"Strugglin" Steph

Sorry Jimmy Pastos. It turns out the key to defending Steph Curry isn't ridiculous gimmicks and stunts. Rather it is something that teams in the Southern conference don't have, size and length on the perimeter.

Blanketed by wave after wave of long, lean defenders, Curry struggled all night to get clean looks at the hoop. Granted, on many nights, his looks aren't that clean - but still seem to find the bottom of the bucket.

What stood out to me was two things: ONE - Curry is pretty unselfish, especially considering that TWO - his team is garbage around him. Lovedale is a good athlete inside, but limited offensively. There are several spot-up shooters who benefit from the attention Curry draws. But to be frank, the cupboard is pretty bare.

How badly did Curry struggle? At about the 7:00 mark in the second half, after Curry attempted his 13th 3-pointer, there were no gasps, no "ooohs" and no "ahhhhs." The excitement and anticipation that follows every Curry release had subsided. For tonight, it seemed Curry was just another player. And when that happens, Davidson is even a little less than "any old" team.

A team that looked a little "out-athleted" by West Virginia.

Then it happened. A star did what STARS do; Steph shook off all the struggles, and took over the game down the stretch. A steal and a pop-back 17-footer. A slipped screen for a NBA-range three. A one-on-one, shake 'em out his sneakers step back three. Two calm free throws and an improbable win on a night when they (and Steph) did not play particularly well.

End of the night? 27 points, 10 assists. Must be nice to "struggle" like that in the Garden.