12/09/2024
Davidson vs. The Doubters- Round 4
Going to the beach to celebrate a friend’s birthday with a group of buddies sounds like an amazing idea until one realizes this means hours on the highway with a teenage driver. I felt nothing but fear for 263 minutes. I know that number because I counted each minute.
I experienced that same wave of terror while watching the second half of the Davidson vs. Charleston Southern game this week. With 14:50 left in the second half, Davidson led 50-40 and looked to be sailing to a comfortable victory. Fans who left their seats to get a snack must have been surprised to see 52-49 on the scoreboard a mere three minutes later. The battle stayed close for the rest of the game. With 4:35 remaining, the Wildcats found themselves down four, 66-62. A cheeky grin must have started to form across the faces of The Doubters. Davidson responded with an 8-0 run over the next couple of minutes and held on to win, 73-72.
The resilience this team showed was admirable. Their run to close the game was mature and clinical. 6' 10", 235-pound Taje’ Kelly had been a problem for Davidson all evening. He finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds and was such a force that the commentator likened him to Shaquille O’Neal (He was referencing the players’ shared inability to hit free throws, but we’ll ignore that for the hyperbole’s sake). Down the stretch though, Bobby Durkin made Kelly look more like Celtics Shaq. Durkin picked his pocket twice in the final three minutes, shutting him down on two crucial possessions.
Reed Bailey continues to make his case for being the best player in the A-10. He went off for 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. He also hit a clutch free throw with 3 seconds left to extend the lead to four and seal the game to finish out his stellar performance. It was impossible to take your eyes off him- not because of his remarkable game, but due to his remarkably bright purple shoes. I would have better insight into this game, but I swear all I could look at was his shoes. Basketball players have long made bold style choices. I’ve often thought Dennis Rodman only grabbed as many boards as he did because the opponents were all too busy looking at his hair. More recently, players like Russell Westbrook and Tyrese Haliburton make statements on and off the court with equally jaw-dropping play and outfit choices. Kyle Kuzma still lives in infamy due to a pink sweater, if you can call it that, that arguably was a crime against humanity.
12/1/2024
After getting my wisdom teeth pulled this past Tuesday, I attended my school’s basketball game that evening. I figured I couldn’t have a more painful basketball viewing experience this week- then I watched Davidson and Arizona play. Yeah, the doubters took a huge W as Davidson took a huge L, 104-71. The scoreline is misleading, the Wildcats (the North Carolinian ones) kept the game competitive. They actually led by seven six minutes into the game. Unfortunately, despite the heat of the Bahamas, where they played, the team went ice cold. Their height, or more accurately, lack thereof, exposed them on the glass, and Caleb Love read my column from last week and decided to spite me. Ok, maybe not that last part, but he lit it up anyhow. But, I firmly believe in Rocky Balboa’s message, “It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
So how did the group move forward? They dominantly defeated Providence the next day, 69-58. The wire-to-wire victory came against a 5-1 school that the money line favored by five and a half points.; the best response a fan could have hoped for. Connor Kochera ate up this Thanksgiving tournament, picking up 20 points against Arizona and 22 versus Providence. Bobby Durkin also feasted with 15-point and 20-point performances in the two matchups. Not to be outdone, Reed Bailey picked up a double-double himself, grabbing 18 points and 11 rebounds. Forgive me for not making any food-related pun on that last statline; they were getting dangerously corny (Ha get it, like corn the food.) Speaking of Thanksgiving, words cannot express how badly I wished Davidson played Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University this week (their mascot is a turkey). I’m sure my editor and all of you at home are grateful they did not.
To finish the week, Davidson lost to the third-ranked school in the nation Gonzaga. It was their third game in as many days, and again, they were playing #3 Gonzaga. On the bright side, Davidson kept it close for the first 11 minutes, and Reed Bailey did Reed Bailey things, dropping 19 points.
The tournament was called the “Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis.” I couldn’t think of a more American event. This had it all: Thanksgiving, college hoops, bad boys, lawnmowers, and conspiracy theories about lost ancient cities.
