No. 10 Davidson (26-6) at No. 7 Gonzaga (25-7)

By Matt Holt
Don Best Sports

There is always one game on the brackets that takes longer to decide than all the rest. It's that game that your scared to pick a winner because the winner may very well win again. This is that game this year.

Both of these teams finished very strong and both are battle tested against the best teams in the country.

Davidson returned all five starters from a team that went 29-5 last season. Then the Wildcats opened with the toughest schedule in the nation in November and December playing games against Duke, North Carolina, UCLA, NC State, Western Michigan and Charlotte.

On December 21, 2007, Davidson lost a heartbreaker to NC State 66-65 to drop its record to a dismal 4-6. This obviously did not sit well with the team and coaching staff because they did not lose another game all season. Twenty-two straight wins later find themselves in what may be the most exciting matchup of the first round.

The Wildcats are led by sophomore sensation Stephen Curry, son of former NBA standout Del Curry. Curry averaged an amazing 25.1 points per game this season. Curry made at least five three-pointers in 16 of 32 games and made 10 or more field goals in 13 games. There is no doubt that Curry is one of the premier scorers in the nation.

Joining Curry in the backcourt is senior point guard Jason Richards, who was second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game. Richards averaged an amazing 8.1 assists per game. Richards and Curry give the Wildcats one of the best backcourts in the tournament.

The West Coast Conference got three teams in the tournament for the first time ever this season and a lot of the attention his conference garners is due to the continued success of the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Gonzaga is making its 10th straight tournament appearance after winning its eighth straight WCC regular season title. It's also the 11th straight season the Bulldogs have notched 20 or more wins.

While most people will be talking about the Davidson backcourt, Gonzaga has a pretty good backcourt of its own starting with leader and point guard Jeremy Pargo, who averages 12 points and six assists per game.

Joining Pargo in the backcourt is leading scorer and streaky shooter Matt Bouldin, who averages more than 12 points per game. Freshman sensation Austin Daye is a budding superstar and senior David Pendergraft and junior Josh Heytvelt add consistency and experience to the lineup.

Gonzaga has proved its ability with wins over tournament teams St. Josephs, UConn, Western Kentucky, Georgia, San Diego and St Mary's.

5Dimes.com opened this game with Davidson at -2 and the 'total' at 139 1/2 points. Hoyas beware, the winner of this game poses a serious threat in the bottom half of the Midwest Region.

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