Stephen Curry

#30, Stephen Curry, a junior at Davidson has continued his steller play this year and has led his Wildcats to a 22-5 and 15-2 record in conference play. This prolific scorer is averaging 29.0 points, 5.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game. If any team in college basketball rely's on one player to carry the load, it is definitely the Davidson Wildcats. Stephen Curry busted out on the scene his freshmen year when he averaged 21.5 points per game and carried his team deep into the NCAA Tournament. From his freshmen to junior year, all of his stats from points to steals have increased. He is a force in the college level and will soon be in the NBA. If anyone deserves Player of the Year honors in 2009, it is Stephen Curry.

Davidson as a team hit a bump in the road Wednesday night when they faced off against The Citadel, losing 64-46 with no Stephen Curry in the lineup, due to an ankle sprain that will keep him out for only a week to two weeks.  Although the injury is not serious, it will effect the play of the team, as witnessed Wednesday. "It's a sprained ankle; he's resilient, and we've got a great medical team," Davidson coach Bob McKillop told the newspaper. "I'll have to wait until we get back to Davidson before we get any kind of evaluation." Without Curry in the lineup Davidson has no one to score the basketball and set up other guys. Curry draws double and even triple teams at times, which allow for open shots for the rest of his team. Davidson is surely a lock for the NCAA Tournament, I'm only anxious to see how well they perform under the wings of Stephen Curry.

North Carolina Tarheels

The North Carolina Tarheels are enjoying, yet another successful season under head coach Roy Williams. They are currently sitting at #3 in the AP poll with a record of 23-2 overall and 10-2 in the ACC conference and looking for another #1 seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Player of the Year candidate, Tyler Hansbrough has been providing a steady dose of offense averaging 21.4 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. All starting players are averaging double digits in points for the Tarheels. Guard, Ty Lawson is averaging 15. 9 points and 6.5 assists per game and guard, Wayne Ellington is also averaging 15.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. The Tarheels have one of the deepest bench in college basketball. With their ability to pull players such as Bobby Frasor, a prolific 3 point shooter and defensive player, Marcus Ginyard, an experienced senior with good ball handling skills, and Ed Davis, a freshman averaging 6.5 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with a bright future; the Tarheels could make a serious run at a national championship this year and for many years to come.

Uconn Huskies

The Uconn Huskies, #1 in the AP poll right now, are having a spectacular year with a record of 24-2 overall and 12-2 in conference play. They are led by forward Jeff Adrian, who is averaging 14.0 points a game and 10.0 rebounds and Center Hasheem Thabeet, who is averaging 13.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.6 blocks a game, which leads the NCAA. Another significant piece is A.J. Price, a guard averaging 12.4 points and 4.6 assists a game. After the loss of Jerome Dyson, a key component to Uconn's success, many expected the Huskies to suffer. He was a big factor to the Huskies high octane offense and steller defensive play. He was averaging 13.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assist per game until a knee injury occured, which will keep him out for the rest of the season.
Dyson's presence was missed February 16 when the Huskies matched up against division rival Pittsburg, who at the time was #4 in the country. The Huskies fell to Dejuan Blair and the Pittsburg squad by a score of 76-68. They could not keep Blair off the boards, who finished the game with 22 points and 23 rebounds. Blair's presence affected the play of Hasheem Thabeet and kept him to a season low, 5 points and 4 rebounds. Another key to Pitts success against Uconn was the play of forward Sam Young, who finished the game with 25 points.