Davidson 75 UNCG 66

As should be obvious by now, I didn't do a live blog for Tuesday night's ESPN2 matchup between Davidson and UNC-Greensboro. I was drafted into service for ESPN's stat coordination team and had to sit on the other press row next to the statting/blogging Lauren Biggers and UNCG's assistant coaches. Here are some late night thoughts from Davidson's 18th conference win this season.

-After listening to the chatter all night on the headphones about Davidson and Stephen Curry, I am convinced that all a committee member needs to do to give the Wildcats an at-large is watch a little part of one game here in Feb/March. All of the uninitiated were thoroughly impressed with their first look at Curry and Davidson. They tried to get some features on Hines and his statistical accomplishments up on the screen, but then Davidson would go off and do something great again.

-Curry scored 30 tonight and everyone felt like he could have scored more. Curry had several bunnies rim out, but his most spectacular plays came on some of his interior passes to find open forwards after the defense shifted to help. If Davidson's frontcourt can convert on the chances they get, Davidson could be unstoppable. Curry is so dangerous if you don't guard him heavily and the rest of the Wildcats become dangerous when you do.

-Davidson's 46 points in the paint are largely due to the Wildcats being patient and allowing the Spartan defense to rotate too far as they found open players on the backside. Some of the passes to set up easy layups were absolutely pristine. Despite several uncharacteristically sloppy plays, Jason Richards finished with a strong stat-line of eight points, eight assists, and four steals.

-Max Paulhus Gosselin played like a man possessed tonight...he took a normally pestering defense to another level by actually picking off passes and converting them into scoring opportunities. Gosselin finished with 7 steals and should be credited with several more forced turnovers (including a five second call). Max's classmate, Andrew Lovedale, once again poured in a very quiet 14 points off some rangy pull-up jumpers. Lovedale led the defensive charge against Kyle Hines with three individual blocks.

-Stephen "I'm-going-to-throw-this-off-your-back-to-show-how-much-I-deserve-POY" Curry's crazy inbounds play where he threw the ball off of Kyle Hines' back and then caught it for an easy layup, made ESPN's Top 10 plays for SportsCenter and College GameNight's Gym Gems. Guest color analyst Doug Gottlieb was left speechless.

-TV Ted Valentine (on the left in this picture) made an appearance in Belk Arena tonight to...well...be on TV. Valentine did his normal gesturing and marching down the court after a pair of controversial charge calls. But mostly, he was pretty quiet. You don't often watch a game reffed by Valentine and forget that he is a ref. The best moment of the night came during a timeout when he was standing right in front of me and the football players were shouting various things at him. He slowly turned to them and raised his finger to his lips to shush the crowd. The students were very proud that they got such a reaction out of the TV Teddy himself.

-The blog's good friend Will Brinson was back in action tonight, this time live-blogging for AOL's Fanzone. I got to talk to him a little at halftime and I can promise you that all of his blogged Davidson praise is no front...he really likes watching this team play. I'd have to agree with his assertion that Davidson and Greensboro are probably the best two teams in the conference. Hines is certainly the best player not wearing a Davidson uniform and I personally think that Dement is the best coach not named McKillop. Greensboro was unfocused at times tonight but they did outrebound the Cats and had 10 second chance points to Davidson's two. Davidson will probably have to go through the Spartans again in the SoCon semifinals to get to a Chatt/GSU/App State final matchup. It's too bad that Davidson will have to face them so early.

-I noticed tonight that Davidson might be the only team in the conference that doesn't have a SoCon logo on their uniform, the SoCon arena floor logo blends into the baseline color scheme (thanks Bobc63). Don't even think twice about leaving this conference anytime soon (Mr. Cary made some "observations" about those who have)...but Davidson certainly doesn't appear to have much respect for its organizing body in its signage.

Thoughts from Greensboro

-The stars were aligned for Davidson to lose tonight. Greensboro had been underperforming...Davidson had been blowing people out...Sander was on the bench. The Spartans scorched the nets shooting 9-12 from three in the first half. Their intensity and home crowd helped ignite a first half blitz that found Greensboro sitting right below their average offensive output of the last week: at halftime. But Davidson won by five. Their defiance of the basketball gods tonight was extraordinary to say the least.

