NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Stephen Curry Heading for NBA

Chas Rich — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:08:00 EST

It took Stephen Curry an agonizingly long time to make the decision, but ultimately the apparently weak draft and likelihood of being a lottery pick was too much to resist. Curry and Davidson announced that he was turning pro.

The press release put out by Davidson did not indicate whether Curry had signed with an agent. The release, though, noticeably did not mention that Curry was going to be gauging interest or that there was a possibility he would return. That absence makes it clear that this is not a "testing the waters" decision.

"My goal since I can remember has always been to play in the NBA, and that goal has now become a viable opportunity for me," Curry said. "After weighing my options, I came to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to take hold of that opportunity now."

Curry is probably the best pure scorer entering the draft. After spending the past season running the point for Davidson, Curry's draft status was only helped.

Stephen Curry Heading for NBA originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Davidson Can Take the Stephen Curry Show to the NIT

Chas Rich — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:28:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, Mid-Majors

The College of Charleston Cougars locked down on Stephen Curry the entire game, limiting him to only 20 points on 5-for-18 shooting. No one else on the Davidson squad picked up the scoring slack. While the Cougars weren't exactly efficient on offense, they shot slightly better and grabbed more offensive rebounds to increase their opportunities.

While it may have been possible for Davidson to receive an at-large bid if they lost in the SoCon Championship game, they had the bad luck of facing the second-best team in the conference in the semifinals. That will cost Davidson dearly.

College of Charleston 59, Davidson 52: Box Score | RPI | Scores

Davidson's at-large chances, ultimately are doomed by their own conference. The Wildcats have a RPI near 70. Within their conference, there is no team that has a RPI under 100. With the exception of Charleston, the other ten teams in the conference have sub-170 RPIs. That completely dragged down the Davidson RPI.

As much as Davidson tried to build their resume with some challenging non-conference games, they only notched one quality win in that portion -- a neutral site win over West Virginia. They failed late in the season in the Bracket Buster game with Butler.

So instead of another chance for Stephen Curry to shine in the Big Dance, he will be off-Broadway in the NIT.

Davidson Can Take the Stephen Curry Show to the NIT originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Packer Would Have Loved the Upcoming NCAA Tournament

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Davidson, George Mason, Gonzaga, WCC, Xavier, A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, MVC, MWC, Pac-10, SEC, March Madness, St. Mary's (CA)

One of the biggest gripes against former CBS basketball analyst Billy Packer was that he didn't respect the mid-majors. He famously complained that there were too many mid-majors in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. That was the year that George Mason upset Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn to get to the Final Four.

This will be the first Packer-less tournament in decades as he retired after last year's Final Four. It's a shame for him because he would have loved the makeup of the brackets this time around. Going against the recent trends, it looks as if the major conferences will get most of the at-large bids, leaving the mid-majors out in the cold.

According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, there aren't too many mid-majors that are locks to get in if they do not win their conference tournament. Siena, Utah State and Davidson have the strongest cases to be at-large teams but there are factions that believe they won't. Utah State has that win over Utah, but nothing else. Davidson has actually lost a couple of SoCon games this year and their biggest win is against West Virginia on a neutral court. Siena just lost to Niagara last night. All will be overwhelming favorites to win their conference tournaments but they could be in trouble if they don't.

Gonzaga will snatch a bid if they don't win the West Coast Conference tournament. Butler does the same if they fail to win the Horizon.

Lunardi is also projecting that 31 of the 34 at-large bids will be going to the so-called "BCS conferences". The ACC leads the way with eight teams, followed by the Big East and Big Ten with seven each. The SEC, which is suffering a perceived down period, is projected to get five teams in the tournament. The other three bids are penciled in for the Atlantic 10's Dayton and two from the Mountain West (Utah, BYU and UNLV should all get in; one should win the conference tournament). The only non-BCS school that is currently seeded as a No. 4 seed or better is Memphis.

Even Lunardi's last four out includes nothing but BCS schools. The "next four out" features two more Mountain West schools and two Big XII schools.

All this leads up to schools from power conferences fighting for those last spots available in the tournament. It will also lead to more name matchups in the first and second round. Right now, Lunardi has first round games of Kentucky-Texas, Florida-California, Oklahoma State-Arizona State, Boston College-Tennessee, Michigan-LSU, Penn State-UCLA and South Carolina-Wisconsin.

