Bobcats. “I tell you, I know what my parents felt like now.”
Click here for entire article.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Dell Curry spent 16 seasons smooth-shooting his way through the N.B.A. as a guard for Utah, Cleveland, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Toronto. He was a model of consistency from behind the 3-point arc, which inevitably made him unbeatable in all of those family games of H-O-R-S-E.
That was until one day last year, when Curry finally lost. The winner? Stephen Curry, Dell’s son and a guard for the Davidson Wildcats.
“Right now I have the win streak going,” Stephen Curry said Thursday. “He can still shoot, so competitions are pretty even.”
Stephen Curry can shoot a little, too, as Gonzaga found out on Friday. Curry scored 40 points to lead 10th-seeded Davidson to an 82-76 victory against No. 7 Gonzaga in a Midwest Region first-round game at the RBC Center. It was the first tournament victory in 39 years for Davidson, and it sent the Wildcats into a second-round game against No. 2 Georgetown on Sunday.
Curry’s performance came in front of his parents, who are regulars at Davidson games and watched from the front row.
“It was amazing, man,” said Dell Curry, who retired from the N.B.A. in 2002 and now works for the Charlotte Bobcats. “I tell you, I know what my parents felt like now.”
Click here for entire article.