Cinderella Madness Simulated College Basketball Tourney: Davidson vs Geo. Mason

Cinderella Madness

WhatIfSports.com and CollegeHoops.net have partnered up to bring you Cinderella Madness 2012.

This college basketball simulation tournament features 16 of the most memorable Cinderella stories from the past eight seasons. We invited teams outside the Big Six conferences, seeded 7th or lower that advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in their bracket to participate.

Utilizing our award-winning college basketball simulation engine, we "played" each matchup 501 times.

View the 16-team Cinderella Madness bracket

Bob McKillop's crew is quickly gaining a rep for their last-second heroics, and the Wildcats were propelled by another buzzer-beater in Cinderella Madness, this time with backup William Archambault serving as star in Davidson's 74-72 upending of George Mason to earn their way into the championship round.

In a matchup featuring two of the more celebrated mid-majors battling for a spot to slide into Cinderella's glass slipper, the Patriots appeared in control for most of the contest, building an 11-point advantage with nine minutes to go in the second half. Yet Davidson answered with a fury of layups and long balls, tying the game with just two minutes to go.

After Lamar Butler and Steph Curry traded jumpers, the Davidson defense was able to post a crucial stop, giving the Wildcats a chance to take the lead with just seconds remaining. The assassin Curry was wide with his attempt, but a heads-up play by the shooting guard led to his own rebound, which was then kicked out to the seldom-used Archambault. A sweet fadeaway found nothing but net, propelling the Wildcats to glory.

Curry once again led the Wildcats, throwing in 25 points and coming up big on the defensive end with three steals and two swats. Andrew Lovedale contributed with 14 points and nine boards, and Jason Richards had another solid outing to the tune of 10 points, seven assists and six boards.

Player of the game: Stephen Curry (25 points, 2 blocks, 3 steals)

Winning Percentage of 501 Simulations: '08 Davidson 61.9% - '06 George Mason 38.1%