Beyond the Arc : Stephen Curry

Another lament: No Curry in NCAAs?

Mike Miller — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 01:13:00 GMT

Davidson, last season’s NCAA tournament Cinderella story, lost Sunday to College of Charleston in the Southern Conference tournament, putting a huge crimp in the Wildcats’ Big Dance hopes.

At 26-7, the ‘Cats could earn an at-large bid, but several factors are conspiring against them.

Their RPI stinks. Say what you will about the RPI, but the seeding committee uses it as a way to measure teams. Entering Sunday’s game, Davidson was 67^th according to Realtimerpi.com. That’s behind other bubble teams like Penn State, Auburn, Maryland and Rhode Island.
Davidson’ most impressive win this season was Dec. 9 against West Virginia. After that, it’s N.C. State. Yes, Curry’s club played Oklahoma, Purdue, Duke and Butler, but didn’t win any of those games. And in this case, losses mean more than who you played.
Losing to the Citadel also hurts. Davidson played without Curry during the Feb. 18 loss, but it’s unclear how the committee will take that into consideration.

Part of me wonders if the committee will find a spot for Davidson simply to get the nation’s leading scorer – and one of its most well-known players – into the March spotlight. I know CBS would appreciate it.

Curry’s scoring and Davidson’s run to the Elite Eight impressed CBS so much last year that it gave the Wildcats the primo TV slot during the Elite Eight, using their matchup against Kansas for its lead-in for “60 Minutes” despite risk of an audience killing blowout. In all, 17.2 million people tuned in for that game, up significantly from the earlier rounds of games.

Watching Curry gun for the big upset again this year would no doubt attract viewers, both online and on TV. Elite shooters like Curry are a rare breed. I’d love to see him on the big stage again.

Why does any of this matter? Why fret over Curry’s fate when a guy like Tennessee-Martin’s Lester Hudson – the nation’s second-leading scorer and perhaps its best all-around player – also won’t be in the Big Dance?

OK, fine. Put Hudson in too. Put ‘em both in. What can it hurt?

Curry madness takes over CBS' TV schedule?

Mike Miller — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:27:00 GMT

OK, maybe the Stephen Curry adulation is going too far…

That may sound weird given this blog’s man crush on the Davidson star. (What can I say? The guy makes for interesting posts.) But it’s true. The Curry crush has reached such proportions that CBS is going to rob most of the country of a Top 10 showdown Saturday in favor of Curry’s Wildcats.

Yes, it seems that No. 2 UConn vs. No. 8. Gonzaga may be a regional broadcast in favor of Davidson’s game vs. Purdue. CBS’ TV sked lists both UConn-Gonzaga and Purdue-Davidson as regional games, but check out this story from the Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy, who offers up the network’s likely plan.

Given Saturday’s monster hoops slate -- Connecticut vs. Gonzaga, Michigan State at Texas, Duke vs. Xavier, Syracuse at Memphis and Purdue vs. Davidson, all Top 25 showdowns -- and the heat Curry’s garnered this season, there may not be a huge outcry over the decision. People want to see the kid play. Simple as that.

Sigh.

The other factor conspiring against hoops fans wishing to see the game is that the sport doesn’t garner much attention until after the Super Bowl and March Madness comes into view. TV ratings never jump off the charts until March (and sometimes not even then), which means a December game featuring schools not named North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke or UCLA isn’t likely to fare well.

With any luck, CBS will make the Huskies and Zags the national game. Some of us would love to see a Final Four preview three months in advance.

Can't get enough Curry? Join the club

Mike Miller — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:09:00 GMT

So you’ve got Stephen Curry fever? Don’t worry. It’s spreading.

Here’s what you do.

Click on this link. Either print out or write down the dates listed. Take note of any notable Davidson opponents (Purdue and Duke, for instance) because those games will be on TV (like Tuesday night’s game against West Virginia).

If the Wildcats aren’t on TV, try this online link to the radio broadcast. But be sure to catch the televised games. Once Davidson begins Southern Conference play, Curry won’t be on the tube until the Big Dance begins.

Chuck Burton/AP

That’s the problem with the nation’s must-see hoops phenomenon. Curry just isn’t on TV enough.

Maybe this is what it was like back in the day when people wanted to watch Pistol Pete. People had to search for LSU box scores to read about Maravich’s exploits. Soon, that’ll be the case for Curry.

After all, how many times will you see a player score 44 points one night, be held scoreless a week later because an opponent double-teamed him the entire game, then come back with another 44-point performance?

I can’t wait to see what Curry does next. It’s a Curry Contagion.

The last player that really took college hoops by storm like this was Kevin Durant, but that didn’t really start until he dueled Oklahoma State’s Mario Boggan in a double OT thriller in Jan. Everyone’s known about Curry because of last March, and he’s exceeded expectations this season.

He’s can’t-miss material. Simple as that.

(UPDATE: Even when he struggles, like against the Mountaineers, it's good TV. He scored 8 points in the final 1:12, including two 23-foot 3s. And, if you haven't yet, be sure to read this Q&A with Curry. Sounds very humble -- and a five-handicap in golf!)

