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UW men's basketball: Badgers have no answer for Curry

Tamira Madsen  —  3/29/2008 3:03 am

DETROIT — The brighter the national spotlight has become on standout Stephen Curry, the more dangerous the Davidson men's basketball guard has become.

Friday night at Ford Field, the University of Wisconsin was the third team in the NCAA tournament that failed to find a way to stop the sharpshooter.

Curry scored 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting and nailed six 3-pointers to pace 10th-seeded Davidson in its 73-56 NCAA Midwest Regional victory against the third-seeded Badgers.

The lithe, 6-foot-3 guard wreaked havoc all over the court, hitting 25-foot shots from beyond the arc and bringing NBA star LeBron James to his feet in appreciation following an acrobatic, underhand reverse layup in the second half.

"It's just really cool to have a guy like LeBron James, one of the best players in the NBA right now, coming out and supporting Davidson," said Curry, who came into the Wisconsin game ranked fourth in the nation in scoring at 25.7 points per game. "I don't know if he's supporting us, but definitely to make plays and have fun out there."

Curry erupted for 22 second-half points — he outscored Wisconsin (20) by himself — and gave the Wildcats their biggest lead at 69-48 with 5 minutes, 38 seconds remaining.

UW sophomore guard Jason Bohannon said it's difficult to contain a player when he's that hot. Curry also had four steals and four assists in the Wildcats' 25th consecutive victory.

"When he's in a rhythm like that, he's probably one of the toughest players to stop in the country," Bohannon said of Curry, who has scored 34.3 points per game in three NCAA tournament wins.

"Everything they've been hyping up about him is true. He has a tremendous shot, he has a great feel for the game, able to read his teammates (and) come off screens. He's a tremendous ball player."

Curry attributed his success against the Badgers to his focus on staying patient and finding open shots within Davidson's offensive scheme. He also enjoyed Ford Field's soft rims.

Badgers senior Michael Flowers — the team's designated stopper, and a member of the Big Ten All-Defensive Team — was active and diligent in his efforts to chase down Curry, but Curry still was able to get good looks and connect.

"He's an outstanding defender, very quick," Curry said of Flowers. "I thought I was open off screens (but) he'd be right there chasing me. So, credit to him. He was a great defender.

"I just found myself in open spots in transition, which helped, where he wasn't on me one-on-one, and Jason (Richards) found me in open spots on the wings and in the corners. That was the benefit of our defense, just getting it out in the open."

Curry played all but three minutes of the win, and when he was taken out with less than one minute left in the game, a large contingent of Davidson fans applauded and cheered the star.

Curry has been the focal point for Davidson all season, and coach Bob McKillop said he's thrilled that the sophomore is the face of the program.

"I stopped being amazed with Steph Curry back in December of last year," McKillop said. "What he did today is what I expect from him. He does that so consistently.

"We got Steph Curry. That's pretty good stuff."

Tamira Madsen  —  3/29/2008 3:03 am