Final Four Bound?

If you haven't noticed, Davidson has reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. And this just in: Davidson sophomore guard Stephen Curry, who looks all of seventeen-years old, dominated each opponent despite being the focus of their defense.

Thus far in the NCAA Tournament, Curry scorched the likes of Georgetown and Wisconsin, two teams known for their defense, in addition to Gonzaga, for a combined 103 points in three games. The 34.3 scoring avg. will look good on Curry's resume, despite the fact he did not receive one ACC scholarship – although playing high school basketball in Charlotte, N.C. – before enrolling at Davidson.

So what's next? Oh, no big deal. Davidson will be taking on Kansas for the opportunity to reach the Final Four. Imagine that, a no. 10 seed might be in the Final Four. Yes, the NCAA Tournament still has magic that keeps American's on their feet. Quick: where is Davidson located? Heck, I had to look it up too. Davidson is located in of all places, Davidson, N.C., about 20 minutes north of Charlotte.

Forget about the numbers and the opportunity to upset the tradition-rich Kansas Jayhawks, who look good thus far by the way, and think about basketball in its purest sense. Consider the following about Davidson's surprise run in the tournament: there are no highly recruited players, which is more than just an anomaly by NCAA Basketball standards, it's stuff of legend, or at least it will be if the Wildcats knock off the Jayhawks tomorrow. Curry was, is, and will be the focal point of the Wildcats' offense, and the Jayhawks know this fact as well; yet the opponents thus far cannot stop him. It's not like Curry has a future NBA lottery pick playing along side him. He's making plays with multiple defenders taking turns guarding him, occasional double teams, and rarely coming out of games to garner rest. But there is one area that stands out about Davidson, and especially Curry, that needs its own separate category:

Team play.

Despite all of Wisconsin's defensive pressure, Curry does not take bad shots. Curry consistently hits shots under duress that would make the likes of Chris Mullen, Robert Horry, or Dale Curry, Stephen's father, envious. Further, if anything, Curry is still underrated due to the fact that he made several excellent passes to teammates for baskets during yesterday's game against the Badgers. And it appears that Curry's style of play was contagious, as his teammates reciprocated Curry's passing style, whether it was finding Curry for a three-point attempt or a teammate cutting to the basket. Davidson has a group of players that pass and shoot in a manner that represents how offensive basketball was intended to be played. Each player shoots, each player handles the basketball, each player passes well, and the Wildcat players even dive after loose balls and grab rebounds against bigger, more agile players. It's awesome to watch.

Who knows if Davidson will defeat Kansas? That will be a difficult matchup for a team that does not possess the inside presence that Kansas does, but that was the case against Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin, three teams with big front lines.

The NCAA Tournament presented many underdogs in years past that made a run. Davidson may be the best of the bunch. And it's how they play as a team that makes it easy to root for them.