More with less

The other day in the St. Pete Times:

America’s teams, they’re often called, or Cinderellas wearing glass slippers, or overachieving underdogs within so much March Madness.

But all those sports entertainment cliches miss the more interesting, more instructive point: These teams are doing more with less.

That feels especially important right now.

AP: Davidson had a shot in the air to beat Kansas and reach the Final Four in 2008.

The Warriors are for sale

Says Stephen: “There’s going to be a lot of speculation, a lot of talk, but for the most part, until a decision is made we’re just going to go about our business. I don’t know what to be worried about yet.”

More Mike Young

Heading into the tourney: “I don’t have a kid like Stephen Curry on the floor. If I could borrow him for the weekend from Golden State, I’d feel a lot better.”

(More) on the NCAA tourney expansion debate

McKillop: “If it’s going to be an experience in which, sure, the Southern Conference regular season winner goes, but then the ninth-place finisher in the SEC or the ACC or the Big East goes with those additional 30-plus or 10-plus or 5-plus slots, I don’t think that’s fair to the mid-major and low-major programs.” Earlier.

The homecoming: 25 in a loss

AP:

... an electric evening as one of the city’s favored sons returned home.

Curry, the son of former Charlotte Hornets fan favorite Dell Curry, grew up attending NBA shootarounds and practices, starred in high school here, then did the unthinkable in leading tiny Davidson to within a missed 3-pointer of the 2008 Final Four.

“Pretty much everything I’ve done in my life has been within a 30-mile radius of Charlotte,” Curry said.

Curry arrived wearing a suit and hugged several Bobcats and arena employees as camera crews tagged along. His pregame availability was moved to the interview room to fit the crush of reporters, and he said he bought 105 tickets.

Read this too. Stephen: “I’m just happy to see so many familiar faces.” DavidsonNews.net: The crowd of 19,392 included numerous pockets of Davidson residents and fans decked out in red. Curry’s former Davidson College teammates were there, as were many family and friends from Charlotte. And Curry delivered, both in his performance and by recognizing his fans. He played all 48 minutes of the game. Sorensen: But Davidson never left him. Wildcats’ red and white is much more prevalent than the Bobcats’ colors. Chron: They gave a nine-second standing ovation when Curry was announced before the game. They erupted when he made his first shot. They even cheered his first touch, a routine accepting of an inbounds pass under his own basket. GSoM. Pictures from Tim.

Wofford 73, Davidson 51

AP:

DAVIDSON -- Noah Dahlman scored 19 points to lead Wofford to a 73-51 victory over Davidson to extend the Terriers’ winning streak to seven consecutive games.

Thirteen players scored and 15 played for Wofford (20-8, 12-3 Southern Conference), which has won 16 of its past 18 games and is in second behind the College of Charleston (18-9, 13-3) in the South Division.

It is Wofford’s first 20-win season since moving to Division I and its first since 1993-94.

SHJ: Wofford made it look easy, opening a 25-point lead in the first half. After falling behind 5-0, the Terriers went on a 21-2 run to take command. Davidson (13-13, 8-6) went 18 possessions without a field goal, made just 2 of 19 shots after the early advantage and finished the half just 5-for-24. The Wildcats didn’t reach double figures until making a pair of free throws with 6:03 left in the half. A mock cheer went up in the crowd. DavidsonWildcats.com: The game was the first of five in 11 days for the Wildcats. For Wofford? First win in Davidson in 20 years.

Davidson 86, Charleston 71

AP:

DAVIDSON -- Will Archambault scored 24 points, freshman JP Kuhlman matched a career-high with 19 and Davidson rallied to beat College of Charleston 86-71 on Thursday night to send the Southern Conference-leading Cougars to their second straight loss.

Charleston’s seven-game winning streak, which included its stunning victory over North Carolina, was snapped Monday at Western Carolina. Despite 22 points apiece from backcourt mates Andrew Goudelock and Tony White Jr., the Cougars (13-8, 8-2) faded down the stretch as they played without center Jeremy Simmons (knee) for a third straight game.

