3/25/08

Davidson no pushover

Memo to any Badger fan who is looking to see who we'll be up against after disposing of Davidson (Kansas or Villanova): don't look past the Wildcats. For the second time in a week, the Badgers will be facing a team named the Wildcats. Only this time, it's the harmless, cooperative version from just north of Charlotte, NC, Davidson College, right? Not quite.
This Davidson team, who is officially the Cinderella of this season's big dance after knocking off powerhouses Gonzaga and Georgetown, doesn't count as an easy win any way you shake it up. Be it their nation-best 24 game winning streak, their white hot guard Stephen Curry or the fact that they played one of the toughest non-conference schedules of any team in the country, these guys really are good.
I know, so was Cal State Fullerton. I also recall that Beasley would run roughshod all over the Badgers too. But the 3rd seeded Badgers disposed of both of them with equal ease. Davidson actually reminds me of a smaller version of the Badgers, in that they are very well coached, very scrappy on defense and enter this game on wild tear.
The point is, as a 5-point favorite, the Badgers might be facing the toughest team they've seen all year. If anyone thinks Davidson will be in awe of the Badgers, think again. They played against North Carolina, Duke and UCLA already this year, and were winning in all three games at one point or another. The Badgers lost to Duke by a ton, and Davidson almost beat them. Davidson was leading UCLA by 18 at one point in their game before succumbing. So it's actually going to take a Herculean effort by Wisconsin to move on to the Elite Eight. Not that the Badgers aren't capable of it, just the opposite. But before anyone in Wisconsin starts scouting out Kansas' big men, let's remember that Davidson is here because they belong...

P. Higgins
wisconsinsportsfans.blogspot.com

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