“We came two points away from the Final Four with a 1,700-student school in the Southern Conference.”. He is so old he covered Bob Knight when he had dark hair and basketball shorts were actually short.The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. Curry pointed to his parents in the stands as he retreated down court, even then playing to the moment. Mike Lopresti is a member of the US Basketball Writers Hall of Fame, Ball State journalism Hall of Fame and Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame. LeBron James. Steph vs. the world. It was the kind of feel-good underdog story that puts the heart into March. But a team with Steph Curry was about to go—or not go—to the Final Four based on someone else’s skills. March 21, 2008. Sweet 16, No. “One thing I do remember is we weren’t nervous,” Richards said. Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half and little Davidson upset mighty Georgetown 74-70 on Sunday to reach the NCAA tournament's round of 16. 40 PTS 14-22 FG 8 … But Wildcats coach Bob McKillop kept things light, asking his team during a timeout if they were having fun, despite the large deficit. 19 Richmond predicted, LSU stuns No. The Wildcats storm back to win 74-70. 2 seed Georgetown leads Davidson 46-29 with 17:52 left. WIS (3) 56: Final: DAV (10) 73 NOVA (12) 57: Final: KU (1) 72 MSU (5) 74: Final: MEM (1) 92 TEX (2) 82: Final: STAN (3) 62 via Sports Logos.net. But junior forward Andrew Lovedale, born in Nigeria and raised in England, chased down the offensive rebound. Second-seeded Georgetown and its tough defense, anchored by 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert, was next up. “I wasn’t worried about him,” Richards says. I did see the play when (Mario) Chalmers hit his shot (to save Kansas in the title game with Memphis), but I stayed away from TV.”. That was thanks in large part to the tournament committee, which placed Davidson in Raleigh, North Carolina, roughly 150 miles from the school’s campus. Curry that day: “It hurts a lot to get so far, be this close to the Final Four.”, MORE: Naismith Award 10 semifinalists announced |. But we fought back and ended up winning the game.”. “I certainly don’t have any desire to go back and look at some of that footage that might make me second guess.”. March Madness predictions: Here's how your bracket will do if you only pick the better-seeded team. A "play-in" game determined which of the two lowest seeds would play in the first round of 64 against a top seed team. Richards was the picture of agony, falling on to his back as the Jayhawks celebrated around him. “It still is a very vibrant, very vivid, exhilarating memory that touches everyone in the Davidson community. He’d averaged 13 points and 1.6 threes per game on the season, and in the tourney he’d scored 53 points to go with his 36 assists. After a Kansas miss, the Wildcats had 17 seconds left, and one last chance. North Carolina, Duke, UCLA. The Wildcats had not won an NCAA Tournament game in 39 years. When the Wildcats lost by one point at North Carolina State on Dec. 21, they were 4-6. Complete NCAA Tournament history for the Davidson Wildcats. The odds are against them, but they've been there before. “It changed the life of Davidson basketball. March 21, 2008: Stephen Curry scores 40 points against Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, Steph wasn’t a five-star recruit in high school. Kansas answered back for a 59-53 lead with 1:15 to go, but a four-point Davidson possession – free throw, Jayhawks losing the rebound of a second missed free throw out of bounds, Curry 3-pointer – cut it to 59-57. In 2008, Davidson defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Georgetown Hoyas, and Wisconsin Badgers to advance to the Elite Eight. He released the three-pointer with 1:05 to play, and it was so pure it barely moved the net. “I’d be lying to you if I said that shot didn’t replay in my mind every couple of days. All contents © 2020 The Slate Group LLC. 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. And when the Wildcats hit the Sweet 16, the school offered free bus transportation and ticket to any student who wanted to go to Detroit. 2 Georgetown in the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008 (Midwest Region). 6 Florida in Saturday night thriller. Posted by /r/CollegeBasketball. Plus, you can follow all the games on your desktop with our discreet RealTime Scoreboard.. Also, don't miss Blue Ribbon's analysis of Davidson and all 65 teams. Curry was back at Davidson the next season and led the nation in scoring, but the Wildcats could not recapture the same electricity. And then Curry got hot. Curry missed 10 of his first 12 shots against the Hoyas, but he never stopped running defenders around and through a myriad of screens. And you'll never see this message again. He scores 25, but has to shoot 9-for-25 to get them. “It’s always in your mind, asking yourself, How could it have been different? Obviously I missed it, but I would take it again if I had the opportunity. The Selection Committeeseeded the entire field from 1 to 65 within four regionals of 16 teams; Mount St. Mary's, as the winner of the play-in game, automatically received a 16 seed. He would be after March 2008. Like the rest of us, he watches Curry closely. Wisconsin vs. Davidson Box Score, March 28, 2008. They did not lose again in the regular season. Curry hits 33, is picking up legions of new fans, including the familiar face applauding from his courtside seat. 1 seeds made the Final Four: Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA. The Badgers lead the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 53 points a game. Not his time. Stephen Curry led 10-seed Davidson to the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA tournament after scoring 40 points against Gonzaga, 30 against Georgetown, 33 against Wisconsin and 25 against Kansas. As a sophomore at Davidson in 2007-08, Curry lit up college basketball, averaging 25.9 points and hitting 4.5 three-pointers a night before taking his game to another level in March Madness. The play was to be a high screen to get Curry some space to shoot. “I want to say about 1200 of the 1700 went,” McKillop said. “Kansas was big at every position,” Richards says, “especially guard. Curry personally outscored Wisconsin 22-20 in the second half, as LeBron James watched from the stands and paid a royal visit to the victorious locker room. He had led the nation in assists that season, as Robin to Curry’s Batman. The Bulldogs extended their zone almost to half-court to deny Curry the ball, and Quebecois guard Max Paulhus Gosselin—MPG to his teammates—missed a rushed jumper. We became the darlings of that year, with Steph being our guy, our leader. “We always worked on special situations like that in practice, and attention to detail was key to our success,” Richards notes, “so Andrew’s rebound and kick-out to Steph was just second nature for him and us.” Curry had begun to retreat back on defense, but raced to the three-point line when he saw his team still had the ball. © 2020 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. I remember when we were sitting there -- I think we were 4-6 at the time -- thinking to ourselves, we can’t let this get us down. The Wildcats challenged some of the best programs in the country, including North Carolina, Duke, North Carolina State, and UCLA. He remains friends with his former backcourt partner, even staying with him in northern California during the NBA playoffs. “People around the basketball world knew how good Steph was, but that put him on the map, because everyone watches the NCAA Tournament. “It changed my life,” McKillop said. “We ran the same play we ran against Georgetown a lot, a high ball screen with Steph having the ball up top,” Richards says. All top-10 teams on the docket. Too bad, Davidson’s fairy tale couldn’t have lasted one week longer – as it did two years earlier for George Mason, as it would two years later for Butler. He took the nation by storm, and ran with it.”. davidson’s 2008 ncaa tournament run Davidson closed a 1-point favorite in the first round in nearby Raleigh, NC. “We never felt we dug ourselves too big of a hole,” Richards says. 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