Fri Mar 28 10:23:42 2008

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Wildcats and Badgers let the fur fly in Sweet 16 matchup

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Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - The 10th-seeded Davidson Wildcats will try to continue their magical run tonight, as they face off against the third-seeded Wisconsin Badgers in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. The victor of this Midwest Regional matchup will move on to tangle with either Kansas or Villanova on Sunday.

The Wildcats enter the tilt riding the nation's longest winning streak at 24 games and that includes a pair of upset victories in the first two stages of this tourney. After upending seventh-seeded Gonzaga (82-76) in the first round, Davidson pulled off a giant upset, as it stunned second-seeded Georgetown, 74-70. The Wildcats, who hadn't won an NCAA Tournament game in 39 years prior to their current run, are now 7-10 all-time in this event.

As for Wisconsin, it had an easier time getting to this round, defeating 14th- seeded Cal State Fullerton (71-56) and 11th-seeded Kansas State (72-55) in the first two stages. This is the Badgers' third Sweet 16 appearance in the last six years and fourth in school history. Winner of its last 12 outings, Wisconsin has established a school-record for victories in a season, with 31.

The Badgers and Wildcats have met just one time previously on the hardwood, with Davidson capturing a 67-63 victory all the way back in 1980.

As has been the case all season long, Stephen Curry has been simply remarkable in the tourney thus far and he is the main reason for the Wildcats' current run. Curry, the team's leading scorer on the season with a healthy 25.7 ppg, tallied 40 points against Gonzaga and then 30 against Georgetown, with 55 of those 70 total points coming in the second half. It is quite a start to the tourney for Curry, who is shooting 52.0 percent from long range through the first two rounds. Jason Richards averages 12.9 ppg and a nation-best 7.9 apg on the season, and he has also had success in this event, recording 17.5 ppg and 7.0 apg. Andrew Lovedale, averaging 7.3 ppg and 5.6 rpg on the season, has also stepped up his play in the tourney, posting 11.5 ppg and a solid 9.0 rpg. In the team's second round game, Curry made 5-of-15 three-pointers and he handed out five assists, helping Davidson rally from a 17-point deficit to stun Georgetown. Richards logged 20 points and five helpers, while Lovedale had 11 points and five boards.

The Badgers have simply suffocated their opponents this season, as they lead the nation in scoring defense (53.9 ppg), while ranking fourth in field goal percentage (.380) defense. Brian Butch, at 6-11, 235 pounds, will surely give fits to Davidson's smaller frontcourt and he leads Wisconsin with 12.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg for the season. In two tourney games, Butch has averaged 11.4 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Trevon Hughes, the team's second leading scorer (11.6 ppg) on the season, has really stepped up in this event, averaging a club-high 16.5 ppg through the first two stages. Marcus Landry though, has yet to get going, posting just 5.0 ppg in this event compared to his season average of 10.9 ppg. Helping pick up the slack for Landry is Michael Flowers, who has contributed 12.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 4.0 apg in this tourney. In the team's second round outing, Flowers turned in 15 points and five boards and Hughes poured in 25 points to power the Badgers past Kansas State. Wisconsin held Kansas State to an 0-13 showing from downtown and that will need that type of defensive effort to stop Curry in this one.