Michael Hurley is the RTC correspondent for the Pac-10 and Southern Conferences.

Favorite: Davidson

Stephen Curry is back to full strength from his ankle injury. That is the single most important factor in the Southern Conference tournament. Curry just was voted the Southern Conference’s Player of the Year for the second straight year. Davidson started out conference play by winning 15 straight games before hitting a rough patch and going 2-2with both losses at home. Since then, Davidson has won their final three conference games by an average margin of 25 points.  First teamers Curry and Andrew Lovedale have led this team back to the brink of the NCAA tournament. They are sitting on the other side of the bubble right now, so a Southern Conference Tournament Championship is what they need to feel secure come Selection Sunday. We all would like a chance to see Curry and Davidson tackle the giants in the tournament again. With an 18-2 conference record, they are heavy favorites.

Other Contenders. The Citadel poses the biggest problem for Davidson in the tournament. Coach Ed Conroy led The Citadel to the number two seed out of the South. If The Citadel wins out they will face Davidson in the championship. Their toughest game before the Championship will be the semifinal game where they face the number one seed from the North, Chattanooga. The Citadel is probably hoping they face Chattanooga because if Wofford makes it to the semis, The Citadel may have something to worry about. They have won 13 out of the last 15, including an 18-point victory over Davidson. Both losses have come at the hands of Wofford. At 15-5 in conference play, The Citadel relies heavy on all-conference players Demetrius Nelson and Cameron Wells. The College of Charleston has the best chance of upsetting Davidson before the final. CofC already has a victory under their belt at Davidson while Stephen Curry was playing. CofC also has won their last five games and are 15-5 in conference play.

Prediction. Davidson gets a tough game in the championship from The Citadel, but comes away victorious again. Davidson does not have to worry come Selection Sunday. We all get a chance to see Curry, Coach McKillop, and Davidson back in the tournament. Everybody wins in this situation.

rtmsf (3998 Posts)

This entry was posted on Friday, March 6th, 2009 at 12:43 am by rtmsf and is filed under 2009 conference tournaments. Tagged: andrew lovedale, cameron wells, college of charleston, conference tournaments, davidson, demetrius nelson, ed conroy, southern conference, stephen curry, the citadel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.