After trailing 23-9 early and by five points early in the second half, Davidson (10-11, 5-4) broke up a close game with an 8-1 spurt behind Archambault. His bucket with 2:56 left put the Wildcats ahead 78-71 and his 3-pointer with 1:22 left made it 82-71.

Jake Cohen added 15 points for the Wildcats.

DavidsonWildcats.com: Archambault scored a season-high 24 points for Davidson (10-11, 5-4 SoCon) on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 3-point attempts and 4-of-5 free throw attempts, while adding five rebounds, three assists and a block. Freshman JP Kuhlman matched his career-best scoring total of 19 points by going 8-for-14 from the field and 3-of-5 from behind the arc, while adding three rebounds and three assists. McKillop: “This is one game. The challenge that any teams have in college basketball is endurance and consistency.” More: “This was a team that lost Stephen Curry, Andrew Lovedale, Max Paulhus-Gosselin, and a team that no longer had any of the majors players in that Elite 8 run. For us to think that we could stay with Big Ten and A-10 and Big East teams, I thought that was a good statement for where we were headed. But it really impacted our confidence.” Cremins: “They’re tough. Stephen Curry may be in the NBA, but they’re still a good basketball team.” Live 5. Highlights. After the game.

Western 77, Davidson 67

AP:

DAVIDSON -- Jake Robinson came off the bench to score 20 points, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers, as Western Carolina hung on to beat Davidson 77-67 Wednesday night after losing most of a 24-point lead.

The Catamounts (15-3, 5-1 Southern Conference), who had lost their last five games against the Wildcats (8-11, 3-4), led 44-22 after a first half in which they shot 63 percent (17-for-27) to Davidson’s 14.8 percent (4-for-27).

The game changed in the second half, when Brendan McKillop scored all 13 of his points to lead the Wildcats’ comeback.

DavidsonNews.net: Davidson dug itself a big hole in the first half, trailing 44-22 at the break. But they battled back in the second half, coming as close as 4 points (60-56) with 5:43 left. But they couldn’t get any closer. DavidsonWildcats.com: Down 48-24 1:49 into the second half, Davidson used a 16-2 run to cut the lead to 10 by the 14:11 mark. Western Carolina maintained the double-digit cushion, taking a 60-47 lead after Robinson sank a 3-pointer with 7:36 to go until Davidson went on a 9-0 spurt to cut the lead to just four with 5:43 remaining. That was as close as the ‘Cats would come as they turned the ball over four times in the final three minutes of play. Asheville: WCU regrouped and won for just the third time against Davidson since 2001. More. Western’s Jake Robinson: “Coach walked by us in the pre-game warm-ups and said, 'Huh, 21-point margin the last three years.’ He has a way of delivering a message.”

Wofford 68, Davidson 62

AP:

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Noah Dahlman scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and Wofford defeated Davidson 68-62 on Saturday night.

The Terriers (12-7, 4-2 Southern Conference) trailed 50-48 with 8:07 remaining before going on an 8-1 run. Wofford led 56-51 on Noah Dahlman’s three-point play with 5:46 to go.

The Wildcats (7-10, 2-3) tied the score for the seventh time on JP Kuhlman’s three-point play with 1:36 left. But Jamar Diggs hit a free throw and Dahlman had a steal and a layup to make it 63-60 with 1:07 left as Wofford pulled away.

Physical? McKillop: “Yes. They shot 44 free throws and we shot 22.” Spartanburg Herald Journal: The Terriers, down nine points in the second half when Young was slapped with a technical for arguing with an official about a call, went on a 14-0 run Saturday night and held on to beat Davidson in the Benjamin Johnson Arena. Wofford (12-7, 4-2 Southern Conference) has won eight of its last nine games. The Terriers had lost seven straight to Davidson (8-10, 3-3) and 11 of 12. Blog: Happy Stephen’s gone.

Davidson 86, Furman 81

AP:

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Will Archambault scored 15 points, including four in the final 14 seconds, helping Davidson hold off Furman 86-81 on Wednesday night.

