The BIAH Advent Calendar: Day 14

Yup, it is December. And as the temperatures outside drop, the heat is rising on college campuses across the country as basketball season kicks into full swing. But December is also a time to reflect on the past year. This December is special, because as we draw closer to the new year, we get closer to the end of the aughts. In the spirit of the holidays, we are going to celebrate the decade past by counting down the top 25 games, players, and teams of the last 10 years with the BIAH advent calender. Each day, we will be unveiling the next on each of our lists, culminating with our gift to you on Christmas Day: the best game, the best player, and the best team of the 2000's.

Here is No. 12:


2005: West Virginia vs. Louisville: John Beilein's upstart West Virginia team, led by the likes of Kevin Pittsnoggle and Mike Gansey, were on fire in the first half. They hit 10 of their 18 threes (on just 14 attempts) in the first 20 minutes and made 11 of thier first 16 shots overall, opening up a 20 point lead at one point, which Louisville trimmed to 13 at the break.

But the Cardinals changed their game plan in the second half. Instead of using their usual 2-3 zone, Rick Pitino's team started pressing and trapping all over the court, and it worked. A couple times Louisville got within striking distance, but it wasn't until a Larry O'Bannon lay-up, two of his team-high 24 points, with 38 seconds left tied the score at 77 that the Cardinals made it all the way back. It was the first time the game was tied since 3-3.

Louisville celebrates their comeback win over West Virginia.
(photo credit: NCBSports)

Both teams missed a shot at the end of regulation, and in the extra period, the Mountaineers shots stopped falling. Louisville would end up winning 93-85, making Rick Pitino the first men's coach to take three teams to the Final Four.


Stephen Curry, Davidson: Curry was a star in the making as a freshman at Davidson, as he averaged 21.5 ppg on the season, putting 30 on Maryland in the Wildcat's first round NCAA Tournament loss. As a sophomore, he was just as prolific scoring the ball, averaging 25.5 ppg despite being the focal point of every team's defensive scheme.

It was the 2008 NCAA Tournament that Curry became a national media darling. The kid who looked not a day over 15 led Davidson within two points of a Final Four trip in one of the greatest individual performances of all-time. In the first round against Gonzaga, Curry scored 30 second half points (40 on the game) and hit 8-10 threes as the Wildcats came back from an 11 point second half deficit for the win. Two days later, Curry led Davidson with 30 points, 25 in the second half, as the Wildcats overcame a 17 point second half deficit to advance to the Sweet 16. In the Sweet 16, Curry went for 33 points as Davidson beat the third seeded Wisconsin Badgers by 17, setting up a date with Kansas for a trip to the Final Four. Curry had 25 against the Jayhawks, but missed a couple shots late as Davidson lost. In that 2008 Tournament, Curry became just the fourth player to go for 30+ in his first four games, set the NCAA's single season three point record, and became the first player in 14 years to win a regional MOP despite his team not winning the region.

In his third and final collegiate season, Curry was a consensus all-american, but his supporting cast was no where near as good as in 2008. In fact, there was even a game against Loyola MD where Curry was face-guarded by two players throughout the game, allowing the rest of the players to play 4-on-3. Curry went scoreless, but Davidson won. Davidson would lose in the Southern conference tournament, sending Curry to the NIT.




2008 UCLA Bruins: The third year of UCLA's three straight Final Four was probably the Bruins best team. As any Ben Howland team is, the 2008 Bruins were a force defensively. It started up front with Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook, who absolutely terrorized Pac-10 point guards with their quickness and athleticism. It didn't hurt having players like Josh Shipp and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute either, as both of were big, strong kids that could play multiple positions.

But the focal point of this team was Kevin Love. Love was a monster on the block. He could rebound the ball, he could score in the post, he was one of the best I've seen at establishing and holding position on both ends of the floor, but his most impressive attribute was his outlet passing ability. He was able to throw a chest pass the length of the floor with damn near pinpoint precision, a valuable skill to have with guys like Westbrook and Collison running the floor.

Westbrook's thunderous dunks were a large part of UCLA's success.
(photo credit: Pac-10 Rivalry)

UCLA wouldn't win a national title as they lost to Memphis in the national semifinals, but they did win 35 games while bringing home Pac-10 regular season and tournament titles en route to a #1 seed in the tournament.


No. 13: Gonzaga v. Arizona, Kevin Durant, and Florida's 2006 Team
No. 14: UConn v. Duke, Joakim Noah, and Duke's 2002 teamNo. 15: Oklahoma State v. St. Joe's, Chris Paul, and UConn's 2006 team
No. 16: Gonzaga v. Oklahoma State, Ty Lawson, and Kentucky's 2003 team
No. 17: Duke v. Maryland in the 2001 Final Four, Deron Williams, and Gonzaga's 2006 team
No. 18: Duke v. Indiana, Mateen Cleaves, Gonzaga
No. 19: Syracuse v. Kansas, Dwyane Wade, UCLA's 2006 team
No. 20: Pitt v. Villanova, Michael Beasley, and Duke's 2004 team
No. 21: Duke vs. Maryland in the 2001 ACC Semis, Josh Howard, Arizona's 2001 team
No. 22: Marquette v. Kentucky, Tayshaun Prince, UConn's 2009 team
No. 23: Vermont v. Syracuse, Andrew Bogut, and Memphis's 2008 team.
No. 24: UConn v. Miami, Luke Harangody, and Kansas's 2003 team
No. 25: Drake v. Western Kentucky, Wayne Simien, and Louisville's 2009 team.
Continue reading...