Billy Packer Would Have Loved the Upcoming NCAA Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Even With Curry, Davidson Must Worry

Chas Rich — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Davidson, Mid-Majors

One of the thing repeated by punditry, whenever you tuned in to see Davidson and Steph Curry, was that the Wildcats were not a better team when compared to last year's squad. That has proven true most of the year. While Davidson has been a good team at times and Steph Curry is one of the best players in college basketball, Davidson is not a consistently good team. They are a bubble team in a mid-major conference. Their case was not helped by Butler beating them at home 75-63.

The game was important for both teams, to confirm and even clinch that they are an at-large worthy teams. A game that would take the pressure off of having to win their respective conference tournaments. Butler can now breathe a little easier if they do not take the Horizon Conference Tournament. Davidson, though, must win the Southern Conference to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

Davidson, even at home, was at a disadvantage with Steph Curry trying to quickly come back from a sprained ankle. He did more than just struggle early in the game. He started 0-for-8. Curry did go 6-for-15 after that, but he was clearly struggling with his left ankle. He had seven turnovers and really labored to provide defense -- picking up four fouls as Butler guards went right at him and forced him to contain.

Davidson is still in control of the SoCon, but winning the regular season means little. Other than the win over West Virginia, the Wildcats don't have any big non-conference wins. They will have to win win the conference tournament. The good news, is that they can afford to give Curry some time to get healthy before the conference tournament.

Even With Curry, Davidson Must Worry originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Onion Peels: Duke, Carolina Have Similar Sunday Games, Different Endings

Will Brinson — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, Boston College, Butler, Davidson, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, UNC, USC, Virginia, University of Miami, North Carolina

Onion Peels is a recap of last night's action and an unofficial Bill Raftery blog.

Duke and North Carolina were separated by a single game in the ACC standings heading into Sunday; little did Duke know it, but they nearly had a chance to tie the Tar Heels again. However, games against Boston College and Miami, respectively, ended the wrong way for the Devils.

Boston College 80, Duke 74: The same problems that have plagued the Blue Devils all season -- point guard play as well as lack of an inside presence -- came into play again Sunday afternoon.

Another problem, the ability to close teams out, was acknowledged by Gerald Henderson after the game:

"You can't mess around. If you have a team down you have to step on their throats," Henderson said. "That's been a problem with us this year - we haven't approached leads like that, so we need to change that."

Of course, the bigger problem again is at the point position. Greg Paulus played a whopping 25 minutes but only registered two points, two assists and dealing with four fouls. Additionally, Tyrese Rice was nearly unstoppable, hitting big shot after big shot down the stretch en route to 21 points, six boards and six assists. Joe Trapani, held to just five points in a loss to Clemson, posted 20 in 37 minutes while adding five blocks and seven boards.

North Carolina 69, Miami 65: The fact that Miami was 14-0 this season when holding opponents under 70 points didn't seem to bother the Tar Heels, even though Jack McClinton, with 35 points last night, was a pretty big thorn. In the end though, it was Ty Lawson who again looked like Carolina's MVP and -- despite being sick -- managed to score 21 points while dropping what amounted to the game winning three pointer with just over 10 seconds remaining. Miami's a dangerous team, obviously, but the Tar Heels holding on gave them a two game ACC lead and seemingly, based on their remaining schedule, locked sights on this year's conference title.

Elsewhere: Arizona State, behind Jeff Pendergraph's double-double, helped kick Southern Cal a little further off the bubble. Virginia managed to really honor Sean Singletary, upsetting No. 12 Clemson at home. Nationally ranked Butler stumbled for the second time in two weeks, despite Matt Howard's 30 points, as they head into a February 21 matchup with Davidson, this time to Loyola-Chicago and Jordan Hicks, who poured in 23 for Loyola. Illinois took care of Indiana by double figures in a game that should really be more important.

Onion Peels: Duke, Carolina Have Similar Sunday Games, Different Endings originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Davidson Loses a SoCon Game

Chas Rich — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:28:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, Mid-Majors

Jerry West and his West Virginia teammates can rest easy. Their 44-game winning streak in the Southern Conference remains intact. Davidson fell a game short of tying the record when they fell to the College of Charleston 77-75.

