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Kansas coach Bill Self, second from left, sits with his starters, from left, Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Darnell Jackson, Russell Robinson and Brandon Rush. Sunday, the Jayhawks attended a news conference, gave interviews in the locker room and held a short practice in preparation for today's title match with Memphis.
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2008 NCAA Tournament
Full video coverage of the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2008 NCAA Tournament
KU vs. Davidson
Detroit — Stop it.
Stop talking about the secret to containing Davidson College basketball phenom Stephen Curry. Stop thinking that it's just a nice little hot stretch in this NCAA Tournament that can be extinguished with good athleticism and good focus on defense.
It's not like that. Curry's not a flash in the fire. He has averaged 25.9 points per game this year, dropping 24 on North Carolina, 20 on Duke and 29 on North Carolina State early in the season.
Curry has done this for a lot more than three games. And it's safe to assume he'll get his points again today, when Kansas University (34-3) meets Davidson (29-6) at 4:05 p.m. at Ford Field.
Winner goes to the Final Four.
"The biggest thing is, whoever's guarding Curry : has to be locked in," KU coach Bill Self said. "You can't relax, because as soon as you relax, he makes you pay."
Self, as expected, wasn't completely open about who will get the assignment of guarding Curry. KU senior Russell Robinson hinted it primarily would be him, though the Jayhawks expect to switch frequently, too.
Either way, it's a monster task - even if Curry looks completely innocent.
At 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Curry has a baby face and a pleasant personality. He was a stringbean in high school (and still is to an extent), which made every ACC school turn away during recruitment.
But he had two things that big-college coaches didn't give him enough credit for: a sensational jump shot, and a great feel for the game since he's the son of longtime NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry.
"Naturally, I watched and learned things from him first-hand, just being in the gym, one-on-one teaching and stuff like that," Stephen Curry said. "Genes help."
Curry grew up in Charlotte, N.C., just 20 minutes south of Davidson. With the big schools saying no thanks - Virginia Tech offered a walk-on spot with a scholarship chance down the road - Curry stayed close to home and started dazzling the small community.
Still, it went largely unnoticed until Curry dropped 40 on Gonzaga last weekend in the NCAA Tournament's first round. He followed it up with 30 against Georgetown, then 33 in Friday's victory over Wisconsin. His teammates now call him "Primetime" because of the loads of media attention he's getting.
One television reporter summed it perfectly, asking Curry: "Stephen, is there anyone who can guard you? What's going on with that?"
Well, here's the long answer:
¢ Curry can shoot, and he isn't afraid of pulling up well behind the three-point line if he has a good look. He has drilled 19 of 36 three-point attempts in the NCAA Tournament and is a 45-percent three-point shooter on the season.
¢ He knows where he will be open on the floor. The cut against Wisconsin, when he went up-and-under, drew the foul and landed on SportsCenter, is a classic example.
¢ Curry plays with an outstanding point guard, senior Jason Richards, who averages 12.9 points and 8.1 assists per game. Richards had 13 assists and no turnovers against Wisconsin, and a distributor like that will find Curry where he needs to be found.
"He gets a lot of assists," Robinson said, "so you take him out, then half the job on Curry is done."
¢ Davidson uses lots of ball screens to get Curry open. Lots.
"I haven't shown much of a one-on-one skill-game kind of thing, because that's not what we need here at Davidson," Curry said, "That's not in our system."
Kansas is on high alert for Curry's ability to engineer an upset. Robinson said it would take a team effort defensively to keep Curry handcuffed. Rush thinks his 6-foot-6 frame can keep Curry from shooting over him when the two are matched up.
"I'll try to use my length," Rush said.
Surely, he's not the first to try. Curry called UCLA's Russell Westbrook the toughest defender he has faced this season, and the scoring reflects that. Curry was held to just 15 points in that game.
On the flip side, he has scored 35-plus points six times this year, including a career-high 41 against North Carolina-Greensboro on Feb. 13.
Back then, not enough people knew the story of Stephen Curry. But suddenly, the scrawny kid too small for the ACC has become larger than life.
Kansas, the big bad giant, gets the unpopular role of trying to take out the NCAA Tournament's new prince.
"He's going to have," Robinson said, "the whole country behind him."
