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View Full Version : Giant killer Davidson drops another game



Highlander
12-06-2007, 11:03 AM
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/recap?gid=200712050395

Charlotte (or UNCC if you prefer) beat Davidson last night, pulling away in the second half. Davidson's Curry had 32 points, including 7 three's, but got little help from the rest of his team as only one other player scored in double figures. While Charlotte is traditionally an above average program in D1, and a regular contender in the A-10, they aren't a national contender by any means. They are usually about equal to Davidson talent-wise. If Davidson were strong enough to hang with Duke and UNC, they should have handled Charlotte. However, it looks more like Davidson has one really good player, and while capable of getting up for a big game, they are not a giant killer the way some have portrayed them. It would take a big off night from a power team for Davidson to win.

It is interesting that Davidson did the same thing after UNC squeaked by them, dropping a game a few days later to unranked W. Michigan.

Next up for the Wildcats - UCLA. Talk about brutal.

Jumbo
12-06-2007, 11:12 AM
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/recap?gid=200712050395

Charlotte (or UNCC if you prefer) beat Davidson last night, pulling away in the second half. Davidson's Curry had 32 points, including 7 three's, but got little help from the rest of his team as only one other player scored in double figures. While Charlotte is traditionally an above average program in D1, and a regular contender in the A-10, they aren't a national contender by any means. They are usually about equal to Davidson talent-wise. If Davidson were strong enough to hang with Duke and UNC, they should have handled Charlotte. However, it looks more like Davidson has one really good player, and while capable of getting up for a big game, they are not a giant killer the way some have portrayed them. It would take a big off night from a power team for Davidson to win.

It is interesting that Davidson did the same thing after UNC squeaked by them, dropping a game a few days later to unranked W. Michigan.

Next up for the Wildcats - UCLA. Talk about brutal.

Davidson just isn't playing the same caliber of basketball as last season, but they are far from a one-man team. They've got everyone back from a group that pushed Maryland to the brink in the first round last year, went 17-1 in the SoCon and beat that same Charlotte team by 28. I think Curry's injury has really affected them and that they just haven't been consistent. The problem with the losses to W. Michigan and Charlotte is they've basically cost themselves a shot at an at-large bid, unless they beat UCLA (and maybe NC State, too).

Highlander
12-06-2007, 12:36 PM
Are you sure Curry's injured? He had 32 points on 9-18 shooting and 7 threes last night. If he plays that way injured, I'll take him any day.

Jumbo
12-06-2007, 12:38 PM
Are you sure Curry's injured? He had 32 points on 9-18 shooting and 7 threes last night. If he plays that way injured, I'll take him any day.

You didn't notice the wrap he's been wearing on his left wrist? He has a torn ligament that requires surgery.

EarlJam
12-06-2007, 12:45 PM
I was just about to post on this. Interesting.

How is it that Davidson continually plays giants so close to the wire then seems to fall flat at times during the season and in March.

For all of their accolades, have they ever really made a deep run in the NCAA tournament?

-EarlJam

Highlander
12-06-2007, 01:01 PM
You didn't notice the wrap he's been wearing on his left wrist? He has a torn ligament that requires surgery.

Just wanted to make sure you didn't get your names confused, because Curry certainly didn't play like a guy who needs surgery on his hand. I'll take your word for it on his injury, but I am not sure I agree with your argument that his injury is affecting Davidson negatively since he scored almost half of his team's points last night.

I do agree about costing themselves an at-large bid. Their league is a 1 bid league traditionally, and unless they can get a signature win against one of these marquee names they scheduled, they have to win their conference.

Wander
12-06-2007, 01:02 PM
Davidson CAN be good, but they're obviously a bit inconsistent right now. They've more or less blown their at-large chances unless they can beat both UCLA and NC State and more importantly they're killing their seeding. I really think they screwed themselves with their schedule. My theory is that they're trying very hard to become the first 16 seed to beat a 1 seed.

sandinmyshoes
12-06-2007, 01:04 PM
I think maybe Davidson has an emotional let down after playing tough against teams like UNC and Duke. In addition, these teams they lose to might well be seeing Davidson as a name school now. So Davidson is suddenly the team with everything to lose and little to gain in these games.

I think that is more than just an emotional energizing too. These teams probably use game plans designed to beat Davidson. Duke or UNC and any number of other high majors often refuse to tinker much with their game plan. They rely on the old adage about "playing their game" and not worrying about the competition.

I know a lot of that is just plain coach speak, but all the great and really good coaches seem to have a streak of stubborness in them. When they believe they can out-talent a team, they really do seem to stick to their game and seem willing to eat the possible upset to teach their players.

Mid-majors more often seem to try doing something unusual, be it a gimmick defense or an unexpected tempo. I suppose that's true too for the high majors when they are underdogs.

The end result, is that Davidson following emotional and tough physical games, is probably ripe for the upset themselves.

Highlander
12-06-2007, 01:05 PM
I was just about to post on this. Interesting.

How is it that Davidson continually plays giants so close to the wire then seems to fall flat at times during the season and in March.

For all of their accolades, have they ever really made a deep run in the NCAA tournament?

