Hoopville - Southern Conference

Charleston Opens New Arena: The College of Charleston Cougars will enter their new arena Nov. 17 when they take on South Carolina. Cougars coach Bobby Cremins set up the game with former Gamecocks coach Dave Odum before he retired, and new South Carolina coach Darrin Horn will honor the agreement. [4/24/08]

Stephen Curry to Return to Davidson: Davidson sophomore Stephen Curry will not parlay his outstanding NCAA Tournament into a pick in the NBA Draft, saying he's not ready yet. Curry was named the most outstanding player of the Midwest Regional after scoring 33 points against Wisconsin and 25 in Davidson's loss to Kansas. Curry said he might move to point guard next season. [4/01/08]

Midwest Regional - Elite Eight: With No. 1 Kansas' 59-57 win against No. 10 Davidson, the Jayhawks completed history as all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four for the first time in NCAA Tournament history. The Wildcats put up a good fight, however, ending the game with a chance to win. Senior guard Jason Richards missed a buzzer-beating three-pointer after the Jayhawks forced anyone but Stephen Curry to take the final shot. Curry finished his sensational run in the tournament with a 25-point performance on 9-of-25 shooting. But Kansas' defense prevented Curry from dominating late in the game, limiting Curry to only one basket in the final eight minutes. Trailing 51-49, sophomore guard Sherron Collins made his only basket of the game, a three-pointer that gave Kansas the lead and eventual victory. Junior guard Mario Chalmers and senior center Sasha Kaun each scored 13 points to lead the Jayhawks, who will play North Carolina in the Final Four. [3/30/08]

Midwest Regional - Sweet 16: No. 1 Kansas used a 13-1 run to end the first half, build a 19-point lead and eventually cruise to a 72-57 win against No. 12 Villanova. The Jayhawks got an early double-digit lead and never let Villanova pull closer than seven points. Junior swingman Brandon Rush led Kansas with 16 points, senior guard Russell Robinson had 15 points, and junior guard Mario Chalmers added 14 to pace Kansas' balanced attack. On defense, Kansas limited Villanova's Scottie Reynolds to 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Wildcats shot only 35.6 percent from the field. Kansas will look to reach the Final Four by beating upstart Davidson in the Elite Eight.

No. 10 Davidson has answered the question about who is this year's George Mason. The Wildcats pulled off their second consecutive major upset by beating No. 3 Wisconsin 73-56 to move a game away from the Final Four. After battling to a 36-36 tie at halftime, Davidson's defense shut down the Badgers, and sophomore guard Stephen Curry took over. Curry outscored the Badgers 22-20 in the second half on his own. He finished with 33 points, including six three-pointers, giving him more than 30 points in all four of his career NCAA Tournament games. Senior guard Jason Richards added 11 points and 13 assists for Davidson, which committed only five turnovers in the ruthlessly efficient dismantling of Wisconsin. [3/28/08]

Midwest Region - Second Round: No. 10 Davidson outscored No. 2 Georgetown 35-20 in the final 11 minutes to win 74-70 and earn a trip to the Sweet 16. Sophomore guard Stephen Curry was sensational with 30 points despite going 8-of-21 from the field and 5-of-15 from three-point range. He scored 20 in the second half, however, to help the Wildcats eliminate a 17-point hole and overcome the Hoyas' 63.4 percent shooting. Georgetown also hit 10 three-pointers. However, the Hoyas struggled to control the ball, committing 20 turnovers to Davidson's four. Davidson also won the free throw battle, hitting 24-of-30 to Georgetown's 8-of-17.