NBA Draft Prospects: Stephen Curry, Davidson

Stats: 28.6 ppg, 5.6 apg, 2.5 spg, 3.7 t/o's, 45.4% FG, 38.7% 3PT, 87.6% FT

Listed Size: 6'3", 185 lb, 3/14/88 (21 years old)

(photo credit: Digital Headbutt)

About Him: As a sophomore, Stephen Curry exploded onto the national scene with what may go down as the single greatest NCAA Tournament performance of this generation, carrying tiny Davidson to within a 25 footer of the Final Four. But as a junior, Curry's role vastly changed with the graduation of point guard Jason Richards. Already a proven shooter, this allowed Curry to show off what he could do as a point guard, and for the most part, the season was a (personal) success.

The most interesting aspect of Curry as an NBA prospect is how different his role will be in the league. At Davidson this past season, everything about the Wildcats offense was centered around Curry and his ability to create - both for himself and for his teammates. His usage rate was 31.6 possessions per game, the most of any NBA prospect and 50% more than anyone not named Lester Hudson. In the NBA, Curry is going to play a much more marginal role.

I know that this is stating the obvious, but Curry's game centers around his shot - which is as pure a stroke as I have ever seen. If you allow Curry to catch-and-shoot with his feet set and his shoulders square, he is automatic out to about 30 feet (literally). He also has an incredibly quick trigger, which allows him to get his shot off even when he is defended well. Curry has a great basketball IQ, and truly understands how to run off screens and create space off the ball.

But Curry's physical limitations probably mean he is going to end up as more of a point/combo guard than a pure two. He doesn't have the size, the strength, or the lateral quickness/athleticism to defend shooting guards in the league (he does, however, have a knack for disrupting the passing lanes as he averaged almost three thefts per). He is also going to run into some issues at the point as well. His first step leaves much to be desired, and it more than likely will mean that Curry will have problems beating NBA points off the dribble. Curry did, however, prove himself to be an excellent ball handler in his one season running the show for Davidson. He can handle the ball with either hand and has a variety of fakes and hesitation moves that he can use to keep defenders off balance and help him create space and get a look off the dribble. Perhaps his most telling stat was his assist:turnover ratio - even with the ball in his hands nearly every possession (as a playmaker and not just a scorer), Curry doubled his assist numbers while only slightly increasing his turnovers.

Shooting off the dribble is something Curry was forced to do quite a bit this past season, and he proved to be pretty good. He can pull-up going either direction, and he has a lightening quick and absolutely deadly step-back in his repertoire when going left. The biggest concern any GM will have with Curry's shooting is how far his numbers dipped this year. Most of that, however, can be explained by his team's dependance on him - he forced a lot of bad shots simply because Davidson needed it.

Comparisons: Best Case: I've seen a lot of people saying Mike Bibby, so I'll go with that; Worst Case: Jannero Pargo, Steve Kerr, JJ Redick.

Bottom Line: Curry is an incredibly smart player. Not only does he understand the game, he understands his limitations. He probably is never going to end up being a star in the league because of a lack of explosiveness (meaning he will be a huge defensive liability), he should be able to hang around the league because of the all-around offensive package he brings to the table.

Highlights:




Continue reading...

Stephen Curry a Knick?

One of the rumors floating around the internet today (h/t MSNBC via NBADraft.net) is that the Knicks have guaranteed the former Davidson star that they will use their lottery pick on him, and that this is one of the major reasons that Curry decided to leave school.

If the lottery stays true to form (which is far from a guarantee), the Bulls will be selecting 8th.

Will Steph be as good of a shooter as pops?
(photo credit: SI.com)

Given the lack of star power in this year's draft outside the top two, this would be far from a bad pick for the Knicks in this position. Think about it. With Mike D'Antoni at the helm, the Knicks want to play an open court style, hoisting up a lot of threes. Is there a better pure shooter in this year's draft (is there one in the league right now for that matter) than Steph?

No, if the Knicks pull a Chicago and somehow land in the top two or three, I doubt they will use the pick on Curry. Blake Griffin has the chance to be another Amare Stoudamire and Ricky Rubio could be New York's version of Steve Nash/Jason Kidd. That is probably too much to pass up. But if they land anywhere else, picking up a guy like Curry would be a great fit. Think about how successful Raja Bell was for the Suns.

Like I said, this year's draft is bereft of the star power from last year. Teams are going to need to look for guys to fill a role, and Curry would be as close to a perfect fit for the Knicks as you can get. Continue reading...

Steph Curry > Asher Roth

Hip-hop and basketball. They go hand-in-hand, no?

For some reason, a lot of basketball players believe that means they are rappers.

It seems like it all started in 1994, when the "Basketball's Best Kept Secret" came out. 10 NBA players (including Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Shaq, and J.R. Rider) had songs on the album. While Shaq's career continued to grow, he inspired fellow stars Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, and Tony Parker.

Hell, even Ron Artest, Troy Hudson, and Chris Webber (side note: he was actually good) tried their hand at hip hop production.