The Wildcats were up 11 points with just over 1 minute remaining when Amu Saaka almost single-handedly put the Paladins back in the game. He hit two 3s and a free throw in the span of about 30 seconds, sparking a 13-2 Furman run in less than a minute to pull within 82-80.

But Archambault dunked it home to put Davidson up 84-80, grabbed a rebound and hit both free throws after being fouled to seal it in the final seconds.

JP Kuhlman added 14 points for the Wildcats (8-9, 3-2 Southern Conference), Steve Rossiter had 13 and Jake Cohen 11.

McKillop: “I’m going to look at the bright side. They made terrific 3-pointers. We missed free throws. We could have hung our heads, but we didn’t. With the crowd pressure, all of that, it could have been 'poor us.’ We could have had a pity party. But we stayed within the system.” Davidson. Furman.

Appalachian 78, Davidson 68

AP:

DAVIDSON -- Donald Sims scored 44 points and Appalachian State snapped a three-game losing streak with a 78-68 win over Davidson on Saturday.

Isaac Butts added 13 points and Kellen Brand had 12 for the Mountaineers (8-7, 2-2 Southern Conference).

Sims made 13 of 19 field goal attempts, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. He also was 13-for-13 at the foul line. The Mountaineers shot 53.2 percent from the field (25-for-47).

DavidsonWildcats.com: Sims was 13-for-19 from the field, 5-for-7 from 3-point range and 13-for-13 from the free-throw line. His point total set a new Belk Arena record, topping Stephen Curry’s 41 points against Chattanooga last season. It was also the second-most individual points against Davidson in school history, besting the 43 points NC State’s David Thompson netted Dec. 21, 1974. The Observer: Steve Rossiter-13 from the free-throw line. His point total set a new Belk Arena record, topping Stephen Curry’s layup gave Davidson its first lead of the second half, 62-61, with 6:59 to go, but Appalachian State closed the game on a 17-6 run, including 13 points from Sims. McKillop: “They earned this victory. They played very well. They came back from a deficit with superb execution. … At key moments, they made key baskets, and at key moments, we missed key baskets.” Buzz: “I was just trying to get some defensive stops and run when we could, and if not then bring it out and try to use Sims on some ball screens.”

Davidson 66, Samford 56

AP:

DAVIDSON -- Brendan McKillop scored 20 points and Davidson rallied to defeat Samford 66-56 on Monday night.

The Wildcats (7-8, 2-1 Southern Conference) trailed 41-37 with 11:33 left but scored nine unanswered points to lead 46-41 on JP Kuhlman’s 3-pointer with 7:18 remaining.

The Observer: Utter embraces the confusion, and adds to it. Observations. DavidsonWildcats.com: Brendan McKillop scored a career-high 20 points, and Davidson held Samford to 23.5 percent shooting from the field in the second half to post a 66-56 Southern Conference victory over the Bulldogs in Belk Arena Monday night. On DavidsonNews.net: “I’ve very, very pleased with the victory. We played great offense.”

Davidson 63, UMass 61

AP:

DAVIDSON -- JP Kuhlman hit two free throws with 4 seconds left to lift Davidson to a 63-61 victory over Massachusetts on Wednesday night.

Kuhlman, a freshman, finished with 18 points to lead the Wildcats (6-8), who led 61-55 with 2:19 remaining before UMass (6-7) scored six straight to tie the score at 61 on Ricky Harris' jumper with 12 seconds left.

Kuhlman drove to the basket and was fouled by UMass' Anthony Gurley. Kuhlman hit both ends of the 1-and-1 for a 63-61 lead.

The Republican: An inside shot by UMass center Sean Carter, following a pass with one second left, just before the game-ending buzzer sounded, fell off the rim and harmlessly to the floor. McKillop: “We made big shots, big plays at big times. A lot of great things happened out there. We had to take this game away.” Derek Kellogg: “They made two foul shots to win it, we missed a layup to tie it.” Bryant: Big win tonight...big foul shots by JP, white lobstah back in the stands! 3 in a row! Stephen: Great win by my Davidson Wildcats over UMass today. UMass. DavidsonWildcats.com.