I’m curious – who was the last “can’t-miss” player in college hoops? Who was the last guy that was so good you couldn’t miss them on TV?

Duke’s Jay Williams was close (for the vicious Dunks and silly shooting range). Same with Kenyon Martin (he was good for a jaw-dropping block every game as a senior). But neither one was in Curry’s class.

What do you think? Who have been your "can't-miss" players?

They stopped Curry! (And lost by 30)

Mike Miller — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:13:00 GMT

During a week loaded with great basketball, who knew a mid-major coach would steal the show?

Just not in a good way.

Jimmy Patsos, the coach of Loyola (Md.) devised a way to prevent Davidson star Stephen Curry from scoring on Tuesday night. Curry, a sharpshooter who came into the game averaging more than 30 points a contest, was double-teamed whenever he was on the court. He took three shots and scored zero points.

“I don’t think irritate is the word. Just confused,” Curry said afterward. “When they’re down by that much and still allowing us to get open shots. It kind of surprised me.”

Curry’s not a moron. He simply took his two defenders into a corner and let his Wildcat teammate play 4 on 3 the entire game. Davidson won, 78-48.

“I know the fans are mad at me, but I had to roll the dice as far as a coach goes. I’m not some rookie coach,” said Patsos, a former longtime assistant at Maryland. “I won a national title as a top assistant coach to Gary Williams. For 13 years I spent on Tobacco Road. I coached a couple of No. 1 picks in the draft. And we scored 48 points. That’s the problem that Loyola basketball had today.”

OK, so Patsos took a chance. But didn’t he ever realize his strategy wasn’t working?

“We had to play against an NBA player tonight,” Patsos explained. “Anybody else ever hold him scoreless? I’m a history major. They’re going to remember that we held him scoreless or we lost by 30?”

Great job, Jimmy. We’ll put you in the Hare Brained Hall of Fame alongside the Bucs letting the Jets score (so they could get the ball back) and Paul Westhead’s defensive strategy with the Nuggets.

This isn’t his first case of bizarre behavior. Last week Patsos watched most of Loyola’s preseason NIT game against Cornell from the stands because he was worried about getting a second technical foul.

"I was trying to turn the other cheek," Patsos told the Baltimore Sun. "In the past, I've been too aggressive. I'm trying to find the middle ground and to be a better person."

For those interested in Patsos’ next move, Loyola plays at Vermont on Nov. 29. Maybe Vermont is a good place for strange behavior.

Curry early leader in player of year race

Mike Miller — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:59:00 GMT

Stephen Curry effectively started the Player of the Year debate Tuesday. Scoring 44 points against the No. 12 team will do that.

It’s an amazing thing, too. Oklahoma keyed on Curry from the start. It didn’t matter. The guy is just good.

Sue Ogrocki/AP

Stephen Curry

Bigger players like Austin Johnson (6-3) and Willie Warren (6-4) checked Davidson’s star guard with moderate success, but like any good scorer, Curry kept shooting. He needed 29 shots to get to 44, but was still awfully effective -- 1.23 PPWS and a 58.6 eFG% -- and even more so when one considers the Sooners’ defense.

Still, Davidson lost. And part of the reason Curry emerged as such a superstar last March is because the Wildcats pulled off big win after big win. Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin all went down with Curry leading the way. Davidson needs to pull off an upset against BCS schools like West Virginia, Purdue and Duke for Curry to beat out guys like Tyler Hansbrough, Luke Harangody and Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin (who’s averaging 23 and 19 in three games).

To be sure, he’ll be in the mix. He may well lean the nation in scoring. But Curry needs some marquee wins to go with his stellar shooting.

Onto the news from Wednesday.

North Carolina lost a Tyler for the season. Freshman Tyler Zeller could be out 4 months because of a fractured wrist. Breakout time for Deon Thompson.
Reaction to the Tar Heels’ demolition of Kentucky. Yes, there’s a long way to go, but there’s also reason to remain optimistic. A Sea of Blue agrees (to a point).
Does anyone else think Loyola’s coach overreacted a little bit?
Jim Calhoun is a little concerned about his guard play against a zone without A.J. Price in the lineup. Me too.
If that’s not enough to worry the Huskies, Pitt may have a star in the making in JUCO transfer Jermaine Dixon.
When Southern Illinois plays Duke in the Coaches vs. Cancer semis, coach Chris Lowery wants to ensure his team isn’t “in awe” of the Devils. Turns out Lowery was just that when he was part of the Salukis in a 1993 NCAA tournament loss.
Even as a one-year player, Thad Matta says he’d recruit Greg Oden again. Duh. The Buckeyes won 35 and were national runner-ups. I’d take that bet, too.
The NCAA announced sites for the next six NCAA tournaments, starting in 2012: New Orleans, Atlanta, Arlington, Indianapolis and Houston. For some reason, the photo on the Arlington link makes me laugh.