Stephen Curry was putting in the points for the first half. He had 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Then Charleston coach Bobby Cremins switched the defensive coverage and stuck Antwaine Wiggins on Curry. From that point, Curry only made his first basket in the second half, but missed the next 11. Curry could only add six more points as Wiggins hounded Curry the entire second half. It culminated in a tremendous block from behind on a 3-point attempt as time expired.

The Cougars fought back from going down 11 with 13 minutes left in the game on the road. Charleston went on a 17-3 run to take the game. Davidson got some scoring inside from Andrew Lovedale, but could not get anyone else to score with any consistency.

Charleston, though, had very balanced scoring with four players scoring in double figures and going inside for the scores. The Cougars were also the far better rebounding team with a 20-rebound advantage, including plus ten on the offensive boards. That not only gave them second-chance points but drew fouls as Davidson struggled with a better inside presence.

Davidson Loses a SoCon Game originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BracketBusters: Butler at Davidson

Will Brinson — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:10:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Davidson, Campus, Coaches, Fans, Media Watch

Bracket Busters 2009 matchups have been announced. FanHouse has the skinny.

The Davidson Wildcats and Stephen Curry have been a disappointment this season, relatively speaking. Curry is leading the nation in scoring, which is quite impressive, but the Wildcats don't seem nearly as dangerous this year as they did in 2008.

Part of that could be that they no longer retain "sleeper" status. Or part of it could be that they no longer have the heavily underrated Jason Richards manning point for them. Or maybe they just have three losses to nationally-ranked teams. Either way though, they'll be playing the highly-ranked Butler Bulldogs on February 21 in the headlining game of ESPN's Bracket Busters.

Butler brings a more balanced attack than Davidson, with Matt Howard, Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack each averaging roughly 13 points per game. However, there's still the Curry Factor; meaning, Davidson's star is more than capable of taking over a game and more or less winning it by himself.

Of course, he probably won't have to -- Andrew Lovedale has blossomed this year, averaging over 12 points, nine rebounds and a block per game, making the Wildcats dangerous on the defensive end as well.

Butler's currently 11th in the nation, which should make the spread on this game pretty interesting. It takes place on the Wildcats' home court, and their only losses have been to Duke, Oklahoma and Purdue, none of which is particularly embarrassing. In theory, Butler should be favored (because they're a top 15 team, right?) but based on the matchup, that seems like it would be a mistake.

It'll end up being a good game, and regardless of the outcome, it probably won't affect tournament bids for either team all that much; both Davidson and Butler should be locks to get in with at-large bids.

BracketBusters: Butler at Davidson originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steph Curry Has Some Range

Chas Rich — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:14:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, Mid-Majors, Video

Everyone knows that Davidson's Stephen Curry is an excellent shooter with great range. He put that on display against Tennessee-Chattanooga. In the process of leading his team to their 40th straight SoCon win, he swished a 75-foot shot just before the half. Enjoy.

Steph Curry Has Some Range originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Basketball Live Chat: Davidson at Duke

Shane Bacon — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, Duke, ACC

Getty Images

It seldom occurs that the most exciting player in a non-conference Duke game is a player not on Duke.

The Davidson Wildcats, now 10-2, take that lonely trip to Camedon Indoor Stadium to face the Blue Devils and their rowdy fans.

There should be a lot of Stephen Curry talk, even more painted blue chests and a lot of hand waving and Coach K stares.

Added wrinkle? Dicky V won't be around to broadcast the game, as the NBA guys (Mike Tirico, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson) will be broadcasting the college game. Tune in around 7:00 PM EST to follow the action with some of your closest friends.

NCAA Basketball Live Chat: Davidson at Duke originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Purdue's Chris Kramer Ready to Measure his Defensive Skills Against Stephen Curry

Matt Snyder — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, Purdue, Big Ten, Mid-Majors

Chris Kramer won the Big Ten's defensive player of the year award last season, but he likely didn't face an assignment as daunting as the one standing standing in his path this Saturday. The Purdue Boilermakers will battle the Davidson Wildcats in Indianapolis (4:00 PM EST, CBS), and Kramer will be checking Stephen Curry. Curry leads the nation in scoring, at just under 32 points a game. He's gone for 40 thrice. Kramer is not shying away from the assignment, in fact, he seems to be a bit excited.

