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Max Paulhus Gosselin and William Archambault may not be household names, but if they can accomplish the goals they've set for themselves, their tiny college in rural North Carolina will be.

After a 26-6 season in which they were undefeated in the Southern Conference, the Davidson College Wildcats are heading to the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball tournament for the third consecutive year.

The past two trips to March Madness ended quickly with first-round losses to Maryland in 2007 and Ohio State in 2006.

But this year, the Wildcats see themselves as contenders.

"We're a lot more confident this year," said Archambault, a sophomore guard and forward from Saint-Hubert, Que. "Last year, we had a very young team and we were satisfied just to get there. This year, we're a better team and we have a better chance. I think we can advance to at least the Sweet 16."

Paulhus Gosselin, a junior guard from Carignan, Que., set his sights even higher. "We won't be happy to just go or go deep," he said. "Our goal is the same as every other team's goal: to be the last team remaining when it's all done."

The Wildcats are seeded 10th in the tough Midwest region and will open the tournament today against another small school that has become known for its Cinderella runs through the tournament, the seventh-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs.

The 25-7 Bulldogs won the West Coast Conference regular-season title before being upset in the WCC tournament final by the San Diego Toreros.

Davidson was hoping for a higher seed, considering it enters the big dance on a 22-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the NCAA. If it can upset Gonzaga, it would most likely face the No. 2 Georgetown Hoyas in the second round.

The possibility of a tiny school not only making the NCAA tournament field, but also making a run to the Final Four, as 11th seed George Mason did in 2006, is what makes March Madness so special.

However, Davidson, one of the smallest Division I schools, with an enrolment of 1,700, has not won a tournament game since 1969.

Paulhus Gosselin isn't worried about history or the opponents standing in the team's way.

"We know we can play with any team," he said. "We really believe in ourselves."

Paulhus Gosselin and Archambault were teammates at Champlain College Saint-Lambert in Montreal, where they caught the eye of Davidson head coach Bob McKillop.

"Playing at Champlain gave me a lot of exposure," Paulhus Gosselin said. "Coach saw me at an all-star camp and was interested in me.

"He came to Champlain to see me play and he visited my family. He offered me a scholarship and I jumped at the opportunity."

It was on that recruiting trip to watch Paulhus Gosselin play that McKillop first saw Archambault in action.

The Canadian duo have played a significant role in Davidson's recent success.

Archambault averaged 5.5 points a game and more than 14 minutes of playing time. Paulhus Gosselin started all 30 games he played this season and averaged 3.4 points and 3.5 rebounds as the team's defensive leader.

"Max has a fire that's contagious," McKillop said. "He plays with such energy and passion. People feed off that."

However, if the Wildcats go beyond the first round, they will be carried on the shoulders of their superstar guard, Stephen Curry.

Curry was the fifth leading scorer in the NCAA, averaging 25.3 points a game. He is the son of former NBA marksman Dell Curry, who retired in 2002 after 16 seasons, including three with the Toronto Raptors.

"He means a lot to our team," Paulhus Gosselin said of Stephen Curry. "And he's a great kid. He's only a sophomore and he's a celebrity, but he's got his head on straight. He does a great job for us on and off the court."

The Canadians chose Davidson, a prestigious liberal-arts college, to ensure they could be successful in the classroom as well as on the court.

"I decided early on that I wanted to go to a school that was good both academically and for basketball," Archambault said.

One quarter of all students at Davidson are varsity athletes, and the school's graduation rate is routinely above 90 per cent — among the best in the NCAA.

"I was definitely looking for a combination," Paulhus Gosselin said. "I wanted to get a good education along with playing basketball."