It was a great story. It is what March Madness is all about. A tiny school in suburban Charlotte with an enrollment nearly 1,700 students can make a dramtatic run to the Elite Eight.
They have a guard nobody wanted, son of an NBA sharpshooter. Stephen Curry, his first name still misprounced by college basketball experts around the country, has averaged 34.3 points per game in three NCAA Tournament games en route to a showdown against big, bad Kansas. He has led tenth-seeded Davidson on another George Mason-like run deep into the dance.
Davidson was the lower-seed in all three of its tournament victories. Among the victims was a former giant-killer now power program from the west, Gonzaga. Then, second-seed Georgetown, a team many pundits had pegged for the Final Four. In the Sweet 16, the Wildcats claimed the scalp of Wisconsin, a team that had its way with the mighty Big Ten.
For those who argue that the NCAA should dwindle its list of invites to 32 teams, leaving out the Davidson's and George Mason's of this World, Curry and his team gives them a reason to leave it as is. More people will likely watch tiny Davidson try with all its might to knock off mighty Kansas.
Can Davidson win? On paper, probably not. But then again, that's why they play the games. For 40 minutes, Kansas will have better athletes, more talent than four of Davidson's starting five on its bench. Anything can happen in 40 minutes. Which is why Kansas will get everything it wants and then some against the Wildcats. Nothing makes sense in the NCAA Tournament, which is why fate might be on Davidson's side.
Kansas is supposed to win. The Jayhawks look like a unit that refuses to lose. They are going about their business without much hype, and should Goliath oust the weaker David(son), will find themselves in a highly-anticipated battle with North Carolina and former head coach Roy Williams. Coach Bill Self has had trouble in the tournament with Kansas, losing in the first round in 2006 and 2007. But this Kansas team seems focused and ready for anything. They are the team that has the best shot to get past North Carolina.
That is, if they can get past Davidson first. They should. They would 99 times out of 100 whether the game is played at a neutral venue, Phog Allen Fieldhouse, or Belk Arena. It's that one time a lot of experts forget about. It won't be this time. Surely not.
Or, will it be? That's what makes March Madness "must-see" TV. That's why they call it "Madness". That's what makes this showcase a place where the Curry's of this World can become a household name in just two weeks.