"People say he's one of the best three players in the country, so just getting the opportunity . . . to guard somebody like that and try to show the country how good of a defender you want to be . . ." Kramer said. "To be the best, you've got to play the best, and I want to be one of the best defenders in the country."

I have to say, I'm kind of sad he stopped short of a Ric Flair reference.

Look, we all know what Curry can do by now, after his electrifying NCAA tourney performance last season and his recent taking of Manhattan. It's tough for anyone to stop him for an entire game, even if he's not hitting shots for the first 35 minutes.

Personally, though, I think Kramer is the kind of player who can. He's a pest to opposing offenses. He's a physical defender who brings high energy and shadows his man all over the court if he has to, often bumping and prodding to the point that his man becomes frustrated.

As an example, last season Kramer held Eric Gordon to 4-12 shooting from the field in the only meeting between Purdue and Indiana. Gordon turned it over five times, while Kramer came away with three steals. Of course, Kramer also fouled out as Gordon was sent to the foul line 15 times. If he hasn't learned his lesson, Curry will have lots of free shots coming his way Saturday.

One thing Kramer will focus on is wearing Curry down. He says he's been watching film on Davidson and he can't understand why teams allow Curry to simply walk the ball up the floor, allowing him to recharge his batteries. That's supposedly going to change Saturday.

"That's nine or 10 seconds of rest for him (each possession)," Kramer said. "He's got to go 94 feet (to the basket), so I've got to get into him and make him work."

When all is said and done, you can count on Curry getting tons of shots, and not many of them will be uncontested. He'll likely find his way to the line many times if he's aggressively penetrating, but he'll pay for it physically. His conditioning is sure to be tested by the scrappy Kramer, and we'll see how powerful the motor is that he has in that wiry frame.

Either way, it's going to be fun to watch the proverbial battle within the battle.

Purdue's Chris Kramer Ready to Measure his Defensive Skills Against Stephen Curry originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fanhouse in the Stands: Curry Electrifies MSG

Nathan Fowler — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:39:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, West Virginia, Fans

We all went to the Garden tonight to see Stephen Curry put on a show. Sure, there were some West Virginia fans, but I bet even they were kind of hoping to see Curry go off while they still pulled out a win. The Villanova and Texas fans were certainly pulling for Davidson. There was a large contingent of Curry jerseys and bright red "Witness" hats and t-shirts in the crowd. It was one of the biggest crowds in the history of the Jimmie V Classic, largely just to see Curry. Everyone was excited - the spectacular scorer was coming to the big city to dazzle us.

For the first 35 minutes of the game, as Curry deferred to his teammates and struggled to hit shots against the suffocating Mountaineer defense, it appeared we were going to be let down. I wasn't the only one starting to think that Curry was simply not capable of living up to the venue and the attention, that maybe being an unknown in the NCAA Tournament had been one thing, but being a star in the most famous arena in the world was just too much for him. As 3 after 3 clanked off the rim you could feel the frustration in the crowd - this wasn't the script for the evening. The Garden is where big time players put on shows for the fans, not where they go 1-13 from 3. Maybe New Yorkers are spoiled, but that's the expectation.

And then he delivered for us. When he hit a 3 pointer with just under 5 minutes to go, the cheers started. When he drilled an impossibly difficult shot from the left elbow beyond the NBA line, the Garden exploded. This is what we wanted to see, and the fact that he was carrying his team from behind just made it more impressive. And then Curry hit the final 3 of the night to give Davidson a lead they wouldn't relinquish, a shot a mere mortal wouldn't have even gotten off, let alone buried without touching iron. Curry was more than redeemed.

Some players just have a flair for the dramatic, and an ability to deliver on the big stage. Curry has that in spades. New Yorkers love players that live up to expectations, and the expectations are very high. I'm sure this won't be his last game in the Garden, and he'll have some that are better and some that are worse, but he won't have another chance to make a first impression - and nobody is going to remember the first 1-13 from 3, all we could talk about was the final 3-3. Curry earned his New York chops tonight.

