Cold Curry

Stephen Curry was the story of the 2008 NCAA Division 1 Men's Championship.

The leading scorer of the Davidson Wildcats, Curry had scored 30 points a game in the first 3 rounds. Teams that figured out how to contain him in the first half often found him tough to contain in the second half.

Surprisingly, the defense, often little spoken about, kept Davidson close against Kansas. Kansas was harassed and hurried leading to turnovers. Davidson didn't take particular advantage of the turnovers.

The game was only 3 points difference at halftime, and Curry, for once, had scored a decent 15 points in the first half. But those expecting Curry to score prodigiously in the second half were let down. Curry's final stats were 9 for 25. He had perhaps 3 shots at the end of the game where he had good looks to make a 3. Had he knocked these down, Davidson would have had an easy victory over Kansas.

Instead, after being hurried, Curry seemed tired, and the slightest bit off. Shots that had been finding net were now clanging iron. Were it not for Bryant Barr's timely 3-pointers in the second half (he scored 3), Davidson would have been in serious trouble. Indeed, after being the hot hand, Barr didn't much see the ball again in the second half, as the team decided to put its fate in Curry's hands.

In the last few seconds, down 2 points, Davidson managed to get Kansas into a shot clock violation, and had more than 10 seconds to work with. As Curry brought the ball down, Kansas decided that they would let anyone else but Curry beat them. With two guys on Curry, Curry hesitated, wondering if he should take an impossible shot, or pass it off to a teammate, making him make a deep shot. He opted for the second, and the shot missed just barely left of iron.

In the end, Davidson played Kansas that close, and the horse they rode on, Stephen Curry, was finally contained, unable to put up a little more magic in the closing minutes, and letting Kansas wriggle free, using its trio of big men to score points in the paint.

And so this means the rare occasion of four number 1 seeds are now in the final four. Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA, and Memphis. One of these powerhouses is looking to finish off its season in style.

But it was Davidson, that is this year's star.