UPDATED: 2008-09 Kansas Men's Basketball: Past, Present and Future March 11, 2009
Sherron Collins: One-on-One November 3, 2008
KU trumpets its triumphs with new I-70 turnpike signs July 2, 2008
Jayhawks up for ESPY honors July 1, 2008
Bill Self at the White House June 3, 2008
Comments
wissoxfan83 (anonymous) says…
He took out my Badgers. I don't want to see him take out my Jayhawks too. Guard him. Our offense best be ready too, they have a pretty tough defense.
kulphie (anonymous) says…
when i think of curry i think of a DJ Augustine.... and what happened there? we shut him down! i dont see too much of a problem, on top of that only 2-3 people know how to score on their team.
jayhawkinATL (anonymous) says…
Yeah, I STILL think he's NO Augustin!!!!
If we can beat a team with a Beasley, we can beat a team with a Curry. They haven't seen defensive guards like ours all season.
KU (anonymous) says…
kulphie......There's a difference between Augustin (no "e") and Curry. Augustin is the point guard. He gets his own shot off the dribble primarily.
Curry has the whole freakin' team trying to set him up off screens and back cuts and his point guard is pretty special in his own right. When's the last time a KU point guard averaged 8 assists per game!?
Carolina v Louisville may have been the National Championship game last night. Either of those teams would have beaten KU last night. I had KU playing Louisville in the national semifinal, so now my bracket is busted.
Kirk (anonymous) says…
Don't get hung up with "stopping Curry".
Dude wants to get his 40 points, let him. Let's go play run-and-gun and see who wins.
Put more on the board than Davidson. Period.
jross1972 (Joe Ross) says…
Kirk...amen.
"If I were coach" (dont hold your breath cause you cant afford it...) I wouldnt change the game plan for one player. Let him get his, and play our own style.
I agree 100%.
Jayhawk Arsenal > Curry
Brock (anonymous) says…
Beating Davidson will require that the Jayhawks do more than just control Stephen Curry. The Hawks need to focus on playing hard, smart defense on everybody and not allow the plethora of wide-open looks that we gave to Villanova (who helped us out by bricking their shots). KU also needs to stop doing things that are self-destructive such as turning the ball over so casually like they did against Villanova. Sloppy play will not produce a win that we want today. It is our time!
KU1014 (anonymous) says…
KU
I have never posted on this site, however I do occasionally read some of the comments. Typically, they are mildly entertaining.
After reading "KU's" comment about how either Louisville or UNC would have beat KU last night, I had to sign up. We KU fans pride ourselves on having higher basketball IQ's than most other schools. Let's try and act like it. IF one utters such a blanket statement, they ought to support it in some way.
Louisville played a good game if they were playing any mediocre team. Unfortunately for them they were playing UNC. Consequently, I think they were par for the course at best. Pitino knew they were the best offensive rebounding and transition team he had faced. Either he didn't coach his team to combat this or they simply didn't execute. Either way, KU beats Louisville 7 out of 10 times.
UNC is a bit trickier. Although KU has proven they can beat most teams playing the oppositions game, Carolina might be the exception. I would never try and beat Roy at his own game. They will not dominate the O boards on KU as they did against Louisville. They will have to make shots from the outside to beat KU. I think they are pretty evenly matched. If both teams play there best, KU wins on the defensive end. UNC hasn't seen defense like KU. IF they play the way they did against Texas, KU wins.
That being said, we all just play Monday morning quarterback on here and then go back to our less fulfilling day jobs. Self and Roy are great coaches and I expect they will each have a great game plan if we are fortunate enough to get there. Go hawks.
1977kufan (anonymous) says…
Nice article, Ryan. Everyone is well-aware of Curry and I know that the Jayhawks have a solid defensive game plan. KU1014 you should reply more often. You have excellent comments and you are exactly correct about the enigmatic statements of "KU" (you can understand why this writer would like to remain anonymous). Just read his or her last paragraph. I watched that game and that was not a national championship game (I will temporarily stoop to his or her level--the n and c do not require capitalization). Neither of those teams would have defeated the Jayhawks last night. Louisville had an excessive number of turnovers. As an example, their big guys were called for traveling 4 times when they were within 5 to 10 feet of the basket. North Carolina simply broke down on defense and allowed Louisville to make up a 12 point deficit in 10 minutes of the second half. Unfortunately, for the writer of that reply, he or she clearly lacks basketball acumen and is not erudite. Could he or she be a clandestine writer from Louisville or North Carolina who uses an email pseudonym?
