As we all know this year's NCAA tournament hasn't exactly been friendly to the mid-majors. The lowest seed to make the Sweet 16 is Arizona and I still refuse to call them a Cinderella team. So the tournament has been all chalk.I like dominate teams just as much as the other person. The best teams playing against each other usually gives you a better game. But the tournament has always been about Cinderella. There is always one team that is in the Sweet 16 that probably shouldn't be there. That's why Davidson last year was such a great story. And they made it to the Elite 8. George Mason made an unexpected run to the final 4 in 2006. Along the way they took down power house schools North Carolina and UConn. The nation was behind these teams and rallied behind them. We all routed for them.
That's why this year's tournament needed Stephen Curry and Davidson, and Patrick Mills and St. Mary's. Last night these to hooked up in a NIT game last night in Moraga, California. And as you expected it was epic.
Stephen Curry was feeling it with his shot. He scored a game-high 26 points. Patty Mills dazzled with his ball handling skills dishing out 10 assists and scoring 23 points.
Curry and Mills faced off against each other for most of the night. Mills and St. Mary's finally ran away from Curry and Davidson in the second half to get the 80-68 win. Mills made the play of the night by knifing down the lane to score an lay-up to put the game away.
The atmoshpere for the game was incredible. St. Mary's arena was jammed pack with screaming fans. This is why the NCAA tournament needed Patty Mills and Stephen Curry.
Besides an overtime game and a couple of last-second game winners, this tournament has been pretty boring. Just another reason why more mid-majors have to be invited to the tournament.
Mid-major programs always have a chip on their shoulders. All mid-major teams give top seeds all they can handle. Just watch the tape of the Siena-Louisville game on Sunday. While Siena didn't win, they were not blown out. Louisville had to pull out all of the stops to finally put away Siena. And you can not tell me, besides Louisville fans, that the whole nation wasn't pulling for Siena.
That's why we needed either St. Mary's or Davidson in the NCAA tournament. Both Patty Mills and Stephen Curry are two of the players in the nation. I still believe when he is healthy, Patty Mills is the best point guard in the nation. He is a cross between Chris Paul and Tony Parker. He ball handling skills are incredible and he is one of the hardest players to guard.
Patty Mills isn't alone though for St. Mary's. Wayne Hunter is a great defender. Diamon Simpson can pull a double-double every night. St. Mary's this year could have reached the Sweet 16 and gave us the story we all wanted. The little team that could.
Curry and Davidson on the other hand wasn't even close to making the tournament. But they should have been chosen despite this fact. Curry is one the best pure scorers in the nation. He can score by rolling out of his bed. We needed Curry and Davidson in this tournament. Or at least CBS should have made Curry's mom, Sonya, a sideline reporter. Have you seen this women? She is gorgeous. The selection committee didn't do us any favorites by not inviting Davidson.
These two would have created a great enviroment for college basketball. Their skills alone would dazzle a crowd. But they would have also brought us the drama, we all want. You know if they played in the tournament their games would be last-second buzzer beater type of games. The crowds would actually be into the games. I bet if you placed Davidson in Miami this year, you wouldn't have seen an half-empty arena. But we will never know now. Because most likely both of these young players are headed to the NBA after this season.
While we get to see the best teams in the Sweet 16 this year, that doesn't mean we will have the best games. This tournament needed Stephen Curry and Patty Mills. They would have given us the drama we all desire.
