10 best NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 moments of all time

9. Steph Curry leads Davidson to the Elite Eight – 2008

Steph Curry and Davidson’s 2008 run to the Elite Eight is still being talked about to this day. Even though Davidson was a No. 10 seed, they came into the Tournament riding a 22-game winning streak. And anyone who saw Curry that year knew they were watching a star in the making.

In the first two rounds, Curry scored 40 and 30 points and carried his team to victories over Gonzaga and Georgetown. Their Sweet 16 matchup against Wisconsin was the first time they won comfortably and was the last win of their magical Tournament run. Curry dropped 33 on the Badgers and single-handedly outscored them in the second half 22-20.

This game was notable for who was in attendance. NBA superstar LeBron James sat courtside to watch the Stephen Curry show and was thoroughly impressed with what he saw. Whether LeBron knew Curry would become one of the best shooters in NBA history, and build one of the more intense Finals rivalries in recent history, is anybody’s guess. But it’s clear the mutual respect was there from the start.

Davidson advanced to the Elite Eight and lost to Kansas. But Curry still scored 25 points and missed the game-winning shot. Curry’s decision to come back for his junior year paid massive dividends, as he improved on his totals from last year and became a lottery pick.

Sometimes, the NCAA Tournament can massively inflate a player’s draft status. Other times, it can lay the groundwork for a future superstar. Luckily, Curry fell into the latter category.