The college ranks have been far from immune, starting with the Ten-a-key Tennessee Volunteers. Two different players (and coach Bruce Pearl?) are ... aspiring? ... rappers. And who can forget this USC point guard.

It seems Steph Curry has also gotten into the mix:



I thought the original was clever until, well, everyone thought it was clever. But to be completely honest, I love this version. I'm sure anyone that went to/goes to a small school like Davidson will as well. I did. And I can tell you, there wasn't much in this world that made me happier than getting a spicy chicken wrap at the deece after a tough practice, or spending damn near my entire Sunday recounting the tales of weekend debauchery.

Good times.

Man, I loved college. Continue reading...

BREAKING: Steph Curry Decision Day

Steph has set an 11:30 am press conference where he will announce his NA Draft intentions. If you believe Scott Fowler, a columnist for the Charlotte observer, then Curry has yet to even make a decision on his draft status.

Here's the weird thing: Davidson coach Bob McKillop still doesn't know what Curry's decision is going to be. And neither do Curry's parents.

"He told us he just wants to sleep on it," Dell Curry, Stephen's father, told me Wednesday night. "But he honestly hasn't told us what he's going to do yet."

Said McKillop Wednesday night: "I don't think Steph knows what he's going to decide right now. His heart is feeling one way. His head is feeling another way. Somehow, he's got to get his heart and his head feeling the same way."

We will have more on this after the news conference.

UPDATE: Steph has declared for the draft, and in an emotional press conference, he said he would be hiring an agent. Curry made the right decision. More on that later today Continue reading...

Tuesday N.I.T. Turmoil

We have hit our first dry stretch of the NCAA tournament. It's a good thing the N.I.T. provides a descent helping of interesting matchups to get us thru the week. Creighton, the NCAA's odd man out, hosted the Billie Gillespie Farewell Tour in front of a packed house, and two of the elite scoring guards in the country went toe-to-toe in the nightcap.

- #4 Kentucky 65, #1 Creighton 63 - The Qwest Center in Omaha was entirely sold out, and I would guess that a majority of the tickets were sold to students, because it was loud, very very very loud. With every shot that Creighton made, the place erupted like it was a buzzer-beater. Second Team A.A. Jodie Meeks was shut down the majority of the game, but hit the game winner on a nice dribble drive to the basket, and converted on the 3-point play. Perry Stevenson had a 13 points and grabbed 10 boards and Patrick Patterson chipped in with 12. Booker Woodfox led the Blue Jays with 18 points but shot a dismal 9-23 from the field. This game had all the makings of a NCAA tournament game; neither team led by more than 5, and there were 11 lead changes. I think the wildcats need two more post season wins to salvage their season, and Gillespie's coaching status.

- #2 St. Marys 80, #6 Davidson 68 - Steph Curry vs. Patty Mills, not much else needs to be said. Oh ya, this was the fastest sell-out in the history of St. Mary's College. At the half, Mills had 17 and Curry had 12. The pace of this game was set by the two speedy guards. St. Mary's had a better team performance, getting excelent play from Diamond Simpson (12,15) and Omar Samhan. There were stretches of this game that looked like a consistant fast break drill with both guards running the floor, leading to some beautiful finishes (still trying to find a good clip). Curry finished with 26, but Mills had the more complete game, logging the double double of 23 points and 11 assists.

QUARTERFINALS

Tonight's Games
- 9:00PM: #2 Penn St. @ #1 Florida - ESPN
- 7:00PM: #3 Baylor @ #1 Auburn - ESPN

Wednesday's Games
- 7:00PM: #4 Kentucky @ #2 Notre Dame - ESPN2
- 9:00PM: #2 St. Mary's @ #1 San Diego St. - ESPN2 Continue reading...

Wednesday NIT Turmoil

I know we are all preparing ourselves for lunchtime on Thursday, but that's no reason not to check out some pretty descent basketball action before hand. Like I was told hundreds of times in school, and ignored every time, don't judge a book by its cover. Yea, it might be the NIT, but since at least 15 of the teams in the NCAA tournament only got there because of automatic bids, so you have to figure that the majority of the teams ranked #30-50 in the country will be invited to this second tier tourney.

If your a college basketball fan, you like seeing competitive basketball, and I honestly believe there are a handful of matchups in the N.I.T that will feature competitive basketball. I mean, I would much rather watch Georgetown vs. Baylor rather than Missouri vs. Cornell, even if there isn't a lot at stake.


Tuesday's Results


- #6 Davidson 70, #3 South Carolina 63 - Davidson might not be the Cinderella anymore, but that didn't stop Steph Curry from dropping 30+ points for the 15th time this season.


- #2 Penn St. 77, #7 George Mason 73- Maybe it's because I currently reside in Pennsylvania (not for long), but I have been all about Penn State this year. They were just a Mississippi State loss away from making the big dance, and Talor Battle is proving to everyone that he is a play maker. He hit another buzzer-beater, this time to send it in to overtime. In OT, Battle scored 8 of PSU's 10 points and sealed the deal for the Nittany Lions.


- #2 Notre Dame 70, #7 UAB 64 - the bar scene in South Bend must have been out of control last night, because there was literally nobody at this game. But again it was St. Patrick's Day, and it's Notre Dame we are talking about here. UAB should have been a tournament team this year, but by the time conference play started they were down to 6 scholarship players. Luke Harangody dominated against a much smaller Blazers squad. But let me reiterate something I have been saying for the past two years: Robert Vaden is a stud. He had 16 points before halftime, but still, UAB's season is over.


