DETROIT - To call Davidson the best story in college basketball does not go far enough. Since this is March, Davidson is the best story in U.S. sports.

The best story just got better.

Davidson beat Wisconsin 73-56 at Ford Field on Friday night to advance to the round of eight. Think about it. Only eight college teams are still playing meaningful basketball, and the Wildcats are one of them.

This is an extraordinary story, an extraordinary run. But how extraordinary?

"If Davidson makes the Final Four, this is bigger than Appalachian State," says Southern Conference commissioner John Iamarino. "And that was the biggest story in the country. It's right up there with it now."

Six months ago, Appalachian State upset Michigan in Michigan in football.

The Wildcats upset Wisconsin in Michigan in basketball. But nothing about this felt like an upset. It felt almost easy.

The Badgers are known for their defense. They beat you down, wear you out, make it tough to breathe. The last time they gave up as many points as Davidson scored was in 2007.

The Wildcats were tougher. They were so tough that Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan complained to the officials about Davidson's rough play.

What did Ryan tell the officials?

That Davidson is a school with 1,700 students whose players might eat at McDonald's but never sniff the McDonald's high school all-star game? That the Wildcats have nobody in their rotation taller than 6-8? That the Wildcats go to class and eat in the same cafeteria as the other students and know the majority of them by name? That they beat Wofford twice this season?

Please, Mr. Official, tell Davidson not to be so mean.

Davidson played better defense, and when a ball was unclaimed it was the Wildcats who invariably claimed it. But since this is Davidson, we're talking about, let us now pause to praise Stephen Curry.

Curry hit six 3-pointers and scored 33 points.

Some came via amazing shots, such as the scoop he hit, extending his hand wide and willing the ball up and in and drawing a foul and enticing the uninitiated to look at each other to try to verify what they saw. This included Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, who jumped out of his seat behind the Davidson bench.

"It's really cool to have a guy like LeBron James, one of the best players in the NBA now, coming out and supporting Davidson," Curry says. "I don't know if he's supporting us."

Sure he is. James got his ticket through Davidson. And when asked to go on the Davidson radio show at halftime, he immediately complied.

Every time Curry hits an astonishing shot, another fan joins the Wildcats' cause, few of them as famous as LeBron. Every time Davidson wins a game, folks think, why can't we?

Did you hear them in Ford Field? Attendance was unofficially 55,000, and the Wildcats fans were the only ones you heard. They were as dominant as their team. Wisconsin fans cheered like mimes. Davidson supplied all the passion and all the noise.

When the rout ended, the Wildcats pointed to the fans and the fans to the team.

This isn't about the 12 guys who played for Davidson on Friday night. This is about the community and ideals those 12 players represent.

Dell Curry, father of Davidson star Stephen, was in his seat 11 rows from the court, and extremely numb, after the game. How's Detroit working for you? I ask.

"Better," he says.

For the Wildcats, the city's snow has melted, the cold has abated, and there's nothing but sunshine.