NCAA Tournament Sleeper: Davidson

Andrew Kneeland lays his chips on the Wildcats.

by Andrew Kneeland (Senior Writer)

25 comments

2100 reads

March 17, 2008

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NCAA, College Basketball, Davidson Basketball, Southern Conference Basketball, Bracketbreaker Challenge

This year's men's NCAA Tournament features quite possibly the worst Field of 65 there has ever been.

If ever there was a year for a low seed (seeded 6 through 16) to reach the Sweet Sixteen, it's 2008.

Davidson went undefeated in the Southern Division of the Southern Conference, but has yet to capture the attention of the majority of America.

The Wildcats have one of the best shooting guards in the NCAA in Stephen Curry, and should make a strong push for the Sweet Sixteen—and possibly beyond.

The Wildcats are also the hottest team in the country right now, as they have won 22 games in a row, all but three by double digits. Head coach Bob McKillop thinks that their undefeated conference play this year won't go unrecognized:

"I think college coaches understand what a 20-0 conference record is," he says. "Every night there are no gimmes, there are no guarantees. So for 20 games we were able to come out on top. Some teams can do it for 10, for 12, for 14, for 16. I think 20 is quite an accomplishment."

The leader on this Davidson team is obviously Curry. Curry won the Player of the Year award in the Southern Conference, and also won the respect of his coach.

Curry averages 25.2 points per game. He is the eighth-best free throw shooter in the NCAA (89.6 percent), the second best in three-pointers made (134), and third in three-pointers per game (4.3).

While Curry is definitely the star, though, it doesn't mean that the Wildcats are one-dimensional.

Jason Richards, a senior point guard, leads the NCAA with 7.9 assists per game. He is a playmaker who knows how to find the open man. Richards averages 13 points per game and made 52 three-pointers this year.

He also has the respect of his coach:

"He's the consummate quarterback," McKillop of Richards. "He's a guy that understands our system, executes our system, gets the ball to the right player at the right time."

There is also the talented Max Paulhus Gosselin. Gosselin is a superb defensive player and rarely turns the ball over.

When we move to the Davidson frontcourt, we find more of the same: playmakers.

Andrew Lovedale, Boris Meno, and Thomas Sander are the veteran post players. All three can change a game by themselves if given the chance.

Davidson is clearly a young, fast team that loves the outside shot. They will control the tempo of any game they're in. They're in great physical condition, and they have a coach who believes in them.

I expect them to beat Gonzaga, and then I expect them to upset the Georgetown Hoyas in a close game.

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comments (25) write a comment »

reply to comment by Alex
4 months ago

It's funny that this is on the front page because just a few hours ago I was teasing my friend because he had Davidson in the Final Four on his bracket. I guess it could happen, it just seems unlikely.
reply to comment by Bailey
4 months ago

What do you mean by low seed? 10-16? 8-16?

I think Pargo will match Richards if not outplay him. Curry will be the best player on the court. If they get past the Zags, can Davidson match Georgetown's size?

I view Arizona to be a more probably 10 vs. 2 match-up.
1. by Cameron
  from 4 months ago
  
  except that 2 team is Duke compared to Georgetown. Arizona struggled immensly this year and I can definately see an upset over Georgetown instead of Duke. Coach K. is better at his job.
  
  Good article, similar to what I wrote on Davidson as the sleeper.
2. by Andrew
  from 4 months ago
  
  By low seed I mean a team that is seeded 6-16. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
reply to comment by Will
4 months ago

I think that my beloved Zags will defeat the wildcats. Pargo, Downs & Bouldin love to go to the hole and we have three capable big men with 15 fouls to give up. Plus we play 8-9 guys and our frosh Daye & Gray are the best kept secret in Div 1. It should be a great game though.
reply to comment by JJ
4 months ago

I was very tempted to pick Davidson over G-Town, but if the good Hibbert shows up, Davidson won't be able to contain him.

Although, what you said about them is 100% correct–they love to run and shoot the three. I guess I could see them running Hibbert to death and raining threes...
1. by Andrew
  from 4 months ago
  
  Thanks for the comment.
  
  One of the best solutions to besting a big man, (when you have no big man on your team), is to keep the tempo up and keep the legs fresh so you can throw up the threes all day.
  
  But, like you said, the good Hibbert might not even show up. If that is the case, Davidson should have almost no trouble beating Georgetown.
  
  But we're forgetting about Gonzaga...oh well...
reply to comment by Jay
4 months ago

I think Davidson beats Georgetown if they limit Hibbert's touches. Get him into foul trouble early and Davidson could be a sweet 16 team in no time at all.
1. by Andrew
  from 4 months ago
  
  I agree. Hibbert is the key. If Davidson can stop him, I'll get myself a Bleacher Report T-shirt.
reply to comment by David
4 months ago

If Davidson contains Hibbert, then it has to deal with Wallace, Summers, and Sapp...not sure if they'll be able to do that
reply to comment by Ian
4 months ago

I like Davidson a lot, I have them winning in the first round. But it will be extremely difficult for them to get by Georgetown in the 2nd round. I dont think Davidson has the size to contain Hibbert or Ewing off the bench.
1. by Andrew
  from 4 months ago
  
  Remember, it's Ewing Jr. He's not his father by any means.
  
  But, like I said before, if Davidson can contain the big men, they should get it done.
reply to comment by Max
4 months ago

containing Hibbert is a pretty big if, any 7 or 10 seed will have its work cut out for it playing a 2
reply to comment by Isaac
4 months ago

I'm almost certain they'll beat Gonzaga. Davidson is one of those teams that is so used to winning they stumble in to it in the tournament. They were very close to beating some powers early in the season and they are much better then they were when they played those games.

I'm still undecided if I'm having them beat Georgetown though. The Hoyas are an experienced team that knows how to win in the tournament.
1. by Andrew
  from 4 months ago
  
  Thanks for the comment, Issac. (Sorry about Ryan Mobley)
  
  It is hard to beat a team that has won over twenty games in a row, and we'll see how Gonzaga handles it. Should be a great game.
reply to comment by Andrew
4 months ago

Davidson is a cohesive unit with a solid backcourt. It'll be tough to beat Gonzaga AND Georgetown, though. I think the Wildcats can do it.
reply to comment by Michael
4 months ago

Good article. You beat me to the punch writing about Davidson as a sleeper.
1. by Andrew
  from 4 months ago
  
  You can still go ahead, if you want. I think that it would still count as an entry, if it meets the requirements.
  
  Thanks for the comment.
2. by Zander
  from 4 months ago
  
  It would absolutely count as an entry—everyone gets one pick. You can pick the same team as another writer...and if your sleeper team makes it to the Sweet Sixteen, you win one of our sweet new T-Shirts.
reply to comment by Andrew
4 months ago

Davidson is in my Sweet 16.
reply to comment by Anonymous
4 months ago

Mr. Kneeland, congratulations for proving to be 100 percent correct. The result always decides.
1. by Andrew
  from 4 months ago
  
  Thanks, but I was worried early on and into the second half. A player by the name of Stephon Curry was the difference.
reply to comment by David
4 months ago

Congrats on the prediction. I stand corrected. Enjoy your BR t-shirt
reply to comment by Bryan
4 months ago

Oh man, that's awesome that you get a BR T-shirt. Congrats! That was a gutsy pick...
1. by Andrew
  from 4 months ago
  
  Thanks, but I don't think Davidson is done there. If they can handle Hibbert's Hoyas, they should be able to contain Wisconsin. Don't bet on it, though.