-Boris and Andrew played very gutsy basketball against the league's reigning POY. Rossiter also played very physical all night long. However, it seemed like the close quarters and frenetic pace of the game led the forwards to start dropping the ball again as they had earlier in the season. Several good offensive looks turned into turnovers while defensive rebounds turned into loose balls and second chance opportunities. That being said, Lovedale's late game free throws and d rebound combined with Meno's three-point play helped put Davidson over the top after they had caught the Spartans.

-The heart of this team literally came spilling out on the court tonight. Richards' eyebrow was split open in an ugly way, bleeding all over everything...yet he came back to make the game-winning drive and free throw. Max Paulhus Gosselin recovered from endless "air ball" jeering to make the game-saving steal leading to Richards' drive. Andrew Lovedale overcame foul trouble to bring down the rebound with a scream after Greensboro's late attempt to tie the game. Thomas Sander did not let his sidelining keep him from supporting the team...he was the first one on the court at every timeout and was never quiet on the sidelines even when the Wildcats trailed big. And then, of course, there was Stephen Curry.

-After the game, Max Paulhus Gosselin was asked: "So, do you think that Stephen Curry is an All-American." Gosselin answered honestly. "I actually only care about Davidson basketball, so I don't really watch other teams or sports on ESPN. I don't know who else is really good. But yeah, Steph is an All-American in my book."

-Although Curry recalled that he thought the turning point of the game came in the end of the first half when the Wildcats cut the lead to 15, I would argue that Davidson knew they were coming back much later, when they were trailing by more than 10 in the second half. Curry and Gosselin double-teamed a Spartan and forced a loose ball out of bounds. Although the official rewarded Greensboro the ball, Curry turned to Max with a big smile and winked at him. 2 seconds later, Curry had stolen the inbounds pass and gone the length of the court for a layup.

-Curry only hit 1 three in the first half. Some might say that could have had something to do with his shorts. He broke the drawstring in warmups and was forced to don an XL pair which he tied tightly and rolled down a few times, exposing the white waistband. It was a good look for Curry, maybe he should do it more often.

-I had the privilege of sitting next to a fellow blogger who was writing about UNC-Greensboro. Will Brinson is a regular contributor to AOL's Fanzone and did his own live blog over here.

-The more I think about it, the more that I really don't mind Kyle Hines winning last year's SoCon Player of the Year honor. He truly is a remarkable player at this level, especially for his height. He had several incredible hustle plays that put Greensboro ahead late after the Wildcats caught them, while his first-half dunks and blocks were things of beauty. I say that I don't mind because I know that this year's real POY was outmatching Hines throughout the entire second half. Curry's constant toughness and "next play" attitude were put on display at Fleming. The country's fifth-leading scorer led his team to another win because of his knack for hunting the mid-range shot. At a time when all college players either shoot threes or layups, Curry has perfected the mid-range two which makes him such a unique basketball player. He was absolutely phenomenal.

-Davidson's attitude in the second half was definitely one of a team finally kicking it into overdrive. The several hundred fans in attendance got into a shouting match with Spartan supporters while Davidson was not unwilling to show a ton of emotion on the court. This was probably the first time that I have seen Davidson win a game and have the team run out to celebrate in a very long time. It felt like a game one more time.

-We almost got lost driving back to Davidson as the snow covered all of the street signs in Greensboro and our directions weren't retraceable because of one-way streets. Wildcat blogger Lauren Biggers escaped with ticket office guru April Albritton while Davidson's SID and myself were stuck going around in circles. We finally found the highway and a Wendy's. The only times I have traveled to away games with our SID department, I have come home in the snow. Maybe I can make it snow in Charleston in March if I keep this up.

Davidson 83 UNC Greensboro 78

18:30 D 0 G 5
G controls the tip and MPG guards the 5-9 Dwayne Johnson. Things start well for the Spartans with a Hines layup and a travel on Richards. Stywall hits a three and this place is the most intimidating place in the SoCon so far. G is ready to go. How did they lose to Furman? Hines blocked Lovedale on Davidson's only good look at the basket.
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15:42 D 4 G 14
I am being told by a UNCG reporter that the Spartans jumped out to a big lead on Wofford here last week before losing at the end. Davidson won't fold mentally, but Hines is getting big looks and drawing contact. One less big is a problem with fouls. MPG is making things happen defensively as he guards Johnson. A steal and a huge Hines dunk gets this place going nuts. Yikes. McKillop waited for the media to calm his players down.

