The best thing about Davidson's run? There could easily be a sequel

By Bryan Montgomery
Staff Writer

Every year has one. Your bracket hates them, but you as a college basketball fan can’t help but root for them. The famed “Cinderella Team.” From the Texas Western Miners of 1966 to George Mason’s run to the final four in 2006, there is always a story of a surprise team that shocks the world. This year, the team was the Davidson Wildcats, but in many ways, this should not have been a shock to anyone who knows the game and has laid eyes on Stephen Curry.

The Wildcats earned their spot in the NCAA tournament by winning their last 19 games of the regular season, going 20-0 in the Southern Conference (SoCon). Davidson then steamrolled through the SoCon postseason tournament, winning the tournament by defeating their opponents by an average margin of 29 points (Wofford 82-49, UNC Greensboro 82-52, and Elon 65-49). This was the third year in a row that the Wildcats found themselves in the Big Dance.

In their first game, the Wildcats faced off against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Raleigh, North Carolina. Many experts picked Davidson to win the game, and many sports fans picked the upset in their bracket. But what no one expected was the day that Stephen Curry was about to have.

The 6-foot 3-inch sophomore shooting guard shot 14-22 from inside and 8-10 from 3-Point range, ending the game with 40 points, which was the high for the tournament in the first round, and has yet to be broken in this year’s tournament. Immediately, the attention turned to Davidson and the shooting ability of Stephen Curry, which had been present all season, but was finally getting the attention it deserved. During the regular season, Curry scored an average of 26 points per game, and shot on the season 48 percent of his field goals, 44 percent of his 3-point shots, and 90 percent of his free-throw attempts.

In the second round of the tournament, Davidson faced off against the Midwest region No. 2 seed Georgetown, runners-up in the Big East Championship, led by 7-foot 2-inch senior Roy Hibbart. Curry started out the game cold, scoring only five points in the first half, as Davidson found themselves behind 38-27 at halftime. But Curry got hot in the second half, scoring 25 of his 30 total points, as Davidson managed to gain the lead late from Georgetown and keep a 74-70 advantage to send themselves to the sweet sixteen, one of three double-digit seeds to make the third round.

Wisconsin was seen as a dangerous opponent for Davidson, as the power of Brian Butch inside the paint, combined with a strict outside pressure would surely keep Stephen Curry contained and help Wisconsin run away with the win.

The story, however was the containment that the Wildcats put on the Badgers in the second half, holding the region’s No. 3 seed to 20 points as the Wildcats moved on to the elite eight with a 73-56 win. Stephen Curry scored 33 points, scoring more than 30 points for the third straight game.

So, now Davidson was facing one of the best teams in the nation, the Kansas Jayhawks, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

Davidson had an undefeated conference record, a 25-game winning streak — and one of the hottest shooting guards in the country, Stephen Curry — under their belt. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

The national championship favorite showed how much power and resilency that they had, but they did not last the game uncontested. With 15 seconds left in the game, and Kansas up by two, the only person who could take the shot for Davidson had the ball in his hands, and he was shooting up the court. But Curry was guarded by many Kansas defenders, and at the last second, passed the ball to his teammate, Jason Richards, who took the shot as time expired … and it went off the backboard. Final score: Kansas 59, Davidson 57.

But there should be no reason to fret, dear college basketball fans. Two fantastic things happened to the Davidson Wildcats over the last month. First, the team has not left the Southern Conference. As a mid-major conference, it is easy for one team to dominate the conference with ease, and with three championships in a row under Davidson’s belt, they can be considered a near lock to win either the regular season or post-season championship in the SoCon.

Secondly, Stephen Curry, the sure NBA lottery pick, decided that he will stay for his junior season, although due to the loss of seniors on the team he will have to be moved to point guard instead of shooting guard. Expect Curry, who was named the MVP for the Midwest region to slide well into his new position, and expect Davidson to make another great run next March.

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Montgomery: The best things about Davidson's run? There could easily be a sequel