10) 2008 Davidson Wildcats, No. 10-seed
Record: 29-7, Elite Eight
Beat: (7) Gonzaga Bulldogs, (2) Georgetown Hoyas, (3) Wisconsin Badgers
The 2008 NCAA Tournament was the coming out party for Stephen Curry. Some people may have heard of him before the tournament, but for those that didn’t the absolutely knew about him after the tournament.
He turned the Davidson Wildcats’ time in the tournament as his interview for future NBA teams and he took the Wildcats along for the ride. In their four games, Curry would average 31.25 points per game. He only had one game under 30 points and it almost carried the Wildcats to the Final Four.
The season didn’t start very well for the Wildcats. An Elite EIght run looked improbably, as they started just 4-6. The poor start included losses to the Western Michigan Broncos and the Charlotte 49ers. However, their poor start would soon be a distant memory.
Their loss to the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Dec. 21 would be their last loss until their season-ending loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA Tournament. They would run off 25 straight wins. It was one of the best stretches of basketball ever played at Davidson, but would still only earn them a No. 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Curry and company wanted to show the nation that they could play with the big boys and play they did. He would drop 40 points (30 in the second half) in their first-round game against a former cinderella in the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a six-point win. It was their first tournament win in 39 years for Davidson, setting up a second-round matchup with the Georgetown Hoyas.
The game did not start well for the Wildcats, as Curry would only have five points at halftime. The Hoyas would build a 17-point second-half lead and it looked like the Wildcats run would end. Instead, Curry scored 25 points in the second half and the Wildcats came roaring back to stun the Hoyas by four.
The magic continued in the next round, as Davidson would dominate the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers for a 17-point win to set up an Elite Eight matchup with Kansas. Curry would score another 33 points int hat game including six 3-pointers.
Kansas would prove to be too much, as the Jayhawks pulled out a two-point win when Jason Richards‘ last-second shot banged off the backboard. The Jayhawks held Curry to 25 points and the rest of the Wildcats to 32 points. It was not enough for Davidson to pull off another upset and crash the No. 1-seed party in the Final Four.
Tiny Davidson played with the big boys in the tournament and about toppled them all. Curry and company got the nation’s attention and became a household name. The Wildcats may have come up short, but for a couple of weeks, no one could take their eyes off them.