Davidson 61, Hofstra 52

AP:

NEW YORK -- Jake Cohen scored 18 points, including a three-point play with 45 seconds left, and Davidson beat Hofstra 61-52 on Monday night in the third-place game of the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.

Cohen, a 6-foot-10 freshman, was fouled as he made a reverse layup with 45 seconds left. His free throw gave the Wildcats (4-8) a 60-52 lead with 45 seconds to play.

Not only a good win going into the short Christmas break but for this group a good two games at the Garden. Now can wear the white jerseys for a little while when they get back to the village. Coming around. DavidsonWildcats.com. Matt McKillop on Facebook: needed this badly. GoHofstra.com.

Quick game coverage

AP:

DAVIDSON -- Jake Cohen scored a career-high 23 points and blocked four shots, and Steve Rossiter had 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead Davidson in a 90-49 rout of The College of New Jersey on Thursday night.

The Wildcats (3-7), who snapped a two-game skid, shot 52.2 percent (36-for-69), including 14-for-32 from 3-point range, and had 33 assists.

DavidsonWildcats.com. DavidsonNews.net. Trenton.

Coverage from tonight

AP:

SEATTLE -- Freshman Elias Harris scored a season-high 27 points and No. 21 Gonzaga overcame the absence of leading scorer Matt Bouldin to beat Davidson 103-91 on Saturday night.

Robert Sacre dominated the smaller Wildcats inside with a career-best 23 points and the Bulldogs (8-2) won for the first time in four tries in their annual game across the state in Seattle.

Bouldin sat out three days after he was cracked just below the temple by an opponent’s forehead and said he was knocked out briefly early in a win over Division III Augustana of Illinois on Wednesday.

PI: Davidson was able to stick around thanks to sizzling shooting from behind the three-point line. The Wildcats finished 14-for-23, but it wasn’t enough.

Coverage from Charleston

AP:

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Jeremy Simmons and Donavan Monroe scored 16 points each to lead College of Charleston to a 67-55 victory over Davidson on Saturday.

Casaan Breeden added 11 points for the Cougars (3-3, 2-0 Southern Conference), who maintained their 11-point halftime lead by shooting 50 percent from the field (14-for-28) in the second half.

The College of Charleston jumped out to an 18-6 lead on Monroe’s dunk with 9:04 remaining in the first half. Simmons tipped in Breeden's miss for a 20-6 advantage with 8:37 left.

Early P&C: The 12-point margin was Charleston’s largest ever over the Wildcats and was the Cougars’ third straight win over Davidson. McKillop: “When you make shots, everything feels good. You defend better, you run better, you cut better, you screen better, you talk better. We missed shots today. And our misses, we let that linger on the court.” Davidson: The loss broke a 30-game Southern Conference regular-season road win streak ... Live 5.

The latest in ‘Life After Stephen’

Mike Cranston:

Davidson coach Bob McKillop, upset with his team’s defense, halted practice and brought his players together. He then reeled off the names of the three starters from last season no longer on the roster -- mentioning Stephen Curry last.

“We’ve got to be perfect,” McKillop yelled, “We’ve got to be a team.”

Above him was the banner proclaiming “NCAA Tournament Elite 8 2008,” the dominant symbol of a storybook three-year run that ended steps away in a conference room in April when the dynamic Curry announced he was leaving for the
NBA.

Stephen on The Stephen Effect: “In the future when coach goes out recruiting he doesn’t have to go through, ‘Oh, we’re a small school outside of Charlotte, we’re pretty competitive,’ and all that.”

On Buzz being back

AP: So he decided to return to the Southern Conference, which rose out of obscurity thanks to Davidson star Stephen Curry, but is still known for small gyms, long bus rides, limited budgets and being a long way from the SEC.

Could go 2

Mike Cranston:

Curry has shot to the top of draft boards partly due to squashing erroneous scouting reports, a savvy pre-draft plan with the help of his ex-NBA player dad, a hot-shooting month, and a personality and knowledge of the game that wins over a room.

Money quote from Dell: “He played so well he’s actually moved himself ahead of where he’d like to be. It’s a good problem to have.”