Fanhouse in the Stands: Curry Electrifies MSG originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stephen Curry Takes Manhattan

Chas Rich — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:26:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, West Virginia, Big East, Mid-Majors

Davidson-West Virginia was supposed to be the undercard for the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Not a chance this year. Not with the way Stephen Curry has come out from the start of the season. The Davidson guard has been electric and has been destination viewing, barely a month into the season.

West Virginia, while having lots of young talent like Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones, was beaten up. Their starting point guard Joe Mazzula had a shoulder injury that limited him significantly. Alex Ruoff, the Mountaineers second leading scorer was out for the game with his own shoulder injury.

This was, however, a Bob Huggins coached team. They made it a tough, defensive struggle. The Mountaineers crashed the boards, to get a slew of second chance opportunities. They trailed by double digits early in the second half, but fought to a tie and took the lead late in the game.

Stephen Curry struggled miserably shooting for most of the game. He was solid on defense and dished out 10 assists, but the crowd and NBA scouts were not there to see that he is a complete player. The expectation was that Curry, like in the last NCAA Tournament, would rise on the big stage and media glare. Instead, it looked like he was going to have a horrible game. That was, until the final five minutes.

Then Curry took the game over and he put down 13 of Davidson's final 15 points. He had been 5-22 with 14 points, but shot 4-5 including two 3-pointers and a couple free throws in the final five minutes. The performance not only pulled the win out for Davidson, but it furthers the monstrously increasing legend and aura of Stephen Curry as the best college player this year.

In Curry's case, the gushing seems justified. He has such a beautiful shot. He does involve his teammates. Plays great defense. Plus, he makes those with whom he plays better.

Stephen Curry Takes Manhattan originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Loyola (MD) Holds Stephen Curry Scoreless; Still Loses by 30

Shiloh Carder — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:54:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, Coaches, Fans

Loyola (MD) had this neat little gameplan they decided to try against Davidson. They wanted to double team Stephen Curry.

Not just when Curry was in position to shoot. Not when Curry had the ball. No. Loyola-MD decided to double-team Curry everywhere on the court no matter what. I'm not kidding.

That meant that Loyola was guarding the other four Davidson players with three guys in a triangle zone. Once Curry figured out what they were doing, he just stood in the corner and let his teammates pile up the points. It worked: Davidson won 78-48.

"Every dead ball I asked them how long they were going to do this," Curry said he asked his shadowing defenders. "They really didn't say anything. They weren't very conversational about it."

"We had to play against an NBA player tonight," Loyola head coach Jimmy Patsos explained. "Anybody else ever hold him scoreless? I'm a history major. They're going to remember that we held him scoreless or we lost by 30?"

Both, actually. I will remember it as the game where Loyola was so bad that they held Curry scoreless and still lost by 30 points.This put a bit of strain on both Patsos and Davidson coach Bob McKillop. Loyola kept doubling Curry even though they were getting blown out. McKillop, obviously bent, decided to keep Curry in during garbage time to pile on the points.

Fans who attended the game also piled on with insults, catcalls and boos. McKillop even wondered aloud about Patsos' motives. Did he sacrafice winning a game just so he can say his team held Curry scoreless?

I'm all for thinking outside the box. I know that Hack-a-Shaq sucks to watch, but it is effective. This wasn't. When Loyola was getting their hinds handed to them, it was time to think of a new strategy.

Loyola (MD) Holds Stephen Curry Scoreless; Still Loses by 30 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recap of the FanHouse 2008 Semi-Preseason BlogPoll

Shiloh Carder — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, Connecticut, Davidson, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, LSU, Marquette, Memphis, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA, UNC, UNLV, USC, Wake Forest, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, Pac-10, SEC, NCAA Basketball BlogPoll, Fans, University of Miami

Well, there you have it. The FanHouse Preseason College Hoops BlogPoll for 2008 is complete.

The voting for No. 1 was not close. North Carolina was atop every single ballot. UCLA, Louisville and UConn usually followed in a variety of orders. From there, it was a typical free-for-all as there is a glut of teams from No. 5 to No. 12 that was very fluid.