- #4 Kentucky 70, #5 UNLV 60 - Rupp Arena was already being used (High School State Playoffs) so UK played in their practice gym and although they struggled early, they put together a solid second half to get the win. But more importantly, the win silenced any talk of firing coach Billy Gillespie. Wait, this is the NIT? Yea, BCG is screwed.

Other N.I.T. Results

- #3 New Mexico 83, #6 Nebraska 71
- #1 San Diego St. 65, #8 Weber St. 49
- #7 Washington St. 57, #2 St. Mary's 68
- #6 Rhode Island 68, #3 Niagara 62


Wednesday's Games
- 7:00PM: #7 Duquesne @ #2 Virginia Tech
- 7:00PM: #4 Miami (FL) @ #5 Providence - ESPN2
- 8:00PM: #8 Tennessee-Martin @ #1 Auburn
- 8:00PM: #8 Bowling Green @ #1 Creighton
- 8:00PM: #8 Jacksonville @ #1 Florida
- 9:00PM: #6 Georgetown @ #3 Baylor - 9 pm - ESPN2
- 8:00PM: #5 Illinois State @ #4 Kansas State
- 9:00PM: #5 Northwestern @ #4 Tulsa - 9 pm Continue reading...

Stephen Curry Headed to the NIT

We may have just seen Davidson guard Stephen Curry's last meaningful college basketball game. Why? Because his Davidson Wildcats lost to Charleston last night 59-52 in the Southern Conference tournament semifinals.

Curry was held to just 5=18 shooting and 2-11 from three, finishing with 20 points. The Wildcats were still able to open up a lead as big as 12 in the first half, heading into the break up 29-20. But Charleston came out guns ablaze in the second half, going of a 20-4 run to take a 40-33 lead that Davidson was never able to recover from.

Davidson, last year's tournament darlings, will be headed to the NIT in 2009.
(photo credit: Angela Lewis/AP)

By all accounts, Davidson has almost no shot at earning an at-large bid to the dance. No team from the Southern conference ever has. So do they stack up?

The Wildcats have a decent RPI (67) and a terrible SOS (176), but that is to be expected from a team that plays in a low-major conference. The bigger issue is that they have only played six games against the RPI top 100, losing four (Duke, Purdue, Butler, and Oklahoma). Their only wins came against NC State, whose is number 100 (according to RealTimeRPI), and West Virginia, who played without Alex Ruoff and had an injured Joe Mazzulla play the first five minutes.

The bottom line is that, like it or not, the Wildcats are not an NCAA tournament team. They needed to win their conference tournament to have a chance at a berth.

They didn't.

Which means that we will not be seeing March's golden boy in this year's dance. Continue reading...

Which Point Guard Would You Take To Lead Your Team In The NCAA Tournament: Gary Parrish Got It ... Right?

Yesterday, we wrote a column critiquing the decision of Gary Parrish to select Steph Curry as the point guard he would want to lead his team through the NCAA tournament.

Well, he caught wind of the post and was kind enough to email me a response:

First, thanks for the note and the kind words. I've got your blog bookmarked, and somebody had actually already sent this to me.

As for your post, I don't completely disagree with your points, but I think you're coming at the question differently than it was presented (or at least differently than I did). I wasn't asked who would I take as my guard. Or shooting guard. Or who I'd want to play beside Stephen Curry. I was asked a very simple and specific question, and that question was who would I want starting at point guard for me from the list provided by the reader.

I guess I could've explained that I don't want to consider Curry a point guard, that I would take Ty Lawson and then put Curry beside him, but that seemed like a lot of trouble. Thus, I decided that if I could only pick one guy off the list, and if Curry was labeled a point guard for these purposes, then there's no way I was passing on Curry, not after what I watched him do in last season's NCAA tournament.

In other words, I interpreted the question this way: Who is the one guy on this list you want in March?

The answer to that question is Stephen Curry.

But if you want to take it deeper, what I'd really like to do (if it's all up to me) is use Ty Lawson as my point guard, Stephen Curry as my shooting guard and James Harden on the wing. Then I'd put Hasheem Thabeet in the middle and place Blake Griffin beside him, and I think I'd be ready to march to the Final Four, barring a concussion to a key player, of course.

I can't really argue with that.

Anyway, a big thanks to Gary Parrish for getting back to one of us little guys so quickly. Continue reading...

Which Point Guard Would You Take To Lead Your Team In The NCAA Tournament: Gary Parrish Got It Wrong

I like Gary Parrish.

In fact, he is probably the college basketball writer that I read the most. Why? Because he and I have very similar viewpoints on most things college hoops.

Well, usually that is.

If you're not familiar with Parrish's blog, he runs this segment called "Dear Gary", where he answers questions emailed in by readers. On Tuesday, a reader asked him what point guard he would take to lead his team in the NCAA tournament.

Parrish said Steph Curry.

I disagree for one, simple reason: the point is not Curry's best position.

Curry can take over a tournament, but can he do it as a point guard?
(photo credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Yes, he can play the point and if this season is any indication, he can have success playing that role. But why would you want to take a guy to run the point when it is not his best position on the floor?

