Davidson Shocks Bubble Teams, Steph Curry, and Rhode Island To Win A-10 Tournament Championship

The Atlantic-10 Tournament was filled with high dramatics and high drama. A few bubble teams hope wherein play hoping for a Rhode Island victory over Davidson in the finals. Sorry, but we got some bad news for the bubble teams.

Freshman Kellan Grady’s go-ahead baseline floater with 74 seconds left ended a nearly 13-minute drought without a field goal for Davidson and lifted Steph Curry’s alma mater to a 58-57 victory over 25th-ranked Rhode Island for the A-10 title.

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In securing their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2015, the No. 3 seed Wildcats (21-11) trailed at the half and survived a 13-minute field goal drought in the second half to deny No. 25 Rhode Island (25-7) a second consecutive league title.

“It’s the most gratifying feeling ever,” Grady said from center court with confetti streaming down through the air after Davidson’s narrow victory.

“I would say, ‘I’m sorry,’ but I’m not,” said smiling senior Rusty Reigel, who was a freshman the last time Davidson participated in March Madness.

“We won and we’re going dancin’ and I couldn’t be happier for my guys and for everybody,” said Reigel, fiddling with a piece of the net he’d just helped cut down. “I just can’t wait to get there next week.”

The thing about automatic bids is just that, there automatic. Had Davidson not have won on Sunday afternoon,  they would be NIT bound not NCAA Tournament bound.