Jayhawks, lets take of the ball and make Curry earn every point that he gets. On offense, our inside game is stronger so let's make sure that the big guys see those lob passes. Free throws and boxing out will continue to be so very important. Rock Chalk, Jayhawks!!!!
1977kufan (anonymous) says…
Follow up reply and for the benefit of the writer, "KU". In my last paragraph, there is an understood "care" as in let's take care of the ball. Rock Chalk, Jayhawks!!!!
Ksstreaker (anonymous) says…
I have to agree with KU1014, as a lifelong KU basketball fan. I still think KU has the best defense in the nation. And if they can keep the intensity high and guard the way we are capable, our offense will come. As a fan, we gotta believe! Being able to stop 2 guys like Curry & Richards should be the main thing we need to do. They are not going to be able to drive on our "bigs" like they did on others. We definately have to bring our A game from here on out! Go HAWKS 1988/2008. I embraced the 1988 National Championship and still have a VCR tape of it. We just have to believe we are the Champions!
dagger108 (anonymous) says…
There will be switching, but RR will not primarily guard Curry. Russell will cut off the head as he has so many other times. "Richards had 13 assists and no turnovers against Wisconsin, and a distributor like that will find Curry where he needs to be found. `He gets a lot of assists,' Robinson said, `so you take him out, then half the job on Curry is done.'"
Brandon will get the Curry assignment. "I haven't shown much of a one-on-one skill-game kind of thing" Curry said, which plays perfectly to Brandon's strength/length. Rush thinks his 6-foot-6 frame can keep Curry from shooting over him when the two are matched up, similar to UCLA's Russell Westbrook the toughest defender he has faced this season, and the scoring reflects that. Curry was held to just 15 points in that game. Expect the same this afternoon.
Side note: Richards would have been hounded by Collison in that game as well. Sort of like Robinson will for KU. Expect Mario to cheat and pick off a few passes as well.
Rock Chalk!
jross1972 (Joe Ross) says…
To All Posters:
Please proofread your posts to make sure you didn't anything out.
jayhawkinATL (anonymous) says…
I agree totally, Kirk...play Davidson much like K-State. Let Curry (like Beasley) score all he wants. The key is not letting anyone else become the X-factor.
bswen (anonymous) says…
To 'KU': Aaron Miles averaged over 8 assists a season a few years ago.
Kansas should pull this game off but it will be the toughest of the tourney so far. I'm not afraid of KU taking this team lightly and fully expect our focus and determination to be as high as it gets. Mario, Brandon and Russ will frustrate Curry and Richards and generate some momentum building transition scores. Darell, Darnell and Sasha need to focus on the fundamentals, block out and make sure we clearly win the rebounding battle. Intense perimeter defense and solid rebounding will win this game. If we continue hitting from outside like we have been for the past month I think we'll be heading to San Antonio to play Ol' Roy and Psycho T.
Rock Chalk!
jenaj21 (anonymous) says…
I love reading all comments on here, whether well written or poorly written. The point is we are all Jayhawk fans and I love reading the passion behind every post. All I have to say is that I hope KU is ready today but I hope most of all they are not satisfied with a final four birth. A championship still lies ahead.
Also as a Jayhawk fan living in SEC/ACC country (Atlanta, GA) lets cheer on the Big12 (Texas) and prove that our conference is definately underated!!!
JBurtin (anonymous) says…
12 assists = 24 point at least for Curry.
This is really a two man tandem. Cut off Richards and Curry's points will fall dramatically.
KU (anonymous) says…
Guys, I'm just saying that last night either UNC or Louisville would have beaten KU because they both played with great physicality and speed and athleticism. Neither team displayed any fear. Was it a perfect game? No. Both teams competed like crazy so there were turnovers just like in any game. Lest you forget, we average probably 14 per game ourselves. In a game like that, I could see us having 20 easily because it was a high possession game. UNC lulls you into not valuing every possession because of their propensity to speed up the game.
UNC is a better rebounding team than KU and I'm afraid we would have been murdered on the glass against Louisville last night.