Think about it like this. Who would Curry be more effective with when paired in the back court: Ty Lawson or Wayne Ellington? Levance Fields or Jerel McNeal? Nick Calathes or James Harden?

The answer to each is the point guard.

Just look at his numbers from last year to this year: his points and assists are up, but so are his turnovers while his shooting percentage from deep has dropped. Granted, much of this statistical change is because Curry is the main, and a lot of times the only, offensive threat on the floor for Davidson and thus the main, and a lot of times the only, defensive focus for opponent's (crazy stat of the day: The Citadel lost to Davidson at home by 15 when the Wildcats had Curry, but beat Davidson at Davidson by 18 without Curry).

Those changes become even more drastic when you look at Curry's numbers against tournament teams. In five games against Oklahoma, West Virginia, Purdue, Duke, and Butler, Curry put up these stats: 26.6 ppg, 6.2 apg, 6.2 t/o's, 33% FG and 23% from deep.

Again, a lot of that is because he is the one and only offensive threat on his Davidson team. But are you really going to rest your tournament hopes on a kid that has not proven the ability to run the point efficiently against top caliber competition?

I'm not.

If I had to choose a point guard, it would be either Ty Lawson (most talented offensive PG) or Sherron Collins (as good as anyone, but is a proven winner). Right now, I think I take Collins.

This is not supposed to bash Curry. In fact, out of anyone in college basketball right now, if I were picking a player for a tournament run, Curry would be my second choice, right behind (a healthy) Blake Griffin and right before Jerel McNeal.

Parrish is right about one thing. Curry has proven the ability to take over a game, the ability to hit tough shots in the clutch, and the ability to create for himself while still being able to find the open man.

Which is why he is my second choice for a player to lead my tournament team.

Just not at the point. Continue reading...

Injury News and Notes: Jerome Dyson and Steph Curry

Jerome Dyson underwent surgery on his right knee to repair the lateral meniscus, which will keep him out of uniform for the rest of the season. A lot of "experts" have said that losing Dyson is not going to hurt the Huskies too much. They have depth. Kemba Walker is one of the nest freshman guards in the county. Craig Austrie is a senior that has started 50-some-odd games in his career.

Let us not forget that Dyson missed nine games last season, and UConn went 8-1 in those games, playing their best basketball of the year.

But Dyson is a much different player than he was last season. As a sophomore, Dyson was coming in as the leading scorer, as the go-to guy. He was UConn's star.

During the season, however, as the team evolved, fewer and fewer plays were called for him. Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien, and AJ Price began to emerge as possible all-Big East players. Dyson was having trouble accepting a role on the team, which resulted in forced shots and lackadaisical defense.

Jerome Dyson hurt his knee trying to fight through
a screen by Kristoff Ongenaet of Syracuse.
(Photo Credit: Washington Post)

When Dyson sat out is when UConn really started to click as a "team".

But Jerome came out a completely different player with a whole new attitude this season. He relished being the defensive stopper for UConn. He thrived as their hustle guy. As a result, he got a ton of points off of run outs and offensive rebounds. But he also started to earn a reputation on a national level as one of the best defenders and best athletes that play the wing.

Kemba Walker is an excellent on-ball defender. He can harass any point guard in the country into a turnover. You want proof? Levance Fields leads the nation in assist:turnover ratio at 3.9. Last night, when Pitt was up six and Fields was trying to protect the ball and kill clock, Walker forced not one, but two turnovers by Fields.

But Walker is no where near as good a defender off the ball. He was the one that lost Fields on two straight possessions, allowing the senior two wide open looks at a three from the top of the key.

It is safe to say that Jerome Dyson would not have given Fields two looks that were that open.

Dyson brings much more to the table than just the numbers he puts up. Losing him for the season is a huge blow to the Huskies title chances.

In other injury news, Stephen Curry is off of crutches and might be ready to go on Saturday when Davidson takes on Butler in BracketBusters. Knowing from experience, putting a player on crutches after an ankle injury is a pretty common move, even if the injury is not all that serious. I would expect Curry to be in uniform come Saturday. Continue reading...

Thursday Morning Shootaround

Duke 79, Davidson 67: It was a tale of two halves for Steph Curry. In the first half, he was very tentative with the ball and didn't hit a shot until there were nine minutes gone. Duke's defense had a heck of a lot to do with that. They switched every screen involving Curry - on the ball or off the ball. Basically, Duke wasn't going to let Curry beat them with the three. It worked, as Curry struggled in the first half getting open looks and finished the game just 1-8 from deep.

Duke used a 13-4 run towards the end of the first half to open up a close game and take a 37-24 lead into halftime. They pushed that lead out to 25 before Steph Curry brought Davidson back.

The other day I wrote an article questioning whether Steph Curry was overrated. One of the things I mentioned in that column was that Curry is such a smart basketball player, and he proved that tonight. One thing I have noticed from Steph is that he has the ability to adjust to what the defense is giving him. Against Duke, he wasn't getting looks from three because Duke was switching everything. So he started attacking the basket.

As I said, Curry didn't score until there were 11:00 left in the first half, but went for 29 points in the last 31 minutes of the game. He only hit one three, which means that the rest of his 26 points and 9 field goals came from inside the arc. He did hit a couple step backs, but for the most part all of his damage was done by getting into the lane and finishing at the rim (he even threw down a pretty nice dunk in traffic).

