Wildcats Pride

Davidson Wildcats (10-2) vs. Duke Blue Devils (12-1)

Davidson travels to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on Duke Wednesday. Davidson has won eight of its last nine contests and is off to its best start since the ‘Cats went 11-1 to open the 1969-70 campaign. That squad finished the season with a 22-5 record and a third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Wildcats are coming off a 76-55 conference victory over Samford last Saturday. Davidson is 3-33 all-time against teams ranked in the Associated Press top-5.

Complete Davidson Game Notes

Davidson                       Team Comparison                             Duke

82.3                              Scoring Average                               82.8

70.0                              Scoring Defense                              60.2

+12.3                           Avg. Scoring Margin                          +22.6

.443                                       FG%                                        .482

.404                                  Opp. FG%                                    .391

.368                                    3-PT%                                      .324

39.1                           Total Rebounds Avg.                           41.0

+0.7                        Avg. Rebounding Margin                       +10.5

15.4                                  Assists Avg.                                 15.5

8.6                                    Steals Avg.                                   13.0

12.0                                Turnovers Avg.                             14.9

2.3                                   Blocks Avg.                                   4.8

Davidson                       Individual Leaders                             Duke

S. Curry   29.2                            Scoring                          K. Singler   16.5

A. Lovedale   9.6                       Rebounds                           K. Singler  7.8

S. Curry   7.0                             Assists                               K. Singler  3.7

With the international flare Davidson brings to the basketball court, it comes as no surprise that we may see a Wildcat or two in the next Olympics.

In a video interview with FIBA.com, Andrew Lovedale revealed Great Britain’s interest in his services for the 2012 London games:

“Coach Finch [the coach of the British national team] was actually talking to Coach McKillop and talked about looking into my status and trying to get me onto the British national team for the 2012 Olympics,” according to Lovedale.

“That’s something I’m really hoping comes through. That’s actually where I grew as a basketball player and that’s were I was scouted.  I used a lot of resources there to become who I am today so that would be a dream come true for me if I could play for them.”

Lovedale was born in Nigeria, but he attended Loretto College in Manchester, England prior to joining the Davidson Wildcats.  The soft-spoken senior is Davidson’s top rebounder and second leading scorer averaging 12.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.  

Great Britain’s Mens Basketball team did not qualify to play in the Beijing Olympics, but they earn an automatic bid for London 2012 as the host nation.

Over the many years that Davidson and Duke have faced off, the Blue Devils may have never had a tougher defensive assignment than Stephen Curry.

The Blue Devils, ranked 3rd in the latest USA Today poll, are definitely taking the assignment seriously.

Duke coach Mike Kryzewski has said, in a recent interview, that he spent much of his holiday break watching film of Curry and the Davidson Wildcats, trying to come up with a game plan.

“We already talked to our guys about it,” he said. “Davidson is one of the best teams in the country. I think Curry is the best guard. He may be the best player in the country… He’s sensational.”

Duke senior Gerald Henderson says he wants the challenge of matching up against the sharpshooter. “Yeah, he’s one of the best players in the nation, so why wouldn’t you?”

Whatever game plans coach K has come up with, it will surely be a battle at Cameron Indoor on Wednesday.

Thanks to a week of upsets among the top teams in college basketball, the Davidson Wildcats are once again ranked in the top 25 according to Gary Parrish’s rankings on CBS Sports in the 25th spot.

The Wildcats are coming off of a 76-55 win over conference foe, Samford.

Most of the movement, however, was due to one of the biggest weeks for upsets so far this year in the NCAA as many top teams, including the #1 North Carolina Tar Heels, fell to lower ranked competition.

The Wildcats will return to the court Wednesday Jan. 7th to prove that they belong in the upper tier of basketball as they take on the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor.

The game will be shown nationally on ESPN at 7PM Eastern time.

In the “Predictions” section on ESPN.com, basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla is making an argument that will make Wildcats fans happy.

According to Fraschilla in the most recent debate, Stephen Curry is the most deserving Player of the Year candidate this year.