-EarlJam

Davidson made the elite 8 a few times in the late 60's, and I thought a Final Four (although I may have them confused with UNCC, whom I know made a Final Four. Too lazy to look it up right now. In their elite 8 runs, they had a familiar coach by the name of Lefty Driesell. Soccer team has made (and hosted) the Final Four a couple of times as well.

wilson
12-06-2007, 01:32 PM
A good friend of mine, one of the biggest kuralonna fans I know (lifelong), went to Davidson. Last week, after the Duke-Davidson game, he commented on how close his 'Cats had come against us. I replied that they didn't come as close as they did against kuralonna. He sheepishly replied, "Yeah, you're right."
Furthermore, I pointed out to him, Duke is way better than most people expected this year.
Even more sheepishly, he repeated, "Yeah, you're right."
Then he got really quiet for a minute before changing the subject.
It was delicious.

EarlJam
12-06-2007, 01:38 PM
A good friend of mine, one of the biggest kuralonna fans I know (lifelong), went to Davidson. Last week, after the Duke-Davidson game, he commented on how close his 'Cats had come against us. I replied that they didn't come as close as they did against kuralonna. He sheepishly replied, "Yeah, you're right."
Furthermore, I pointed out to him, Duke is way better than most people expected this year.
Even more sheepishly, he repeated, "Yeah, you're right."
Then he got really quiet for a minute before changing the subject.
It was delicious.

Not vicious, or malicious; just delovely; and DELICIOUS!

Name the band, year.

-EarlJam

dukie8
12-06-2007, 11:24 PM
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/recap?gid=200712050395

Charlotte (or UNCC if you prefer) beat Davidson last night, pulling away in the second half. Davidson's Curry had 32 points, including 7 three's, but got little help from the rest of his team as only one other player scored in double figures. While Charlotte is traditionally an above average program in D1, and a regular contender in the A-10, they aren't a national contender by any means. They are usually about equal to Davidson talent-wise. If Davidson were strong enough to hang with Duke and UNC, they should have handled Charlotte. However, it looks more like Davidson has one really good player, and while capable of getting up for a big game, they are not a giant killer the way some have portrayed them. It would take a big off night from a power team for Davidson to win.

It is interesting that Davidson did the same thing after UNC squeaked by them, dropping a game a few days later to unranked W. Michigan.

Next up for the Wildcats - UCLA. Talk about brutal.

i really question their scheduling. it's like they deluded themselves into thinking that they were a legit top 10 team and scheduled accordingly (like memphis). with duke, unc and ucla, they basically have 3 legit top 5 teams in their ooc schedule. i know that duke wasn't supposed to be this good but unc and uncla clearly were 2 of the very best teams. i think that they would have been much better off scheduling some of the middle tier bcs schools (like wake, gtech or va tech) and they maybe would have been able to win some/all of them. going for the jugular with top 5 teams loaded with future nba players simply is going to land them a pile of losses and a 14 or 15 seed in the tournament. whatever team draws them in the first round isn't going to be too happy.

Johnboy
12-06-2007, 11:30 PM
Not vicious, or malicious; just delovely; and DELICIOUS!

Name the band, year.

-EarlJam

Deee-lite, and I have no idea what year it was. Let's guess around 1988.

ETA: So close with the year! It's a bit newer than I thought.

Tom B.
12-07-2007, 10:01 AM
Davidson made the elite 8 a few times in the late 60's, and I thought a Final Four (although I may have them confused with UNCC, whom I know made a Final Four. Too lazy to look it up right now. In their elite 8 runs, they had a familiar coach by the name of Lefty Driesell. Soccer team has made (and hosted) the Final Four a couple of times as well.


Davidson has never made the Final Four, but you're correct that Charlotte (formerly UNC-C) did. They made the Final Four in 1977, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Marquette (Al McGuire's last team, which beat UNC in the finals).

Davidson made the Regional Finals in 1968 and 1969, losing to UNC both times -- by four and two points, respectively.

devilsadvocate85
12-07-2007, 10:27 AM
i really question their scheduling. it's like they deluded themselves into thinking that they were a legit top 10 team and scheduled accordingly (like memphis). with duke, unc and ucla, they basically have 3 legit top 5 teams in their ooc schedule. i know that duke wasn't supposed to be this good but unc and uncla clearly were 2 of the very best teams. i think that they would have been much better off scheduling some of the middle tier bcs schools (like wake, gtech or va tech) and they maybe would have been able to win some/all of them. going for the jugular with top 5 teams loaded with future nba players simply is going to land them a pile of losses and a 14 or 15 seed in the tournament. whatever team draws them in the first round isn't going to be too happy.


Davidson has scheduled this way intentionally this season. I don't recall the source, but there was an article where McKillop (Davidson coach) commented that in almost every season Davidson must win the conference tournament to make it to the field of 65, so they have scheduled a brutal non-conference schedule this year to prepare for March. His team is deep and experienced and will benefit from playing these games in NBA arenas/NCAA type settings when the post-season comes. They aren't athletic enough to blow anybody away, but no one will want to see them in the first round of the NCAA tournament.