I know, I am talking way too much about Steph. But the reason is that Duke is such a fundamental, well-balanced team that nothing ever stands out in their wins. For example, if UNC blows a team out, you most likely are going to say "they ran the other team off the court". If UConn does, you are probably going to talk about how "they dominated the paint with blocks and dunks".

With Duke, you say "they played great team basketball"?

I guess you have too, because that is basically what it was. When it is all said and done, they did a really good job on Curry defensively without letting anyone else on the Wildcas get it going (Lovedale did have 15, 7, and 4 blocks). Duke also stopped turning the ball over. I remember they showed a stat about 12 minutes in that said Davidson had 11 turnovers and Duke had 10, but Duke only turned it over twice the rest of the game, which just happened to be the same time that they started to bust the game open.

Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer both played outstanding last night. Singler finished with 21 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists while Scheyer led Duke with 22 points.

Gonzaga 89, Tennessee 79 OT: So the 'Zags sweep the season series with Tennessee, but it didn't look like it early. After Gonzaga jumped out to a 6-0 lead, Cameron Tatum caught fire, scoring all of Tennessee's points in a 14-1 run. They eventually would push the lead to 31-16 before Mark Few made a change.

Few switched the 'Zags into a zone defense, which really just threw off Tennessee. The Vols do a lot of things well on a basketball court. They have some excellent athletes, they play tough defense (especially in the full court), they play hard, they go after loose balls. But one thing they don't do well is pass and move without the ball. Their offense is predicated on being able to isolate against your man, break him down off the dribble, and either score or find the open man. Against a zone, you lose the ability to isolate your man. So when the 'Zags went into a zone, the Vols looked lost offensively. There was almost no ball movement and no cutting.

It wasn't just the zone, however. Gonzaga finally started knocking down some jump shots. Matt Bouldin had one and Steven Gray two more as Gonzaga eventually closed the gap to 40-33 at the half.

Tennessee scored the first five of the second half, but Gonzaga pretty much controlled the game the rest of the way as they outscored Tennessee by 22. It wasn't just the play of one person either. Everyone on the court stepped up and started playing better, which brought back reminders of why I picked the 'Zags to reach the Final Four.

Three guys I want to make note of on Gonzaga. First, Jeremy Pargo finally stopped turning the ball over in the second half after turning it over five times in about the first 15 minutes. He actually played very well in the second half, as he was finding the open man and running the team. Perhaps the best thing he did was defer to Matt Bouldin, who played the best game I have ever seen him play. He finished with 26 points and 5 assists, but he made so many big shots and big plays down the stretch. Austin Daye finally woke up from his christmas hibernation. Daye, who had struggled in Gonzaga's last three games, looked to be having another sub par game in the first half with just one field goal, but he really found his stroke in the second half. Daye ended up with 20 points, 8 boards, and went 3-4 from deep. Heytvelt added 15 and 12.

For Tennessee, other than Tatum, Wayne Chism was their lone bright spot. He finished the game with 15, 19 boards, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Tennessee seemingly dodged a bullet as well when Tyler Smith hurt his knee in OT but eventually returned.

This win was huge for Gonzaga, because now they can claim a sweep over the second best team in the SEC (Razorbacks bandwagon - jump on it) and look to be in much better position to hold on to an at-large berth.

The rest of last night's college hoops:

• Louisville 71, South Florida 57: Earl Clark had 22 and 9 boards and Edgar Sosa, coming off of an 18 point/game winning shot performance against Kentucky, had 12 points. Louisville's defense in the second half was just too much for the Bulls to handle (the Bulls subs scored 10 points in the final minute to make the score more respectable).
• Syracuse 85, DePaul 68: Andy Rautins had 17 points to lead the Orange for the fourth consecutive game. During that stretch, he is 25-44 from deep. In total, six players reached double figures for the 'Cuse, including Jonny Flynn's 12 points and 8 dimes.
• Marquette 81, Rutgers 76: Marquette had built up a 57-36 lead, but allowed Rutgers to come all the way back and cut it to 73-71 with 34 seconds left. Jerel McNeal and Lazar Hayward both hit two free throws in the next 10 seconds, however, to push the lead back to 77-71. Wesley Matthews finished with 23 points on 10-10 shooting from the floor.
• Providence 87, Cincinnati 79: Weyinmi Efejuku scored 18 to lead a balanced Friar attack (eight players and at least 8 points). Don't look now, but Providence has won seven of their last eight games and is 3-0 in the Big East.
  
• UNC 108, Charleston 70: Tyler Hansbrough had 24 and 7 to lead the Heels, but they still gave up 41 first half points to Charleston. That "improved defensive pressure", especially in their back court, seems to be a thing of the past.
• Harvard 82, Boston College 70: A bit of a let down from the UNC win? Harvard was up by as much as 16 in this one.
  
• Michigan 72, Indiana 66 OT: Michigan was down by 17 at the half and 20 during the second half, but came back to force overtime. DeShawn Sims, Manny Harris, and Lucas Laval-Perry combined for 49 points in this one. Crazy state of the day: Michigan was 12-40 from three.
• Wisconsin 74, Northwestern 45
  
• George Mason 71, Towson 59
• Northeastern 68, Georgia State 54
• Morgan State 66, Maryland 65: How does this happen? An ACC team, especially one that has won a national title and is trying to keep their legendary coach from being run out of town, should NEVER lose to a school from the MEAC. That said, Todd Bozeman is turning that program around. MSU already had a win over DePaul this year.
  