The Doubters won this week. To them, I say: Scoreboard
Scoreboard Update
Davidson-5 Doubters-2
11/24/2024
Schadenfreude is morally wrong. I know that. Still, I can’t help but find myself gleefully laughing at all of the Davidson doubters right now. After a crushing victory over the Virginia Military Institute, 93-66, the Wildcats are now 4-0 and are flying. Reed Bailey is becoming more of an absolute stud by the day. He had a comfortable 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists while shooting 64% from the field. Bobby Durkin turned in another stellar performance, picking up 19 points to go along with 4 steals. Mike Loughane had a big game, dropping 13 points and 6 assists. 13 Davidson players played. The team shot 40% from the three-point line, draining 13, and shot 50% from the field overall. Defensively, they forced 15 turnovers and completely shut the Keydets down. It got so bad that VMI’s mascot, Moe the Kangaroo, was spotted hopping from John Belk Arena all the way back to Australia out of embarrassment.
The Davidson bandwagon is growing by the day, and will surely add thousands of passengers following the upcoming matchup with 17th-ranked Arizona on November 27th. This matchup will be a test of Davidson’s early success and Arizona’s ability to bounce back. More importantly, this will finally decide the fierce debate of which school can claim to be the best Wildcat, ignoring Kentucky. Based on the name alone, Davidson is in the lead. “Lux” is far superior to “Wilbur.” I shouldn’t be confused and expect your mascot to be a pig. The matter will have to be settled on the court in what should be a tight game. Arizona needs to get back on track losing back-to-back to Wisconsin and Duke. Davidson is looking to take advantage of their hot start and pick up a statement victory. The game will answer many questions like, “Can Davidson defend against Arizona big man Motejus Krivas?” “Will Reed Bailey make his star power known nationwide?” and “Does Caleb Love still know how to play the game of basketball?”- I probably shouldn’t be talking; I quit in sixth grade.
If, hopefully, when Davidson wins, just remember, I called it.
Scoreboard update
Davidson-4 Doubters-0
11/17/2024
Davidson vs. The Doubters- Round One
Just a short 20 minutes from the young and vibrant city of Charlotte, North Carolina lies Davidson College. Its storied history and rich traditions can be felt all around campus, especially in the hallowed halls of John Belk Arena. Although it may shock you that they even are a Division One school, Davidson has a legacy of being small but mighty. The college has a population of merely 1900, almost a thousand smaller than Hough High School which is just down the road. Despite this, it has seen three Elite Eights, including one since the creation of the iphone.
Oh, and Steph Curry went there. Figured I should mention that.
Curry and countless other players competed under famed coach Bob Mckillop. Known for being one of the first coaches to heavily incorporate stats into the game, he made Davidson a flame throwing, shot-chucking, and all-around entertaining squad. However, he isn’t central to this story nor is Steph. Both meant the world to the fans, but no longer have any effect on the team. The name Mckillop will still appear throughout the season as his son Matt is the current head coach of the men. In his third year with the group, he bravely leads the Wildcats into the fearsome Atlantic 10 conference.
The A-10 is stacked this year, and many believe the Davidson men will finish near the bottom, if not dead last. This column will follow not only the wins and losses versus opponents on the court, but also the battle between Davidson and the critics’ prophesying their downfall. As a fan, it is my duty to hope for the best; it is also my instinct to complain when they do anything slightly wrong. Any criticism, however harsh, is simply the ranting of a delusional cheerleader who thinks he should be the coach.
Whether Davidson goes undefeated, or winless, or Birnan Wood comes to Dunsinane, I will be here to tell you about it. Week one saw the men defeat William Peace University by a scoreline of 88-47. Although William Peace is Division III and the matchup arguably felt like a violation of the 8th Amendment, a win is a win. The boys followed that up with a strong win over Bowling Green, 91-85. Three Wildcats ended with 20 points or more, including junior Reed Bailey leading with 24.
On Saturday, November 16th, the squad faced off against East Tennessee State in a rematch from last year. ETSU pulled out a 70-68 win in the previous matchup. Once again, it was a tight matchup. However, this is a different Davidson team. They scraped out a 76-70 victory led by Reed Bailey. He has taken a serious jump up from last season. He finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Senior guard Zach Laput had a huge game off the bench, he dropped 14 while shooting 85.6% from the field. No bucket of his was more important than his "and one" layup following his offensive rebound with 0:45 left in the game. His big play put Davidson up 71-67.
Maybe my fandom of Detroit sports has made this word too ingrained in my brain, but I can’t think of a better descriptor for this group than gritty. They work. They hustle. They scored merely three three-pointers and still won, a feat that seems impossible in the current basketball world. They out-rebounded ETSU by 12 rebounds.
Three games down, undefeated. Take that, critics.
Davidson-3 Doubters-0
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