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Curry, Davidson taking aim at Gonzaga

Mar 21, 2008 - 11:14 AM No. 10 Davidson (26-6) at No. 7 Gonzaga (25-7) 12:25 pm EDT

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) - For years, Gonzaga was the underdog no team wanted to play. The Bulldogs are about to find out how it feels.

Gonzaga draws one of the tougher first-round matchups in the NCAA Tournament, taking on Davidson in a Midwest Regional game Friday.

A perennial mid-major power, the seventh-seeded Bulldogs (25-7) no longer carry the label of an upstart program, having been no worse than a third seed from 2004-2006.

Now Gonzaga will have to be wary of a program on the rise in Davidson (26-6), which won the Southern Conference and steams into the NCAAs with a national-best 22-game winning streak.

The Wildcats, who are making their third straight NCAA appearance, will not be awed, having suffered narrow losses to North Carolina, Duke, UCLA and North Carolina State.

In Stephen Curry, No. 10 seed Davidson has one of the best guards in the country. The son of former NBA star Dell Curry, he averages 25.1 points and is shooting a remarkable 44 percent (139-of-317) from 3-point range.

The Wildcats also will be playing a little over two hours from their campus, while Gonzaga has to fly across the country.

Of course, the Bulldogs are no strangers to elite competition, winning at Connecticut and Virginia Tech and suffering close losses to Memphis and Tennessee.

Matt Bouldin, Jeremy Pargo, freshman Austin Daye and Josh Heytvelt all average in double figures for Gonzaga, which is making its 10th consecutive appearance in the NCAAs.