Two of the most valuable guards in the game played a rare must-see NIT game last night. Only problem: it tipped off at 11:30 p.m. ET.

In the most watchable NIT game in, what, at least 15 years, Davidson’s season came to an end last night outside San Francisco, where the Gaels of Saint Mary’s — who had a home crowd that was clearly ready and amped — took out the Wildcats, 80-68. It was a big enough game that the SMC faithful rushed the floor when the buzzer hit triple zeros.

But why’d the tip happen so late? 11:30 ET? You’d have trouble getting a decent rating for this matchup if it happened that late on a Thursday for The Tournament.

The Mills-Curry show lived up to the hype; Mills went for 23 points, 10 assists and a few highlight-worthy layups. Curry had 26 points, nine boards and five assists.

Davidson didn’t crack 40 percent from the field, and although that’s rare for Bob McKillop’s team, but it normally means an L is attached when it happens.

This isn’t a post to debate Curry’s impact on the college game; given his school and how good he is on television, you could argue he’s one of the 20 biggest players to ever play in the television era. Should Curry stay? That’s the question. Can he play in the NBA right now? The last shooter of his ilk to leave early: Adam Morrison. The two, of course, are entirely different players; Curry won’t have as much expected of him because he’ll only be asked to shoot — and shoot very, very well.

He’s probably ready, but us greedy fans would love to see him try and give it a go for one more year. The money can obviously wait (how far could his stock actually fall? He’s not going to lose his ability to shoot, not in that conference), but it may come down to the quality of the recruiting class.

The Gaels move to the quarterfinals, which goes down Wednesday night against No. 1 San Diego State.

Mills’ double-double carries Saint Mary’s to NIT quarterfinals {AP}