The poll also had some newcomers to it. Davidson is now a household name; St. Mary's will soon be; UNLV is back on the map while schools like Arizona State, Miami-FL and Wake Forest are primed to make their move. Defending champion Kansas didn't make the cut.

Still, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The top two ranked teams were in the Final Four last year, UConn takes back its place among the elite and six of last March's Elite Eight are ranked in the top twenty.

Will we be wrong with this poll? Of course! Heck, our No. 2 team has already been beaten. But name me the last time the Associated Press or the coaches got their preseason poll completely right. The key is that these teams will be the ones to know when March Madness rolls around.

Big thanks to all the bloggers across the internets for lending a hand and breaking down these teams.

1 - North Carolina Tar Heels
2 - UCLA Bruins
3 - UConn Huskies
4 - Louisville Cardinals
5 - Michigan State Spartans
6 - Gonzaga Bulldogs
7 - Oklahoma Sooners
8 - Pittsburgh Panthers
9 - Purdue Boilermakers
10 - Memphis Tigers
11 - Texas Longhorns
12 - Duke Blue Devils
13 - Miami-FL Hurricanes
14 - Arizona State Sun Devils
15 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish
16 - Wake Forest Demon Deacons
17 - Tennessee Volunteers
18 - UNLV Runnin' Rebels
19 - St. Mary's Gaels
20 - Davidson Wildcats
21 - Florida Gators
22 - Marquette Golden Eagles
23 - LSU Tigers
24 - USC Trojans
25 - Syracuse Orange

Recap of the FanHouse 2008 Semi-Preseason BlogPoll originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OU Tops Davidson In Early Season Showdown

Nathan Fowler — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:31:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, Oklahoma, NBA Prospects

With apologies to Tyler Hansbrough, the two best players in the country faced off in Norman, Oklahoma tonight when Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry led their squads onto the court. Curry poured in a career high 44 points for Davidson, but Oklahoma's depth and a monster performance by Griffin (25 points, 21 rebounds) in the paint were just too much and OU held on for the 82-78 win.

Curry is remarkable to watch and is clearly the best guard in college this year. Unfortunately, I'm afraid we'll see a lot of what we saw tonight when Davidson faces top tier teams - it's just too much to ask for one player to be the primary point guard and playmaker and as well as the best scorer. While he drilled remarkable shot after remarkable shot, he just wasn't able to create easy shots for his teammates while also working relentlessly to get himself open.

Blake Griffin is an animal. It's really the only way to describe how he plays, his tenacity and relentlessly attacking play making him a total mismatch on the college level - he had 21 rebounds, Davidson's entire team had 26 rebounds. By controlling the entire painted area he created space for OU's shooters, and Willie Warren scored 20 points in giving OU the cushion they needed to pull off the victory.

After tonight it's clear that Davidson and Curry weren't a fluke last year, and that OU is going to be a serious threat to win the Big XII and make a deep tournament run this year. Both teams played at a very high level for an early season game, and both superstars delivered career high performances. Just a great start to the college basketball season - and when we are making lists of the best games of the year in a few months, this will be one I'll be keeping in the memory bank.

OU Tops Davidson In Early Season Showdown originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse NCAA Hoops BlogPoll: No. 20, Davidson Wildcats

Shiloh Carder — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, Mid-Majors, NCAA Basketball BlogPoll, Fans

This week, FanHouse is taking a look at the top teams heading into 2008 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. To help with the team capsules, we've brought in some of the top fan bloggers around the internets to give us insights on their teams.

Today, we have enlisted me, The Sportz Assassin, of FanHouse and SportzAssassin.com, to break down the Davidson Wildcats.

We all remember last season. Davidson began the season taking on top programs like North Carolina, UCLA and Duke, rolling through the Southern Conference schedule and then getting to the Elite Eight. Along the way, the Wildcats popped Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin and nearly beat eventual champion Kansas.

Stephen Curry became a superstar. Head coach Bob McKillop was finally getting his national recognition. The little school just outside of Charlotte is now big time.Everything begins and ends with Curry. What was most impressive about Curry is the fact that he was able to find his shots (and hit them) despite the opponent focusing on shutting him down. The coaches he faced in the NCAA Tournament were only Mark Few, John Thompson III, Bo Ryan and Bill Self. His quick, sweet shot is one of the most beautiful things in sports.

