Introducing the 2008 NCAA Tournament Cinderellas: The Davidson Wildcats

The 2008 NCAA Tournament is being seen as a tournament where the nation's top teams are just too good to lose to the lesser ranked teams.

This creates a scenario where a Cinderella team for 2008 is unlikely, according to the experts like Dick Vitale.

I think the Davidson Wildcats have as good a shot as any of knocking off one of the top seeds in any region. Earlier in the season, they came within four points of North Carolina and six of Duke.

Those are two of the best teams in college basketball that barely escaped Davidson with a win. The main factor in Davidson's 22-game winning streak is star player Stephen Curry. Curry is averaging 25.1 points per game and is in the Top 5 in scoring in the country.

Curry is a big-game player and is not afraid to come at opponents by putting it on the floor. This type of player tends to get to the line quite a bit and in close games in the NCAA tournament, where many games come down to free throws.

The Sweet 16 is not out of sight as long as the Wildcats can find a way past Gonzaga and then an expected matchup against Georgetown.

Defensively, Davidson can match up and run with the best of them, but secondary scoring has been the Achilles heel of this team throughout the year. Jason Richards is next in line after Curry and is able to put points on the board, but averaging just over 12 points per game is weak for a No. 2 scorer when comparing with the top teams.

Wayne Ellington, for example, is the No. 2 man on North Carolina's squad behind Tyler Hansbrough and is averaging 16.7 points per game.

Defense and free-throw shooting are two major factors in the NCAA tournament and Davidson is good at both. Look for the Wildcats to upset a couple teams this weekend.