Curry Too Good for Wisconsin; Kansas Next
by Jay Pearlman
DETROIT – In life as in basketball, certain time periods are about learning, about catching up, about intense focus on a singular subject; yes, about tunnel vision. Three years ago when this writer rejoined the sports media, my focus was on a very limited subject area: Harvard basketball and its conference and non-conference opponents. I called 28 games on radio in Boston that first winter, and never knew of a young man across the river by the name of Jose Juan Barea (then at Northeastern, now in Dallas). Last year the field expanded to Harvard and Northeastern and their opponents; this year, it was Northeastern, the CAA, Northeastern opponents, New England, and some ACC/Big East. A peek at the Horizon because old friend Gary Waters is at Cleveland State; even at the Big Ten once Dan Dakich took as interim head coach at Indiana.
But who is Stephen Curry?
I know Coach Bob McKillop from my days recruiting in his gym at Long Island Lutheran (don’t think I made it to Holy Trinity); heard of Davidson because of Coaches Lefty Driessel and Bucky Waters; watched Duke play ’em in Bobcats Arena earlier this season and realized the school is in Charlotte. Heard they were playing a big non-league schedule, winning, and then cruised in the Southern Conference.
But who is Stephen Curry?
While more knowledgeable about the college game, I love NBA basketball (particularly when played the way Chuck Daly’s Pistons and Pat Riley’s Knicks played), and I can watch every second of any telecast Hubie Brown is on. I remember Dell Curry as the smoothest, silkiest, purest shooter since Rick Barry, whose shot improved with age.
But who is Stephen Curry?
In what now appears to have been a workmanlike, understated performance, against No. 10 Davidson’s least formidable challenge since the tournament began, after being tied at 36 at halftime of last night’s Midwest Regional semi-final at Ford Field, Davidson routed No. 3 Wisconsin in the second half, winning its 25th game in a row 73-56, in a game no longer in doubt at the under-12 media timeout. Playing 37 rather than 40 minutes, first due to a third foul early in the second half and then due to the score, in a game in which possessions in the second half of the second half were dedicated to running clock rather than scoring points, Davidson’s sophomore sensation scored 33 easy points (11-22 shooting, 6-11 in treys, 5-5 from the line), dished out 4 assists, and grabbed 3 rebounds.
Wisconsin defensive star Michael Flowers couldn’t guard him. And with all due respect to Michael Beasley of Kansas State (and to academic snobs who think underclassmen should forego millions to graduate with their class), in three tournament games Stephen Curry has moved to the head of the class, perhaps into the first pick in the NBA draft. Spoken differently, in my experience watching basketball, I can’t think of a single player who made more money for himself over a three-game stretch than Stephen Curry has in Davidson’s first three games of this year’s tournament. (And no, no one is asking “who is Stephen Curry?” anymore).
In last night’s second Midwest Regional semi-final, Bill Self’s No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks exhibited stifling defense, made each Villanova possession a titanic struggle even to get a shot off, and routed the No. 12 Wildcats early and emptied Ford Field at halftime. The final score of 72-57 hardly evidences how one-sided the game was. And in the day and a half remaining until they face Curry and Davidson, you can be sure Self and his staff are stressing intensely physical defense on Curry, bumping him in the lane, on screens, and at every other opportunity.
No, Kansas won’t shut down the scoring machine we now know as Stephen Curry on Sunday. But they will make him work, beat him up, and tire him out, and by so doing, I suspect be able to pull away from another group of Wildcats in the game’s final 10 minutes.
Tournament news and notes
- The drawing power of Cinderella Davidson was made clear by the scheduling decision made by CBS for Sunday’s South and Midwest Regional finals: No. 1 Memphis against No. 2 Texas in the South Region is the early game (2:20 pm), while the 1-10 matchup between Kansas and Davidson is scheduled in the coveted later time-slot, tip-off at 5:05.
- With Memphis and Texas also having little trouble dispatching Michigan State and Stanford, last night was the kind of night when producers and broadcasters on CBS and Westwood One really earn their money. This writer had the distinct pleasure of listening to Brad Sham’s silky, pithy, yet understated call of the Memphis-MSU game on the way north from Ford Field.
- Kudos to America’s best college basketball coach, Tom Izzo of Michigan State, for his incredible success this year with non-tournament-caliber personnel. With all due respect to Bob Knight, Coach K, and Jim Calhoun (all of whom are now too old), and likewise to Rick Pitino and John Calipari (who have tried it with mixed success), still-young veteran Coach Izzo may have the skill set and temperament that translate best to the next level.
- Kudos also to the host school Detroit-Mercy, the NCAA, and the management of Ford Field, as ticket sales of over 57,000 made last night’s Midwest semi-final doubleheader the most attended entry in the history of the NCAA Tournament. With downtown Detroit seemingly revitalized each day, next year’s Final Four is going to be special.
- Wherever I was Wednesday or Thursday of this week, I was listening mid-day to one of sports radio’s best programs, ESPN-radio’s “the Herd” with Colin Cowherd. And I heard the first thing in months on that show that troubled me: Colin and a guest were debating whether Jay Wright of Villanova or Darrin Horn of Western Kentucky is the best looking coach in America (presumably in the college game). Well, shame on them for having even thirty seconds of such a conversation (it was more like ten minutes) with nary a mention of VCU’s Anthony Grant.
- Finally, one serious note: those of you who read this space regularly know that this writer/radio analyst watches the broadcasts as much as the games on radio and television. And with all due respect to Billy Packer, Dick Vitale and others, the best college basketball analyst on earth (and also still young) is Fran Fraschilla. Now, I don’t know Fran personally and have never met the man. But I am troubled by last week’s report by FOXSports.com’s Jeff Goodman that Providence College (and likely others) won’t consider Fran for its coaching vacancy. Yes, I know, there was an imperfection or two in Fran’s days at St. John’s, even later at New Mexico. But it has been years since then, Fran is surely now closer to 50 than to 40. And since “50 is the new 40,” I am reminded of the words of Abraham Lincoln that “everyone over 40 should be in charge of his or her face.” Well whatever the case was for Fran Fraschilla ten years ago, he appears to now be homogenized, to be completely in charge of his face – and his mouth. And as a former terrific coach – and recruiter – and also as the best person on earth at what he’s currently doing, well someone should allow for the fact that Fran has grown up a bunch between 40 and 50, and consider him for one more coaching opportunity. Someone at Providence College.