However, Curry will be asked to do more this season. Point guard Jason Richards led the nation in assists last year and now he's gone. Curry is attempting to move over into more of a lead guard role and what this will entail is still up in the air. The thinking is that Curry will just set up the offense and then go back to what he normally does. Still, there are certain responsibilities that point guards have defensively that could affect Curry's offense.

Coming back to Davidson are long-range marksmen Bryant Barr and William Archambault; one of which will enter the starting lineup and extending defenses even more. Down low are Thomas Sander and Andrew Lovedale who are workhorses around the basket and setting screens for Curry.

Davidson is approaching the 2008-09 season in the same manner as last season. The Wildcats will take trips to Duke, Purdue, West Virginia and host NC State.

Why they should be ranked here: Davidson nearly did what no one else could: beat Kansas in the Tournament. Yeah Curry did his thing but don't sleep on how well they defend. The Wildcats are one of the better defensive teams in the country and are able to keep the "better" teams from getting too far away from them.

Why they should be ranked higher: Davidson's postseason run last year was not a fluke. This is a very well-coached team who has a nearly unguardable star who can cover up most of their deficiencies. If Curry takes to his expanded role fairly well, the Wildcats could have another long stay in the NCAA Tournament.

Why they should be ranked lower: Losing Richards hurts and the strain on Curry as a point guard could hurt the team's offensive production and wear him out late in games. Curry dabbled at point guard in high-school and was a turnover factory. This is a SoCon team and if they somehow get upset in the conference tournament, it would be tough to give them an at-large bid. That is, unless, they can pull out a few big wins against those big names they will play in the non-conference schedule.

FanHouse NCAA Hoops BlogPoll: No. 20, Davidson Wildcats originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hanbrough Named to Preseason All American Team for Record Third Time

Shiloh Carder — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:09:00 EST

Filed under: Davidson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA, UNC, ACC

The Associated Press didn't let that stress reaction thingy keep them from making Tyler Hansbrough the leading vote getter in their preseason All-American for a record third straight year.

This year, Hansbrough was the first unanimous pick since Duke's Jason Williams in 2001-2002 and the first repeat selection since Mateen Cleaves in 1999-2000. Last year, Hansbrough missed being a unanimous pick by just one vote.

Joining Hansbrough on the first team is UCLA's Darren Collison, who is also a repeat selection. Davidson's Stephen Curry, Oklahoma's Blake Griffin and Notre Dame's Luke Harangody round out the first team.

The preseason honors are nice, but Hansbrough wants to be the first ever four-time All-American when the season ends.

Hanbrough Named to Preseason All American Team for Record Third Time originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teams Announced For 2009 'Bracket Busters'

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:15:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Creighton, Davidson, George Mason, Nevada, WCC, Wichita State, Mid-Majors, MVC, Fans, Media Watch

Update 2/2/09: The 2009 BracketBusters matchups have been announced.

The Bracket Busters is a series that began in 2003 and was designed to pit mid-majors in inter-conference battles late in the regular season. With ESPN tied in, it brings national TV audiences to places they may normally not go.

It helps these teams immensely by getting them exposure, pumping up their RPI numbers and answers some of those questions about the strength of these mid-major conferences.

102 teams were named to be in this year's event ... which will take place on February 20-21.

The marquee name will be Davidson College, home of Stephen Curry and a Wildcats team that were a shot away from getting to the Final Four.

Other big time mid-majors include Butler, Drake, San Diego, Nevada, St. Mary's, Bucknell and George Mason.

Matchups will be set on February 9th. After the jump are the teams that are participating.Home teams: Ball State, Boston, Bowling Green, Bucknell, Cal Poly, Central Michigan, Creighton, Davidson, Drake, Drexel, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Fairfield, Georgia Southern, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana State, James Madison, Kent State, Long Beach State, Loyola-IL, Marist, Murray State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Niagara, Old Dominion, Portland State, Rider, San Diego, San Jose State, Siena, Southeast Missouri, St. Mary's, Tennessee State, Towsom, UC-Davis, UC-Santa Barbara, UIC, UNC-Wilmington, UT-Martin, UW-Milwaukee, Valpo, Vermont, Western Michigan, Wichita State, William & Mary, Winthrop, Wright State and Youngstown State.

