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.
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6 months ago
You're right that Curry is more of a prolific scorer than the Zags or Hoya's can boast. But can Davidson match the size of the Zags or the Hoyas? It has to be more than a one man show (exception: Caremlo Anthony, 2003).
6 months ago
Zags are very deep and got some size in the middle. Zags are a better defensive team this year, than past's tournament teams. I don't think Davidson can hang the whole game with the Zags, unless they have a huge lead and then hang on for dear life. But at the end, the better team will prevail....GO Zags!
6 months ago
Davidson playing in Raleigh for the first two rounds is a huge advantage. Davidson fans will show up in droves and lead them to victory, I believe.
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