Curry seems a little short on his contested looks while Meno and Lovedale are a little hesitant offensively with Hines looming. Hines has 8 of G's 14 points so far.
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12:16 D 13 G 19
At times, I have gotten that sort of nervous chills that I remember from last year's SoCon championship game when CofC went on runs and the Coliseum exploded. The sound cascades down onto press row. But at the same time, this game should have been expected. I'm glad that the SoCon isn't rolling over. Hines is a big man for 6'6". Davidson is taking its time in the halfcourt O. Not sure if that's good or bad right now. But they've pulled closer with a few Curry shots.
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11:36 D 14 G 22
Greensboro has not gotten our frontcourt in too much foul trouble yet. Meno has 1. Oleksiak hit a difficult fallaway three that last time though. Lovedale just picked up one.

I'm underneath the basket in a pretty exposed area to any Kyle Hines swats. Lauren Biggers has promised to protect me if I'm typing but I'm not sure if I trust that.

Hines now with 11.
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9:42 D 16 G 27
Oleksiak is quite a shooter.

Meno picks up foul number 2 on a sketchy loose ball near the UNCG bench. Dwayne Johnson did some acting and he gets 1 and 1 as Davidson is now in the bonus. Johnson missed the front end and Andrew Lovedale put Hines on his back.

Another tough call on the other end of the court as MPG was pressuring Hines after a rebound. McKillop is not happy with the refs right now. These fouls really hurt because they are so far away from the basket.
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7:38 D 19 G 30
Hines isn't getting the ball much in the half court O...but it doesn't matter too much because of his rebounding and blocks...and his teammates' three-point shooting. Curry's outside looks are short and he looks tired standing in front of me. Davidson hasn't given up this many points in the first twelve minutes since entering SoCon play. Give the Spartans credit, they are running and gunning and Davidson's not hitting outside shots nor finishing around Hines.

Oleksiak has a great line right now: 8 points and 4 assists. Richards has 2 assists and a turnover.
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5:19 D 25 G 39
Press row and the Davidson fan base erupts after a horrible call on Jason Richards after he made an incredible block on Ben Stywall. Davidson's outside shooting isn't there, and this is what it looks like when the shots aren't falling and the opponents have a dominating big. Greensboro is running roughshod over Davidson with everything falling.
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3:52 D 27 G 44
Meno is left with the ball at the top of the key. Richards is on the bench and Boris has no option but to dribble...off his foot. Davidson isn't playing its best but the refereeing is bordering on extremely incompetent. I try to stay off the refs as much as possible but media reps of UNCG are a bit appalled for their own team. This is insanely bad.

Davidson is really missing Sander who could provide a little physical punishment out there. He might get called with everyone else but at least he could make the Spartans back off a little.

Statline of the night so far...3 pt shooting Davidson 1-9 UNCG 8-10
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2:40 D 32 UNCG 48
Davidson is forcing threes now and they don't look good. Way short.

You won't see this every day. Dan Nelms and Brendan McKillop in the game with 3 minutes left in the first. Perhaps a wakeup call to the starters. No matter the final result of this one, this will go down as one of those "memories" that coach always refers to. As long as no one gets hurt, it will be beneficial come SoCon tourney time.
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Halftime D 37 G 52
Curry sends Davidson into the locker room with a little momentum as he hits his first three pointer of the game. He leads all Davidson scorers with 18. No one else has more than five. Meno, Lovedale and Rossiter have a combined 2 points. That is not encouraging.

For Greensboro, the story of the first half was three-point shooting. The Spartans have scorched the nets for 9/12 shooting while Davidson is putting a paltry 3/14. Five Wildcats have two fouls. Hines has 18 points and four boards, while Oleksiak has 17 points on 4/4 3 pt shooting.

This will be an interesting 20 minutes to come. The Spartans have blown leads before but Davidson has not really overcome a large deficit to win a game this season. The last big come-from-behind one that I remember was last year's win at Georgia Southern where Davidson went over 100 points.

It seems like it has been a long long time since Davidson wasn't in control of a game. Not just the score, but the mentality on the court. Davidson is not playing like a favorite.
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18:36 D 41 G 56
Lovedale attacks the paint and gets to the line. That's a good sign because Davidson cannot abandon the paint altogether just because Hines is there.