• Memphis 80, Marshall 57
  

Continue reading...

Is Steph Curry Overrated?

Our friends (yes, we consider them friends) over at Rush the Court had a great article on Sunday pouring over and breaking down Steph Curry's numbers over the last two and a half seasons. They came up with these numbers:

The first chart shows Curry's career numbers against four different levels of competition. Notice the drop off against the BCS+Gonzaga.



This chart shows his performance against the BCS+Gonzaga in a year-by-year breakdown.



This is how they interpreted the numbers:

Although Curry is still able to get his against quality competition (25.7 PPG in BCS + Gonzaga compared to 24.2 PPG versus all other teams), he becomes significantly less efficient in doing so. His field goal percentage drops from 49.1% against non-BCS competition to 40.4% against BCS-level competition. The numbers become even more interesting when you look at Stephen’s numbers year-by-year against BCS-level competition.

While Stephen has been able to continue to increase his scoring against BCS-level teams each year, his field goal percentage has dropped precipitously this year. This could merely be the result of a couple of off-shooting nights (even MJ had his bad games), but it is more likely related to the increased load being placed on Curry as the team’s new point guard with the departure of Jason Richards, who led the nation in assists per game last year. However, despite having Richards shouldering the ball-handling load last year Curry’s shooting percentage was significantly lower in BCS games than it was in his games against non-BCS games.

What does all this mean? Aside from the obvious, that BCS teams are better than non-BCS teams, it raises the interesting (and controversial) argument that Stephen Curry may not be good as the hype suggests. He is certainly capable of putting up big numbers, but so were many other great college players who never were able to translate their game to the NBA.

Now if you read this blog, you know we enjoy stats and number crunching, but only to a certain extent. We've said this before, but at some point you need to actually watch the games and the players to see what is really happening.

Back to the point, I don't want to say the guys at RTC are wrong for questioning Curry, but, well, maybe I am. Hear me out.

Davidson is not supposed to beat the likes of a Georgetown, or a Wisconsin, or an NC State. Why? Because they simply do not get as much talent into their program as those big time schools do. Calling the Southern Conference even a mid-major conference could be a stretch. The past two years, Davidson has had at most three guys that you could make a case for as high-major talents: Jason Richards, Andrew Lovedale, and Curry. This year, it is just Lovedale and Curry.

When Davidson plays other teams on their level, the rest of the guys on their roster become a threat. Will Archambault, Bryant Barr, Steve Rossiter - these guys are good Southern Conference players. But when they are going up against a team like Purdue, the Boilermakers really don't have to worry about the rest of the roster doing much damage. In other words, Southern Conference teams need to factor in the Wildcats role players when they game plan against Davidson. BCS schools do not need to. They can game plan entirely around how to stop Steph, knowing that they will be able to slow down the rest of the Davidson team by putting one guy on them playing help defense.

So not only is Curry going up against better coaching, better teams, and better athletes when he faces the BCS schools, he is facing a defense that can gear entirely towards stopping him. Purdue might be the most well coached team in the country defensively, they might have the best defensive player in the country (Chris Kramer), and they had a week to prepare for Davidson knowing they didn't play another good team for 10 days. It shouldn't really be a huge surprise that they were able to keep Curry in check (I'd be willing to put a large sum of money that Bobby Riddell, the senior/former walk-on that has been getting minutes with Chris Kramer slowed by injury, spent at least four or five practices playing the role of Steph Curry).

To make matters worse, this year he is playing out of position. Let's get this straight. Curry is not a point guard. Plain and simple. He can play the point, but that doesn't mean he is a point guard. He is a scoring guard that is at his best when he is coming off of screens and either looking for his shot or looking the drive. He just happens to also be a very good passer.

This problem gets magnified when you consider the lack of talent around him. If you put Curry on, say, Oklahoma, he could be an effective point guard. All he would need to do is get the ball up the court (which he can do) and then get the Sooners into their offense (which he can do).

But playing for this Davidson squad without Jason Richards, he needs to be able to bring the ball up, get the Wildcats into their offense, but he is their entire offense. What Davidson does offensively is have Curry bring the ball up and then let him create, either 1-on-1 or using a ball screen, without giving the ball up. Or they have him pass to a wing and then run him off of a number of different screens. Regardless of what they do, it is rare that Bob McKillop calls a play for someone other than Curry.

So when Davidson faces the better teams in the country, not only is Curry playing out of position, facing better players, and facing defenses that focus more on him, he is acting as the entire Wildcat offense for 40 minutes. No matter how good of shape you are in, that is going to take a toll on your legs by the end of the game, which is just about the worst thing that can happen to a shooter.

So the question remains is Steph Curry overrated? Actually, I believe he is. That's not to say that I don't love him or don't think that he is a first team all-american (I think he may actually the best player in the country). But the media has been blowing him up and talking about him non-stop ever since he went on that tear in the NCAA tournament last year. It is the Tyler Hansbrough effect - when a player becomes a media darling and spends a significant amount of time in the spotlight, the worldwide leader and other media moguls will beat it to death.

