Curry, Davidson Continue Magical Ride

[March 29, 2008]  DETROIT (AP) -- Stephen Curry knocked down yet another 3, thumped his chest and pointed skyward. Heavens yes, Davidson is marching on. Curry scored more than 30 points for a third straight game, and the 10th-seeded Wildcats pulled off another stunner Friday night, rolling over third-seeded Wisconsin 73-56 to advance to the Midwest Regional finals.

Davidson (29-6) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 25. The Wildcats will play the winner of the Villanova-Kansas game on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four.

Yes, add another defensive powerhouse to Curry's list of victims. A week after shredding Gonzaga and Georgetown's vaunted defenses, the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry dismantled the Badgers and defensive specialist Michael Flowers.

Curry outscored the Badgers all by himself in the second half, 22-20.

Wisconsin (31-5) was holding opponents to 53.9 points, best in the nation, and hadn't allowed Kansas State a single 3-point basket in the second round.

But instead of being intimidated by the big stage - not to mention the monstrous Ford Field venue - Curry and Davidson played with such ease and attitude they may as well have been in their cozy little gym back home.

And it did feel a little like home with Davidson's rowdy cheering section. The Board of Trustees popped for the trip - bus fare, tickets and a hotel room - for students who wanted to make the 11-hour ride from North Carolina, and a few hundred took them up on the offer.

The Wildcats shot 49 percent, including 12-of-24 from 3-point range. Curry finished with 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including six 3-pointers. Jason Richards had 11 points and 13 assists.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Davidson fans bounced up and down and a few chanted, "Rock, chalk, Jayhawk!" in reference to top-seeded Kansas. The Wildcats, meanwhile, calmly shook hands as if they expected to be here all along. And why not, when they have someone as sensational as Curry.

This marked the second time in three tournaments that a double-digit seed got this far. In 2006, 11th-seeded George Mason reached the Final Four. This is the farthest Davidson has advanced since Lefty Driesell's squad reached the regional finals in 1969, where the Wildcats lost to North Carolina.

The big, brawny Badgers were supposed to overpower Davidson, but it was Wisconsin that looked overmatched. Despite four players in double figures, the Badgers never found their rhythm offensively. And the defense that was so fearsome all year never materialized.

Time and again Wisconsin would score only to have Davidson race down the court and make a basket of its own a mere seconds later.

Still, the Badgers were within 48-45 with 13:48 to play on Marcus Landry's jumper. That's when Curry took over.

He made a 3, and Richards stole the ball on the other end. Racing upcourt, Richards found Curry camped in the corner all by himself and dished off. Joe Krabbenhoft - a member of the Big Ten's all-defensive team - sprinted toward Curry and jumped, hoping to block the shot.

But Curry calmly waited until Krabbenhoft flew by him and then, with that silky smooth shot that's becoming a signature of this year's tournament, made another 3 to put Davidson up 54-45 with 13:03 to play.

As his teammates cheered, Curry thumped his chest and pointed high. The basket gave him 23 points - twice as many as anybody else on the court - and was his fifth 3-pointer of the night.

And he wasn't done yet.

Davidson had run the shot clock almost all the way down, looking for something. Curry finally took an off-balance shot from NBA 3-point range, falling as he released the ball. No matter. It was good, just like almost everything else he did Friday night.

And a minute later, he scored on a sweet inside reverse, drawing a foul and the admiration of everybody in the arena - including LeBron James.

The NBA star had praised Curry earlier this week and, on the eve of a game against the Detroit Pistons, was parked a few rows behind the Wildcats bench with the rest of the exuberant Davidson fans.

Flowers led the Badgers with 12. Brian Butch and Jason Bohannon added 11 each.

[Associated Press; By NANCY ARMOUR]

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