Away teams: Akron, Appalachian State, Austin Peay, Boise State, Bradley, Buffalo, Butler, Canisius, Cleveland State, CS-Fullerton, CS-Northridge, Delaware, Detroit, Eastern Illinois, Elon, FDU, Fresno State, George Mason, Hartford, Hofstra, Illinois State, Iona, Jacksonville State, Loyola-MD, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Gardner-Webb, Manhattan, Miami-OH, Missouri State, Montana State, Morehead State, Morgan State, North Dakota State, Northeastern, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Ohio, Pacific, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, St. Peter's, Tennessee Tech, Toledo, UC-Irvine, UC-Riverside, UMBC, Utah State, UW-Green Bay and VCU

Teams Announced For 2009 'Bracket Busters' originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eyeballing The 2008 Preseason NIT Match-Ups and Seedings

Chas Rich — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:39:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona, Boston College, Davidson, Oklahoma, Purdue, ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10

The Preseason NIT field and locations have been known, but not the match-ups or seedings. Well the NIT has released the schedule (PDF). The top four seeds are Purdue, Oklahoma, Arizona and Boston College

*North Bracket
Monday, November 17, host and No. 1 seed, Purdue faces Eastern Michigan and will play the winner of Georgia-Loyola Chicago on the 18th.

*East Bracket
Monday, November 17, host and No. 4 seed, Boston College versus Loyola (Md.) and then goes against the winner of St. John's-Cornell.

*North and East champs will play each other on Wednesday, November 26 at Madison Square Garden.

*South Bracket
Monday, November 17, host and No. 2 seed, Oklahoma plays Mississippi Valley State and will get the winner of Davidson-James Madison.

*West Bracket
Monday, November 17, host and No. 3 seed Arizona goes against Florida Atlantic and then faces the winner of UAB-Santa Clara.

*South and West champs will play each other on Wednesday, November 26 at Madison Square Garden.

*Championship game is Friday, November 28, afternoon game at 3:30 on ESPN2, the day after Thanksgiving..

There are consolation games, including a runner-up battle before the championship game at 1:30.

Just eyeballing the games in the first couple rounds, it's hard to see a Gardner Webb over Kentucky scenario -- but then no one saw that scenario until it happened. Arizona would seem the most likely, based on the turmoil and turnover from last year. Still, hard to envision, though, Arizona looks to have the toughest game in the second round with the winner of UAB-Santa Clara.

Assuming Davidson beats James Madison, the Oklahoma-Davidson will be the most hyped game with Stephen Curry and Blake Griffin.

With most of the games being shown on the ESPN networks, the timing of the games makes sense. They scheduled around most of the college football still on the schedule. (Your choice. Colorado-Nebraska or Bowling Green-Toledo in college football or the pre-season NIT Championship game.)

It also provides a nice early treat for those who do whatever they can to avoid shopping on Black Friday.

Eyeballing The 2008 Preseason NIT Match-Ups and Seedings originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stephen Curry's Plate Getting More Crowded As He Learns to Play the Point

Josh Alper — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:35:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, Davidson Basketball

Anyone who watched Davidson's run in the NCAA Tournament will always remember Stephen Curry running through screen after screen trying to create space and get his shot off. It worked well enough but with Jason Richards gone to graduation, the Wildcats won't have someone quite so adept at making sure the ball gets in Curry's hands.

The solution? Always have the ball in Curry's hands. He's working out at the Skills Academy of noted Davidson supporter LeBron James and playing point guard exclusively.

"Playing against this caliber of competition in drills and games can only help all of us. I have to work on the point guard spot for next year, so I'm playing five-on-five with these kind of guys, working on ball-handling and spacing. Now [with his shooting] I can add a little something to my game."

The move should help Davidson next year. Bryant Barr, an excellent outside shooter, is ready to play more minutes and the loss of Richards and others means Curry will have to carry an even heavier load this season. So long as the added responsibility doesn't wear Curry down completely, it will also help his pro prospects. At 6'1", he'll need to be able to play the point to convince NBA scouts of his bona fides for that level.

Stephen Curry's Plate Getting More Crowded As He Learns to Play the Point originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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