I have yet to see KU play a game on that level this year, including the Big 12 tourney win against Texas.
Of course, I've seen UNC and Louisville play some uninspired games this year, too.
I'm hoping that our best basketball is still in the can for the next 3 games.
Again, I'm just saying that from what I've seen of KU this year and watching the UNC-Louisville game last night, either team would have beaten us because of the ferocity, physicality, speed, fearlessness and athleticism of the game.
Forgive me for not being a KU homer.
jayhawkinATL (anonymous) says…
Beasley/Walker > Curry/Richards
jross1972 (Joe Ross) says…
I'll be a homer. If anything's worth being one for, it's KU Hoops!
My objection, KU, is actually less flippant. You say both UNC and Louisville would have beaten Kansas because they both played well last night. However, that is logically accidental on several accounts. One, that it's entirely possible that if Kansas were one of the two teams, our defense being what it is could have slowed them down. Two, perhaps both teams weren't playing great defensively and that allowed a skewed perspective of the reality of the game. Three, supposing that both teams were actually as good as advertised in the post-game hype, your speculation that KU would have been beaten is hypothetical and based on another logical accident (namely, that because you havent seen KU play at "that particular level"--an observation which is both a matter of opinion and flawed in that just because something HASNT happened doesnt preclude its happening). Furthermore, there are many here who would take hombrage with your opinion that KU hasn't played at a level this year that would have felled both UNC and Louisville last evening. I for one think that if KU plays the way they did against Texas--a matter of opinion--that they would have beaten either of those two teams. Yet while I am confident of this, I dont advertise any level of certainty to the opinion as I am not clairvoyant.
wcormode (William Cormode) says…
Ummm "KU" You said "I have yet to see KU play a game on that level this year, including the Big 12 tourney win against Texas."
Are you kidding me? They could have beaten the Miami Heat playing like that. They were outstanding and they would have beaten all 341 Division 1 schools that day.
Do you even watch the games or do you casually glance at them while doing something else?
conner33 (anonymous) says…
I feel ike we are the underdog, and I really like the mindset on this team going into this game. I WANT a shot at UNC very, very badly. Go get it boys. God bless, and good luck today.
JayViking (anonymous) says…
Hawks play their game:
1. tough/energetic defense --->stimulating the offense
and it's another KU win.
bragill1978 (anonymous) says…
I hear all this talk about Curry and no talk about how they are going to stop the Jayhawks. Don't get me wrong, he is a great player and will get his points, but what are they going to do about our guys... Rush and Chalmers to just name two. They have both shot a higher 3 point percentage that Curry has all year. Don't worry today...Jayhawks win big and we start to prepare for NC and good ole Roy Williams.
KU (anonymous) says…
You guys are killin' me.......I'm "subjective" because I dare to believe that KU would have gotten beat by UNC or Louisville yesterday......Yet YOU say KU has played up to that level against Texas and would have beaten the Miami Heat and that is supposed to be "objective" because it's pro-KU?!
We're all expressing our own opinions here.
By the way, if you're watching the Texas/Memphis game, you're seeing the difference in the athleticism and speed and size that Memphis has compared to Texas. Texas is the most physically imposing team in the Big 12 and they look like boys against Memphis.
So you are using Texas as the measuring stick against which you're gauging KU. I'm saying that I think Memphis, UNC and Louisville all have slightly better athleticism and speed than KU. I also think they all play with a killer instinct and fearlessness that I haven't seen from KU all year.
Am I saying KU won't win it all? NO. I have picked them in my bracket to win against UCLA in the Final. I'm just saying that UNC and Louisville showed me more last night than KU has all season.
I guess that makes me a "bad" KU fan?
afilmer (anonymous) says…
KU makes some good points and is only expressing his opinion. i'm pretty sure KU's a KU fan, and as far as i'm concerned, there's room for all of us on the bus.
UNC and Louisville played a great game last night, and it scared me to death as well. Watching Memphis is also scaring me, and UCLA looked pretty darn good against X.
all to say, i know the hawks can step up and meet the challenge of all comers.
rock chalk
and by the way - missouri sucks
jayhawkinATL (anonymous) says…
Man, UT looks like crap!!!! Was totally expecting a much better game (actually a UT victory). Augustin and Abrams must only REALLY get up for the 'hawks.
trueblue9 (anonymous) says…
Cut KU some slack. UNC scared the poop out of me and, with all of the added pressure that will surely come next week with the Roy thing and all, I'm not looking forward to meeting them. L'Ville doesn't scare me and I thought they deserved to lose, but to each their own.
