If you didn’t know about Steph Curry before the 2008 NCAA Tournament, odds are you did following his magical run during that postseason.
Before Curry became a superstar guard for the Golden State Warriors, he was leading Davidson College. Curry and the Wildcats were the No. 10 seed in the midwest bracket, and their first opponent was No. 7 seed Gonzaga. On March 21, 2008, Curry burst onto the national scene and led Davidson to an 82-76 first-round win over Gonzaga.
Curry had a game-high 40 points, tallied five steals and shot 8-of-10 from the 3-point line. Following the win, Curry and the Wildcats weren’t done busting brackets.
Davidson then went on to beat No. 2 seed Georgetown in the second round, and then the Wildcats defeated No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. Davidson made it as far as the Elite 8, losing to eventual champion Kansas, 59-57.
During that tournament, Curry averaged 32.0 points in four games. He shot 46.7% from the field and 44.2% from beyond the arc. He was on the midwest bracket’s all-region team, and he was the region’s Most Outstanding Player, according to Sports Reference.
Like for many other players, the tournament helped Curry gain a boost in draft stock. Curry declared for the NBA draft after his junior year in 2009, and he was selected seventh overall in that year’s draft. In his junior year, Curry scored a career-high 28.6 points per game and shot 38.7% from deep.
Curry played three seasons at Davidson, boasting career averages of 25.3 points per game and a 3-point percentage of 41.2%.