No. 12 Villanova's young guards continue to deliver for the Wildcats as sophomore Scottie Reynolds had 25 points and freshman Corey Fisher scored 20 points to lead Villanova to an 84-72 win against No. 13 Siena. Reynolds also had eight rebounds and five assists, and he hit four three-pointers. Villanova shot 53.6 percent from the field while the Saints were only 35.7 percent. Villanova moves in to the Sweet 16 to play Kansas. [3/23/08]

Midwest Region - First Round: No. 2 Georgetown shut down No. 10 Maryland-Baltimore County 66-47 to move into the second round against Davidson. The Hoyas' defense held the Retrievers to 32.7 percent shooting from the field. UMBC hit eight three-pointers to avoid an embarrassing blowout, but the Retrievers could not handle Georgetown's experience and height. Seniors Jonathan Wallace and Roy Hibbert scored 13 apiece to lead Georgetown, which had four players reach double figures in scoring. Georgetown also hit three-pointers and shot 51 percent from the field.

No. 13 Siena became the second 13-seed to win in Tampa today, following in the footsteps of San Diego against Connecticut earlier this afternoon. The Saints squashed No. 4 Vanderbilt 83-62 by preventing the Commodores from hitting three-pointers. Vanderbilt was only 4-of-20 from three-point range, and senior guard Shan Foster was only 1-of-5 from long range to finish with 13 points. Junior guard Kenny Hasbrouck led the Saints with 30 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line, and Siena was 22-of-25 from the line to help the Saints hold off a Vanderbilt team that struggled at times to score. Siena will play Villanova next.

Tampa Turmoil delivered the final surprise of the day as No. 12 Villanova erased an 18-point first-half hole to upset No. 5 Clemson 75-60, the fourth double-digit seed to upset a team in Tampa today. Coach Jay Wright coined the term Tampa Turmoil after the game to explain the madness occurring in Florida. Sophomore sharpshooter Scottie Reynolds caught fire at the right time to lead the Wildcats with 21 points and hit four three-pointers. Clemson's free throw shooting woes helped Villanova come back as the Tigers hit only 14-of-23 attempts.

No. 10 Davidson and sophomore sharpshooter Stephen Curry ousted No. 7 Gonzaga 82-76, rallying from an 11-point hole behind Curry's 40 points. Curry broke a tie with a three-pointer in the final minute, and the Wildcats held off the Bulldogs at the free throw line. Gonzaga contained Curry in the first half, holding him to 10 points, but he exploded in the second half for 30, finishing 8-of-11 from three-point range. [3/21/08]

Southern Conference Tournament Championship: No. 1 Davidson ended No. 7 Elon's run in the Southern Conference Tournament with a 65-49 win to claim the conference championship and a third consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore guard Stephen Curry led the Wildcats with 23 points. Elon crept back into the game in the second half, but the Wildcats turned up the defense to pull away in the closing minutes. Davidson held Elon to 34.5 percent shooting from the field. The Phoenix never led in the game. [3/10/08]

Southern Conference Tournament Semifinals: No. 1 Davidson stormed into the Southern Conference Tournament championship game after winning 82-52 against No. 5 UNC-Greensboro. Sophomore guard Stephen Curry again led the Wildcats, scoring 26 points. Davidson shot better than 55 percent from the field while holding the Spartans to 35.6 percent shooting. The Wildcats will play No. 7 Elon in the championship game. Davidson won by 10 points or more in all but five games in Southern Conference play -- Elon accounted for two of those games. The Phoenix beat No. 6 College of Charleston 75-61 with senior guard Montell Watson leading Elon with 15 points. [3/09/08]

Southern Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 1 Davidson completed its first step toward the NCAA Tournament by beating No. 8 Wofford 82-49. The Wildcats got 20 points from sophomore sharpshooter Stephen Curry and extended their winning streak to 20 games. No. 5 UNC-Greensboro will be up next for Davidson after the Spartans beat No. 4 Appalachian State 63-46. Senior forward Kyle Hines scored 20 points to lead UNC-Greensboro.