But seriously, Davidson? Come on. Anything less than a solid W is not acceptable. Yes Self, I'm looking at you.
MistaJRock (anonymous) says…
all of us filled out our "dream brackets and had davidson somehow making it to this point so we could beat up on the 10-seed. Have a little confidence. they are freaking davidson.
this will be a 15-point win by the jayhawks. davidson may keep it within that but the hawks will never really be threatened in this game...
bring on roy... come get your beatdown sucker!
estaboy (anonymous) says…
I'm sense quite a bit of disagreement amongst the greatest fans in the country here today... that being said, I offer this, the best three words we can all say together and live by day or night: rock chalk jayhawk!
bragill1978 (anonymous) says…
UNC vs. Kansas will be a totally different pace of game. You guys are all making crazy talk if you are scared. UNC got a ton of easy points in transition b/c of the Louisville press. NC is going to have to score 1/2 court buckets on us for 40 min. We have the players to match up. It'll be a great game with the edge to KU b/c of motivation of Roy leaving the Jayhawks.
KU (anonymous) says…
All I want from this game is a healthy Sherron Collins. We need a minor miracle if he's going to be healthy next Saturday.
If Sherron is healthy (like he was for about 2 games about 3 weeks ago) can you imagine the showdown he and Ty Lawson could have?!
KU (anonymous) says…
bragill......preventing that sideline fast break of UNC's is harder than you can imagine. Yes, we play great half court defense, but getting and keeping UNC in the half court will be the key. Not many teams can do it, just like not many teams could keep KU in the half court when Roy was in Lawrence.
There's a subtle difference in playing great halfcourt defense and preventing a fast breaking team from running the floor. We haven't had to do it much this year and nowhere near the level that UNC runs it.
I hate saying this, because I hate UNC......almost as much as Duke and MU.
bragill1978 (anonymous) says…
No minor miracles here. Collins or not we will be good to go. KU will be playing its best basketball in the FINAL 4.
bragill1978 (anonymous) says…
KU...... I understand your possible concerns. The key is going to be made baskets and low turnovers. Louisville had over 18 turnovers that also led to easy points. If we can shoot our average FG % and keep our turnovers under 10 we'll be in a good position to win. This will limit Carolina to run. I remember in the 03' final vs. Syracuse and we couldn't get out and run b/c they shot the ball very well and we didn't shoot very well. This is the recipe for success or failure.
Mitch_4_KU (anonymous) says…
I don't know how to coach, I can't dribble, shoot or pass, but I can SCREAM at the top of my lungs.......... rock chalk!!! Kill the Davidson run and lets go to San Antonio.......
God save the Quin.
MistaJRock (anonymous) says…
while it has been an easy run through the tourney ... i cant believe that all 4 number ones will be in the final 4... its really an incredible year for the greatest sport ever!
lcjayhawk (anonymous) says…
All 4 #1 seeds haven't made it yet. We still gotta win this game.
KU (anonymous) says…
We're playing just like we did the last 20 minutes of the Villanova game......no energy but more than that, no WILL to destroy the opponent.
If we keep sleepwalking, Davidson is just good enough and smart enough to win this game at the end.
bragill1978 (anonymous) says…
We are playing very similar to our game last year vs. UCLA. Missing easy baskets and missing FT's. We need to have at least one more guy step up other than Mario.
trueblue9 (anonymous) says…
What do you guys think self has them do at practice? Do we practice the inbounds play where everyone stands around and points at each other? I'm confused. But probably not as much as Case when he found himself on the court in a tie game with Cole.
Rockonku (anonymous) says…
Rush needs to get something figured out. We aren't playing Jayhawk ball, Davidson is beating us down the court we have got to pick up the pace and get to the foul line. Kaun and Chalmers have stepped up, now they need some backup.
kevell1 (anonymous) says…
I'm not sure why no one has commented on this - Davidson vs Goliath sounds like a good title, but David beat Goliath. Thanks for the bad Karma Ryan, think beyond the surface.