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I really don't understand why Davidson isn't on this list. They really should have been higher than #9 on his final poll, after all they made it to the Elite Eight and they lost to the eventual national champion by missing a shot at the buzzer. Three of their seven losses were to teams in the Final Four, another was to #2 seed Duke. There other three losses, while not good, were to respectable teams and all were in 2007. They improved drastically throughout the year and merited a better final ranking. I don't think its unreasonable for them to be #5, but its stupid not to place them in the top 8. Journalists don't seem to understand that Davidson was not just lucky or hot; they were a damn good team that they had underestimated for the entire season.
As for next year, I cannot comprehend how a team that returns 3 starters from an Elite Eight Team, finished the season in the top 10, and has a legitamite POY candidate is unranked in a preseason top 25.
I'm just about the biggest Jason Richards fan out there, and always got angry how the national media ignored his accomplishments (13ppg, nation leading 8 assists). He was one of the 5 best point guards in the nation, no doubt about it. The Cats should be knocked down a few slots because of his absence.
But the nucleus they return is impressive, with Curry as the obvious frontliner. Curry will have more problems getting his shot off next year, but undoubtedly he will still get his points and Bryant Barr will come off the bench and start. Archambault is also a very good shooter, and if he becomes more consistent he could put up some solid numbers. Lovedale emerged as a talented inside force by the end of the season, and I expect he'll average close to a double-double next year. The ultimate point is that Davidson should be ranked. And by not doing so, he is writing off their accomplishments in the NCAA tournament as luck which makes especially litttle sense considering he did (grudgingly) place them in his final top 10 (although as I already said they should have been higher).
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) and was their second leading scorer (I believe). He's going to be very hard to replace, since they don't have any other proven points.