No. 7 Elon upset No. 2 Chattanooga 60-57 in the quarterfinals thanks to junior forward Ola Atoyebi, who scored four straight points in the final minutes to help the Phoenix overcome a 57-54 deficit. Atoyebi finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. No. 6 College of Charleston provided the second upset of the day by cruising past No. 3 Georgia Southern 87-73. The Cougars led by as much as 27 points in the second half. Junior forward Jermaine Johnson led Charleston with 18 points. If the Cougars can beat Elon in the semifinals, they will essentially have a home game against Davidson or UNC-Greensboro with an automatic bid on the line. [3/08/08]

Southern Conference Tournament Opening Round: No. 8 Wofford beat No. 9 Western Carolina 58-49 to win the right to play No. 1 Davidson in the quarterfinals. Freshman forward Noah Dahlman led the Terriers with 16 points. No. 7 Elon shut down No. 10 Furman 52-37 to advance to the quarterfinals against No. 2 Chattanooga. Junior guard Brett James led the Phoenix with 16 points, while none of the Paladins scored in double figures. No. 6 College of Charleston protected its home court advantage by beating No. 11 Citadel 66-48. Freshman forward Antwaine Wiggins led a balanced Cougars attack with 13 points. The Cougars will play No. 3 Georgia Southern. [3/07/08]

College of Charleston Suspends Two: Forward Dustin Scott and guard Marcus Hammond were suspended by the College of Charleston for one game for an undisclosed violation of team rules. They will miss the team's upcoming game against the Citadel. Scott has been averaging 10 points and six rebounds a game. [2/04/08]

Western Carolina Boots Two Freshmen: Western Carolina coach Larry Hunter has dismissed freshmen Michael Porrini and Camden Miller for violating team rules. He did not offer details about the incident, but he said the players rejected their suspensions and are consequently off the team. Porrini is the Catamounts' starting point guard and averages 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Miller, a reserve, averages 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. [1/29/08]

UNC Greensboro Prepares to Honor Hines: UNC Greensboro senior forward Kyle Hines has had such a successful career that the Spartans plan to retire his number Feb. 28 before the team plays Chattanooga in Hines' penultimate home game. Hines is averaging 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season and is on pace to join David Robinson, Pervis Ellison, Derrick Coleman, Alonzo Mourning and Tim Duncan as the only players in NCAA history to put up at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 blocks. Hines has excelled under the radar in the Southern Conference. The 6-6 forward would be happy if his membership in that elite group carries into the NBA Draft -- all five players were drafted No. 1 or No. 2.

Update: Hines needs 144 points, 98 rebounds and one block to join that pantheon of dominant players. However, Boston University would feel slighted if that list failed to include Tunji Awojobi, who finished his Terrier career with 2,308 points, 1,237 rebounds and 302 blocks. [1/17/08]

Wofford Point Guard Gibson Withdraws: Drew Gibson, Wofford's starting point guard, has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return to school for his senior season. He averaged 12.8 points per game and led the team with 136 assists. [6/14/07]

Midwest Region - First Round: No. 14 Davidson put a scare into the No. 4 Maryland Terrapins, who only led by one at halftime, but the Terps were able to pull away in the second half and win 82-70. The star of the game was undoubtedly Davidson's freshman Stephen Curry, who despite looking 15 years old, was able to score 30 points and hit five three-pointers before fouling out. Senior Ekene Ibekwe was constantly in foul trouble for the Terps and eventually fouled out, but junior Bambale "Boom" Osby stepped in nicely for Maryland, chipping in 11 points and five rebounds. All five Terrapin starters scored in double digits, led by senior Mike Jones, who had 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Junior Boris Meno had nine points and nine rebounds for Davidson.

No. 5 Butler used a 17-0 run to overcome a 32-29 deficit in the second half to defeat fellow mid-major Old Dominion 57-46. The run was sparked by three three-pointers by junior Pete Campbell. Old Dominion, who had won 12 of 13, was led by junior Brandon Johnson, who had 11 points. Freshman Gerald Lee had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Monarchs in only 20 minutes. Butler's star, junior A.J. Graves, played a whopping 39 minutes and had 18 points. [3/15/07]