#30 Stephen Curry | Davidson v Kansas
Davidson University may not be the first school that comes to mind when considering the most dominant schools in the history of NCAA basketball. But in 2008, the Davidson Wildcats, led by sophomore guard Stephen Curry, put themselves on the map with a historic run.
Before Stephen Curry was a four-time NBA champion, 10-time All-Star and 3-point record holder, he led Davidson to their first NCAA Tournament win since 1969.
After the tournament, Curry made an appearance on “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” on April 4, 2008. He was asked if he thought his team could pull off that memorable run. He said:
“We came in thinking we could play with anyone in the country, and it showed when we got out there. But I didn’t think we would break the records that we did… we exceeded a lot of people’s expectations, so I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Davidson entered the tournament as the 10-seed in the Midwest Region. They began their historic run knocking off the seven-seed Gonzaga 76-82 in the first round. They would then face the second-seed Georgetwon Hoyas, led by former first-round pick Roy Hibbert. Davidson would defeat Georgetown 74-70 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Davidson would play the third-seeded Wisconsin Badgers in the Sweet Sixteen, and they shocked the world yet again, handily defeating Wisconsin 73-56. They would ultimately fall to the eventual champion and number-one seed, the Kansas Jayhawks 59-57, in the Elite Eight.
Curry also spoke on what NCAA Tournament success would mean to head coach Bob McKillop.
“It gives our coach, McKillop, something to be proud of. He’s been there 19 years and gotten there to the tournament three times but hasn’t won a game, and then we won three. So it was a big change for us.”
McKillop spent a total of 33 seasons at Davidson before announcing his retirement in 2022. He finished his career with 10 total NCAA Tournament appearances with the Wildcats.
Stephen Curry’s performances with Davidson in the 2008 NCAA Tournament
Davidson v Gonzaga
Stephen Curry went into the 2008 NCAA Tournament leading the NCAA in total points that season with 931. In Davidson’s first game of the tournament against Gonzaga, Curry finished with 40 points and five steals. He shot a lights out 8-10 from three in their 82-76 victory.
In the second game of the tournament, Curry shined onced again with 30 points and five assists, going 9-10 from the free throw line. Against Wisconsin, Curry topped his scoring from the previous outing, finishing with 33 points. He shot 6-11 from beyond the arc and added four assists and four rebounds.
In Davidson’s Elite Eight matchup against Kansas, Curry had his lowest scoring game of the tournament, but still finished with 25 points. He struggled with shooting in that game, finishing just 9-25 from the field, including 4-16 from three. The Wildcats could not overcome Curry’s poor shooting performance and would fail to reach the Final Four.
