Spring Break
Badgers eliminated from NCAA tournament
Stephen Curry scores 33 points, leads No. 10 Davidson to victory over No. 3 Wisconsin
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Sports
Detroit (MCT) - There has been much talk the last two weeks about the rules Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan propounds. They are the foundations of his teams' successes, even though they are nearly as old as the game of basketball itself.
At root they involve simple stuff like screening and shading, playing with poise and attending to fundamentals while contesting every shot. Yet throughout this season they have confounded countless foes.
But Friday night in the NCAA Tournament Midwest regional semifinal, in one of those twists that make athletics so alluring, a team similarly grounded in the basics ended the Badgers' season.
That is the truth about Davidson (29-6) despite the resplendent presence of Stephen Curry, the sophomore guard who was simply brilliant in its 73-56 victory. He gashed the Badgers (31-5) inside and out and won his stare-down with Michael Flowers while scoring 33 points in leading his Wildcats into the regional final Sunday against Kansas.
One clip that lasted a mere 29 seconds highlighted Curry and his team as well as the very nature of this game. It began, fittingly, with Curry calmly dropping an open three-pointer after Flowers had committed a fundamental error while going for, and missing, a steal. Opponents often had marveled that Wisconsin never hurt itself. But Flowers had made just the kind of mistake that damages a team.
Now, down three points with more than 13 minutes still remaining, the Badgers went into their swing offense, Joe Krabbenhoft eventually attempting an entry pass to Marcus Landry. Krabbenhoft lobbed it to get it over the head of Thomas Sander, the Wildcat who was fronting his teammate. But as Landry moved to collect it, Curry left Flowers, snuck in behind him and flicked the pass away.
Through this night, the Wildcats recalled the Badgers at their fundamental best. They committed seven fewer turnovers than the Badgers and handed out nine more assists. They allowed the Badgers no fast-break points and piled up 18 of their own.
At root they involve simple stuff like screening and shading, playing with poise and attending to fundamentals while contesting every shot. Yet throughout this season they have confounded countless foes.
But Friday night in the NCAA Tournament Midwest regional semifinal, in one of those twists that make athletics so alluring, a team similarly grounded in the basics ended the Badgers' season.
That is the truth about Davidson (29-6) despite the resplendent presence of Stephen Curry, the sophomore guard who was simply brilliant in its 73-56 victory. He gashed the Badgers (31-5) inside and out and won his stare-down with Michael Flowers while scoring 33 points in leading his Wildcats into the regional final Sunday against Kansas.
One clip that lasted a mere 29 seconds highlighted Curry and his team as well as the very nature of this game. It began, fittingly, with Curry calmly dropping an open three-pointer after Flowers had committed a fundamental error while going for, and missing, a steal. Opponents often had marveled that Wisconsin never hurt itself. But Flowers had made just the kind of mistake that damages a team.
Now, down three points with more than 13 minutes still remaining, the Badgers went into their swing offense, Joe Krabbenhoft eventually attempting an entry pass to Marcus Landry. Krabbenhoft lobbed it to get it over the head of Thomas Sander, the Wildcat who was fronting his teammate. But as Landry moved to collect it, Curry left Flowers, snuck in behind him and flicked the pass away.
Through this night, the Wildcats recalled the Badgers at their fundamental best. They committed seven fewer turnovers than the Badgers and handed out nine more assists. They allowed the Badgers no fast-break points and piled up 18 of their own.
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