Cinderella Madness: '08 Davidson vs '11 Richmond

WhatIfSports.com and CollegeHoops.net have partnered up to bring you Cinderella Madness 2012. This college basketball simulation tournament features 16 of the most memorable Cinderella stories from the past eight seasons. We invited teams outside the BCS conferences, seeded 7th or lower that advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in their bracket to participate. Teams were seeded 1 through 16 and then simulated using WhatIfSports.com's award-winning college basketball simulation engine. Each match was "played" 501 times.

2007-08 Davidson vs 2010-11 Richmond

2007-08 Davidson: Stephen Curry received the bulk of the praise and rightfully so, as one of the country's premier shooters was hot throughout the season for Bob McKillop's Wildcats. But it would be wise to also point out the role of point guard Jason Richards, who averaged 8.1 assists per game. He and Curry were the lone double-digit scorers for a team that swept through the Southern Conference (20-0 record) and then knocked off Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin to reach the regional final. The dream would end there however, as a last-second shot missed the mark against Kansas.

2010-11 Richmond: Chris Mooney's Spiders didn't have the greatest strength of schedule (117) but they went 13-3 in the tough Atlantic 10 and won the league's automatic bid. Led by Kevin Anderson and Justin Harper, the Spiders were hot at the right time, entering the tournament having won eight in a row and 12 of their last 13 games. From there, Richmond edged out Vanderbilt by three and limited Morehead State to 48 points in a 17-point victory. But they wouldn't have enough firepower to beat top-seeded Kansas, who handed the Spiders a 77-57 whipping. Richmond finished the season second in the A-10 in both field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, which helped make up for their being out-rebounded by an average of 2.1 rebounds per game.

Game Recap: Davidson 73 - Richmond 66 (Boxscore)

Defensive temerity may have been the calling card of the '10-11 Spiders, yet Cinderella Madness is a whole 'nother ballgame compared to A-10 play. Despite their aptitude on D, Richmond was eradicated by the Wildcats' robust shooting percentage, as Davidson nailed nearly half their shots from the field on the way to a 76-67 triumph.

The Spiders appeared in control for most of the second half thanks to a 10-0 run coming out of the locker room. Unfortunately, Richmond's eight-point lead vanished within minutes as Curry and the Wildcats unleashed a blitzkrieg from beyond the arc. Highlighted by a 21-7 run, Davidson found itself with a seven-point advantage with less than 75 seconds to spare. Curry and Richards sealed the deal from the charity stripe, advancing the Southern Conference champs to the second round.

The All-American Curry's downtown dexterity (5-for-9 on three-pointers) and flawlessness at the free-throw line (10-for-10) fueled the Wildcats. Andrew Lovedale submitted a solid performance at both ends of the floor, hauling in eight boards to go along with 14 points, and Richards helped spread the wealth with six dimes while pouring in 18 points of his own. Harper recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort for Richmond.

Player of the game: Stephen Curry (29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists)

Winning Percentage of 501 Simulations: '08 Davidson 75.4% - '11 Richmond 24.6%

More Cinderalla Madness with the complete bracket.