Getty Steph Curry and Draymond Green celebrate a play against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The next Golden State Warriors game could be a bit awkward for Steph Curry.
Curry and fellow teammate Draymond Green, both very active and proud of their alma maters, decided on a wager when their college teams met on in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. It was a matchup that ended in heartbreak for Curry’s team, and now carries some consequences for the Warriors star.
The latest Warriors news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Warriors newsletter here!
Spartans Beat Wildcats
Curry’s Davidson Wildcats may have fallen in the Atlantic 10 Championship, but earned an at-large bid and a No. 10 seed in the tournament. That put them on the path to face Green’s Michigan State Spartans, which also earned an at-large bid and a No. 7 seed.
As the New York Post’s Harrison Goodman noted, the Warriors teammates decided to make the game a bit interesting with a wager.
“The matchup itself will be fascinating — a battle of respected coaches in Davidson’s Bob McKillop and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo — but the side bet between star Warriors teammates Stephen Curry and Draymond Green over their alma maters is worth keeping an eye on,” Goodman wrote. “If Green’s Spartans get the best of Curry’s Wildcats, Curry will have to come to game dressed as Sparty, Michigan State’s mascot, Green revealed on his podcast.”
Steph was talking trash to Draymond ahead of the Davidson-Michigan State game 🤣
[via @StephenCurry30 / IG]
The game didn’t go so well for Curry. Davidson had a frenetic final rally but fell short, losing 74-73. McKillop said after the game that his Wildcats could have won if they just had a bit more time.
“We were in the center ring the whole night,” the longtime Davidson coach said, via ESPN. “We were not on the ropes. We were not on the mat. We were in the center ring slugging away, and we just ran out of time.”
It’s not clear when Curry will have to pay up on his bet. The Warriors host the San Antonio Spurs on March 20, but Curry will be out for the next few weeks after suffering a foot injury.
Curry Keeps Close Ties With Alma Mater
Curry had much more luck with the No. 10 seed while he was at Davidson. In 2008, his heroics led the 10th-seeded Wildcats on a run to the Elite Eight, with only a two-point loss to Kansas keeping them out of the Final Four. Since graduating, Curry has kept very close ties with the university and especially with McKillop.
The Davidson coach said he always saw something special in Curry, telling some of the university’s boosters shortly after Curry arrived that the guard was headed for greatness.
“I stood up in front of this group of very engaged alums, a large number of them and told them, ‘Wait till you see Steph Curry. He is something special,’” McKillop said, via USA Today.
We talked with @DavidsonMBB coach Bob McKillop about birthday boy Steph Curry’s basketball journey
McKillop’s opinion of Curry has only grown since then. When Curry was chasing the all-time three-point record earlier this season, McKillop paid a visit to watch the Warriors take on the Chicago Bulls and said he can see his former player moving up after his NBA career is done — all the way to the White House.
“I joke with him all the time about being president because we need a leader like this guy in the White House,” said McKillop, via the San Francisco Chronicle.
READ NEXT: Steph Curry Gets Honest About His Long-Term Future With the Warriors
Comments
Warriors’ Steph Curry Suffers Consequences in Rivalry With Teammate