But Stywall immediately comes down and draws number 3 on Lovedale...then Max shoots a three whose trajectory was under the rim the entire time. The G fans will chant air ball every time he touches it now. Oleksiak again.
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16:33 D 43 G 60
Davidson is pressing to try to create a loose ball in the backcourt but G is breaking it and putting Lovedale/Meno in a tough position defending the paint by themselves. Kyle Hines now picks up his first foul of the game...how had three at this point last year. Davidson isn't getting the run they need...this will be tough to come back from.
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15:00 D 47 G 60
Wildcats showing a little courage with a Meno block and a Richards drive. That's what they need right now: courage. That takes them into the first media timeout with the ball after a G turnover. Foul trouble will be a problem later on but Davidson has to get tough as nails on defense to slow the Spartans down. They have already outscored their finals in the last two games they played. One key positive for Davidson on the stat sheet is o rebounds. They have 11. And the two sections of Davidson fans open the break with a big cheer. That was a good sign.
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13:44 D 50 G 60
A little life after yet another D stop as Hines walks into a triple team. Curry gets the ball off a hand off screen and nails the three. The mental accomplishment of getting it to 10 is big. Now Davidson has to remain consistent while keeping the pressure on.
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13:04 D 54 G 61
Stephen Curry! He cracked the first smile I had seen all day after he and Max doubled the ball and knocked it out of bounds. He stole the ensuing inbound and took it all the way to the hoop.

That was followed by misfortune as Hines drew foul number four on Lovedale.
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11:20 D 60 G 65
Six point game after Meno converts a three-point play. The X-factor is foul trouble and depth right now. Stywall makes it eight on a nice step back. Curry for three!!!!
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10:23 D 62 G 65
Richards all the way down the court and gets killed at the hoop with no call. He comes back down with blood gushing from his brow. Greensboro fans show their class by booing his efforts. Everyone in the building is standing and yelling at the top of their lungs. Great basketball environment.

Curry now has 30 points while Hines has only scored one point in the second half. The Wildcats can pull away if foul trouble and Richards' eyebrow don't stand in their way.
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7:36 D 69 G 71
Curry with 35 and he is yelling at the Greensboro crowd on the way down the court. Richards is back in the game as G calls a timeout. On the way up here we were talking about Curry's new attitude this season. Confidence ranging on cockiness.

But Meno picks up his fourth foul as Hines ties the game. Fouls will be a problem late. Hines is returning the favor now. He won't let Curry upstage him. But then Curry on the other end with a crazy scoop shot. Things are back and forth now.
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5:30 D 69 G 74
Greensboro has all but abandoned the three point shot in favor of giving the ball to "Karl, I mean Kyle" Hines. Curry is tired after that run. He can't score everything at the end like he tried to in Davidson's last loss in conference (ASU last Jan.). As I type Oleksiak hits a three, I guess the Will curse goes both ways.

McKillop calls a timeout to regain a little composure. It was almost as if Davidson spent all their energy catching G that now they can't play with them close. The frontcourt is back to their old ways of losing the handle in tight spots.
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3:50 D 73 G 74
Interesting to see Steph handling the ball while Jason Richards is in the game. Boris gets knocked to the paint as he catches an entry then is called for the travel.
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1:50 D 77 G 78
Two o rebounds and four points for Hines. Davidson has to box him out (I say that like it's simple). Dement takes a timeout with a one-point lead. Curry has finally got the career-high: 39 points. I hope to see him break 40...maybe it will be dramatic. Like with 5 seconds left. To win.
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50 sec D 80 G 78
Huge defensive stop by Max and J-Rich gets fouled and hits the shot at the other end. Need one more stop.
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26 sec D 80 G 78
Got the stop but J-Rich misses a huge front-end free throw. G will have another chance. That hurt a little inside.
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Final 83 G 78
Dwayne Johnson misses the game tying three with five seconds remaining and Curry ices the game...41 points. And the Davidson fans go nuts and Kevin Cary flashes a huge smile. "Man! I didn't want this article to be about Curry!" More later on in the night.

The Magical Ten Seconds

This is the magical sequence where Stephen Curry hit two three-pointers in under 10 seconds. The shot-steal-shot sequence pretty much put the nail in the coffin on UNC-Greensboro. The best part is that the top of my hat got on TV in the student crowd shot (00:46).

Enjoy! I will be moving this video into the UNC-G post at the end of the day. I just put it here now so that everyone will see it.