The case for Curry starts with his performances on the court. According to Fraschilla, “It’s actually easy to make the case for Curry with his numbers this season. He’s averaging a national-best 30 points a game, even with the zero he put up against Loyola when he took himself out of the offense so his teammates could play 4-on-3 and win by 30 points.”

ESPN also makes the point that Steph “has scored 30 or more six times already (and 29 twice), including 44 points versus both Oklahoma and NC State. In fact, the Wildcats are 8-1 when Curry scores 27 points or more.

Not only is Frashchilla impressed with the numbers, but Curry’s skills as well: “I was at the Oklahoma game, along with 20 or more NBA scouts, and I think he could have scored 60 points if his jumper was on. If it’s needed, I think he can get 50 points in a game this season.”

The argument doesn’t end there. The ESPN analyst has also caught on to that extra little something that makes Davidson fans’ eyes get starry whenever they watch the star.

“Maybe it’s his slight frame, his baby face or the fact that he’s a small guy in a big man’s game, but there is something about Curry’s basketball brilliance that resonates with college basketball fans. With all due respect to his teammates, he hasn’t been surrounded by players who will end up in the NBA, and fans recognize that.”

No matter what the reasons, people are well aware that the Davidson guard is something special, not just with the numbers he puts up, but in his performances and his attitude.

College basketball is well known for stars adorned with intricate ink patterns.

Davidson players, usually an exception to the rule, have never been known for having many tattoos.

However, if you look closely, you will see very distinct markings on a few of the Wildcats.

Two examples are Max Paulhus Gosselin’s TCC tattoo honoring the team motto of “Trust, Commitment, Care” and Steve Rossiter’s now famous ‘Heart of a Lion’ tattoo.

Now it’s time to settle who has the best Wildcat ink.

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According to two separate sources, Australian basketball player Rhys Murphy is the latest commitment to the Davidson Wildcats.

Murphy recently moved to the United States and instantly turned heads for the Chicago Elite team on the AAU basketball circuit.

Currently the 6′7″ 190 pound forward is playing for Lee Academy in Lee, Maine.

Murphy was rated as a three-star recruit who was being recruited by Xavier, Butler, Gonzaga, Oregon State, Stanford and San Diego in addition to Davidson.

According to scouts, Murphy is an extremely athletic wing player who likes to shoot the three as well as dunk.

As the final commitment, Rhys will join JP Kuhlman, Jake Cohen, and Nik Cochran as Davidson’s 2009 recruiting class.

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Stephen Curry scored 21 points, surpassing 2,000 in his career, and Davidson beat Samford 76-55 on Saturday to continue its dominance in the Southern Conference.

Curry is the third player in Davidson history to hit the 2,o00 point plateau, joining legends John Gerdy and Fred Hetzel in the record books.

Davidson’s star guard hit 5 of 6 3-pointers, added eight assists and got plenty of help from his teammates as the Wildcats (10-2, 3-0) cruised to their 33rd straight league win.

Will Archambault and Ben Allison added 12 points apiece for Davidson in a tuneup for Wednesday’s game at No. 5 Duke. The scoring spark off of the bench came with a flourish as Archambault scored three 3-pointers in four possessions and Allison continued to attack the basket with strength.

Bryan Friday scored 10 points for the Bulldogs (5-6), who shot 36 percent and fell to 0-2 in their first season in the Southern Conference. 

Curry became the third player in school history to surpass 2,000 points when he hit a 3-pointer in transition with 3:35 left in the first half. It came in just the junior’s 82nd game, another remarkable accomplishment for the Wildcat star.

The victory was also a milestone for Davidson head coach Bob McKillop who picked up his 350th win building on his record as the Wildcats’ and Southern Conference’s winningest coach.

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2008 Was one for the memory banks if you are a Davidson Wilcats fan.

2008 will also be considered breakout years for Stephen Curry and Jason Richards, the dynamic guard duo in the wildcats backcourt.

So, in honor of the new year, who do you think will have the best 2009 in the front court?

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