Don't get me wrong, Curry deserves all the attention he is getting. He really is a great story. The son of one of the best NBA shooters of all-time gets looked over by all the high-majors, goes to a small school in North Carolina, and proceeds to torch everyone in the country from the first day he sets foot on campus. Add to that the fact that he genuinely seems like a good kid and a nice guy, and you have the worldwide leader's dream.

No matter how good of a player Curry is, at some point (and we have reached this point) his hype is going to surpass his skills as a player.

So the next logical question is will he be a pro? I actually think he will, although I doubt he will be a star. RTC compared him to JJ Redick, which is a fair comparison, although I believe Curry has more pro potential than everyone's favorite poet. Redick was more of a pure shooter in college than Curry. JJ did develop a little bit of a penetration game, but he still relied heavily on coming off of screens for a catch-and-shoot three.

Curry, on the other hand, is a much better all around player than Redick was. He is more athletic, he has a better handle, he is a much better passer, and he is better at getting to the basket. He is also a better defender than JJ.

That doesn't mean, however, that Curry is going to be a great pro. He is not a point guard, and although he has grown since he's been at Davidson and is now listed at 6'3", he is still not near the ideal size for an NBA two. But the kid is a smart player, understands the game so well, and is as good of a shooter as you will ever see. I can see him having the type of career that Jannero Pargo or Eddie House is having. He's never going to be a star, but I can absolutely see him being an instant-offense kind of guy off someones bench.
I love watching Curry play as much as LeBron does, and I really am rooting for the kid to make it in the league, I just don't see him having the physical tools to become a star. But hey, Eddie House just won a ring with the Celtics, and Pargo is making $3.5 million a year over in Russia right now.

Not a bad life if you ask me... Continue reading...

College Basketball Week in Review: Will Anyone Be Able to Stop Steph Curry or Blake Griffin This Year?

GAME OF THE WEEK:
Xavier 63, Virginia Tech 62
This one was pretty easy to pick. Virginia tech led by as many as 12 in the second half and went up 7 with 5:14 left on a Malcolm Delaney three, but the Hokies would not score for the remainder of regulation. Xavier battled back to tie the game up on two Kenny Frease free throws to force OT. In that OT, there were six lead changes as the two teams went back and forth. Tied at 60 with time running out, Dorenzo Hudson missed a pull-up jumper but Jeff Allen was in the right place as he tipped in a weak side rebound to give Tech the lead. Out of timeouts, Jason Love took the ball out of bounds and quickly found Dante Jackson, who took one dribble and fired from just beyond half court. He banked in the prayer, and the Xavier players stormed the court. Derrick Brown led Xavier with 16 and 6 boards while CJ Anderson added 13. Jeff Allen led everyone with 22 and 11, but AD Vassallo was held to 4 points on 2-13 shooting (he did have 10 boards and 8 assists).

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
Stephen Curry, Davidson and Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
In three games this week, Curry averaged 35.7 ppg, 8.3 apg, and 3.0 spg while shooting 53% from the floor, 15-33 from three, and 24-25 from the line. He led Davidson to a 2-1 week. Their only loss was to Blake Griffin and the Oklahoma Sooners, where Curry scored 44 points on what most considered to be an off-night. Griffin has been equally as impressive in the early season. In three games this week, Griffin averaged 26.7 ppg and 20.3 rpg while shooting 72% from the floor. For the season, Griffin has yet to score under 20 points and grab fewer than 18 rebounds.

While both players were pre-season first-team all-americans, no one could have expected the performances that these kids have had four games in. Blake Griffin's athleticism is on a whole different level from the rest of college basketball. The kid is a freak of nature. With his size, mobility, and leaping ability, he is drawing comparisons to Amare Stoudamire. Curry has been just as impressive. He has silenced anyone who doubted his ability to run the point. He is not the play maker that Jason Richards was, meaning he isn't going to be breaking people down off the dribble to create for his teammates. But Curry has proven he is very good at findings people spotting up in transition and that he is able to get the ball up the floor and get Davidson into their offense without turning the ball over. Davidson will not be as good as they were last year, but with Curry on the floor, the Wildcats will never be out of a game.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:
Xavier
If Mercer had held on to their 18 point lead against Georgia tech at home, they would have been back-to-back winners of the TOTW award. But they lost, which opens up the door for the Xavier Musketeers. X won three straight games against good opponents as they won the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Sunday night. They beat Missouri 75-71 on Thursday, Virginia Tech on the buzzer beater on Friday, and held on against Memphis on Sunday night for the title. I've been really impressed with Xavier in the early going. I thought that they were going to be down after losing three seniors in Stanley Burrell, Josh Duncan, and most importantly Drew Lavender. But former Indiana recruit Terrell Holloway and looked better than advertised in five games this season. He hasn't put up spectacular numbers (7.8 ppg, 6 assists vs. 10 turnovers), but he had protected the ball, he has gotten the ball up the court against two teams with a very good press (Missouri, Memphis) and he has stepped to the line an knocked down big free throws (27-28). Fellow freshman Kenny Frease has looked promising as well, but he still has a way to go to learn the college game. As usual, X is getting a balanced effort as they have eight guys averaging between 6.0 and 10.6 ppg and more than 15.8 mpg.

MATCH-UPS OF THE WEEK:
For the best games this week, check-in daily for Lay-up Lines as all of the marquee match-ups take place in the tournaments. Continue reading...