Davidson 57 - 59 19Kansas
Final
  for this game

Kansas hopes to end the surprising run of Curry, Davidson

Mar 30, 2008 - 12:58 PM No. 10 Davidson (29-6) vs. No. 1 Kansas (34-3) 5:05 pm EDT

DETROIT (Ticker) -- Stephen Curry and Davidson have been the talk of the NCAA Tournament. But Kansas is among the favorites to become the last team standing.

The top-seeded Jayhawks look to end the surprising run of the 10th-seeded Wildcats when the two teams clash in the Midwest Regional final on Sunday.

Kansas coach Bill Self is in his fifth "Elite Eight" but has never reached the Final Four.

The Jayhawks (34-3) have cruised through the tournament so far, winning their three games by an average of 19.3 points.

"From an experience standpoint, from the pieces fitting standpoint, the balance of big guys and perimeter play, depth, I think this is the best team that we've had," Self said. "I've said I would reserve judgement to say that until after this weekend's games, but if we play like I think we're capable of playing, then this is the best team we've had."

Kansas is coming off a 72-57 victory over Villanova in the regional semifinals on Friday, led by Brandon Rush's 16 points. The Jayhawks have also shot over 50 percent in each of their three wins.

The last time Kansas reached the Final Four was in 2003 - under former coach Roy Williams - while Davidson is looking for its first trip in school history.

The Wildcats (29-6) are on a 25-game winning streak and surged past Wisconsin, 73-56, to reach their first regional final since 1969.

Leading the way all tournament long has been sophomore Curry, who had 33 points against the Badgers and is averaging 34.3 points per game during the NCAAs. Curry also outscored the entire Wisconsin team, 22-20, in the second half.

"I try not to force anything. It's hard for a defense to sustain themselves for a whole 40 minutes," Curry said. "Eventually you'll find yourself open. If you're patient, stick to the system that we've worked on all year. When guys slip up, you find yourself open, we know where each other is."

In all, it was the fourth straight effort of 30 or more points in the tournament dating to last year for Curry, who became just the fourth player in NCAA history to accomplish that. The other three to do it were Purdue's Glenn Robinson, Utah's Jerry Chambers and Kansas' Clyde Lovellette.

"I think we're gonna come out tomorrow and just compete just 'cause of the stage we're on, and we know what this game means for not only us, but for our community, what everybody's been waiting for for so long," Curry said.

"Kansas is a great team, deservedly so, to have the No. 1 seed. They've shown all year that they're a great team. So I think pressure's pretty much on both of us."

Overall, the son of NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry has scored 103 points and shot 53 percent (19-of-36) on 3-pointers in the NCAAs.






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