Wildcats
Wildcats
Davidson Wildcats
The Davidson Wildcats are 10-2 on the season and on their way to yet another successful campaign under eventual Hall of Fame coach Bob McKillop. Continue for more Davidson Wildcats Stats.
This season, they are once again led by an experienced lineup of program mainstays. The scoring is mainly handled by junior guards Hyunjung Lee (17.5 points per game) and Foster Lover (15.2 points per game). Seniors Michael Jones and Luka Brajkovic also both average double figures at roughly 12 points per contest.
True to historical form, Davidson is so formidable due to their offensive efficiency which ranks inside the top 25. While some people simply know Davidson as the school that Steph Curry attended, few realize that the school has been very good through McKillop’s tenure. The Wildcats are currently sixth in the nation in offensive effective field goal percentage while 22nd in the nation in offensive turnover percentage at just 15.4%.
Davidson Wildcats Standings
The Davidson Wildcats men’s basketball team, representing Davidson College, has long been celebrated for its distinguished standing in the collegiate basketball landscape. Known for their sharpshooting and disciplined offense, the Wildcats have consistently secured strong positions in conference standings, often outperforming larger programs with their strategic play and team cohesion. Their ability to compete at a high level, even in seasons with tough competition, speaks to the program’s resilience and the effectiveness of their coaching. Davidson’s standings in the basketball community are a testament to their commitment to excellence, player development, and the fostering of a competitive spirit that has seen them through numerous successful campaigns, including memorable runs in national tournaments that have cemented their reputation as formidable contenders on the college basketball stage.
Davidson Wildcat History
The Davidson program was formed in 1908 and has amassed a winning record throughout its existence. The Wildcats overall record is an impressive 1,500-1,243. The program has been a part of a quartet of different conferences. Apart from their current home in the Atlantic 10, they have also been a part of the Big South, Southern, and Independents.
Davidson has won 37 championships in their history. The program has amassed 24 regular-season titles and 13 conference tournament titles. Their most recent came in 2014-15 when they won the Atlantic Ten regular-season outright with a 14-4 conference record. That team landed a #10 seed in the NCAA tournament but was bounced in the first round by Iowa in a game that wasn’t close.
The Wildcats have only made a single tournament appearance since that drubbing, which was also a first-round exit.
Championships
While Davidson has certainly made their fair share of post-season appearances for a mid-major, they have never won a championship.
The Wildcats have made fourteen NCAA tournament appearances between 1966 and 2018 and posted a tournament record of just 8-15 in those games.
Davidson has also made appearances in both the postseason National Invitational Tournament and the College Basketball Invitational. The Wildcats have appeared in the NIT four times since 2014 and nine times overall with their most recent appearance coming in 2021. They have lost in the first round in each of their last four appearances and are 3-9 overall.
The Wildcats’ lone CBI appearance came in 2011 when they defeated James Madison in the first round before being sent home by the Creighton Blue Jays who were led by a freshman named Doug McDermott.
Important Davidson Events
Perhaps the first significant event in program history other than its inception was in 1936 when the Davidson program went from being an Independent to the Southern Conference. This was the start of the program finding its footing in the college basketball landscape.
In 1960, the program hired Hall of Fame coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell and the results were nearly immediate. Driesell took over a team that had gone 5-19 and quickly turned the program into a Southern Conference power.
On February 1st, 2006, Coach McKillop and Davidson signed a 6-2 165lb guard out of Charlotte Christian that was ranked 256th in the nation and the 52nd best point guard in the class. That player was Steph Curry.
ESPN developed a ranking program in the early 20-teens which ranked college basketball programs over the past fifty years. Of the 309 programs that were eligible for consideration, Davidson was ranked #44.
Top Players in Program History
As stated above, Davidson is more than just Steph Curry’s alma mater. Coach McKillop has marched some incredibly talented players through the Wildcat program over the years. Most notably and recently being Kellan Grady.
Grady, a 6-5 wing, is spending his fifth collegiate season at Kentucky but the once 97th ranked recruit in the nation spent four seasons at Davidson, amassing 2,002 total points. That number is good for 16th in Atlantic 10 conference history.
The program has produced other star players under McKillop such as Jack Gibbs, Peyton Aldridge, and NBA champion Dick Snyder.
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Davidson College was founded in 1836. There are a few different theories about how the college got its nickname, the Wildcats. One theory is that it was inspired by the wildcats that roamed the area in the early days of the college. Another theory is that it was adopted from a local high school team.
Steph Curry, who played for the Davidson Wildcats from 2006 to 2009, is arguably the most famous player to come out of the program. He led the Wildcats to an improbable run in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, where they reached the Elite Eight as a No. 13 seed. Curry went on to become a superstar in the NBA, winning four championships with the Golden State Warriors.
Davidson College's most notable rivalry is with the Charlotte 49ers. The two schools are located just a short distance from each other in North Carolina, and they have been battling it out on the basketball court for over 100 years. The rivalry has become even more heated in recent years, as both teams have competed for conference championships and NCAA Tournament berths.
Despite being a smaller school, Davidson College has had some notable achievements in men's basketball. They have won 13 Southern Conference championships and have made 14 NCAA Tournament appearances. As mentioned earlier, their most impressive run came in 2008, when they reached the Elite Eight as a No. 13 seed.
As a smaller school, Davidson College faces some challenges in competing with larger schools in college basketball. They may have difficulty attracting top recruits, and they may not have the same resources as larger schools in terms of facilities and coaching staff. However, Davidson has been able to overcome these challenges to be successful, and they have shown that it is possible for smaller schools to compete at a high level in college basketball.
