Davidson Wildcats men's basketball

Davidson Wildcats
2021–22 Davidson Wildcats men's basketball team
University	Davidson College
Head coach	Bob McKillop (32nd season)
Conference	Atlantic 10
Location	Davidson, North Carolina
Arena	John M. Belk Arena (Capacity: 5,223)
Nickname	Wildcats
Student section	D-Block, Endzone, Section 30
Colors	Black and red[1]
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
1968, 1969, 2008
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
1966, 1968, 1969, 2008
NCAA Tournament Appearances
1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018
Conference tournament champions
Southern Conference 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013 Atlantic 10 2018
Conference regular season champions
Southern Conference 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1981, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014 Atlantic 10 2015

The Davidson Wildcats basketball team is the basketball team that represents Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, in the NCAA. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2018. The Wildcats are currently coached by Bob McKillop. Davidson plays its home games at the Belk Arena in Baker Sports Complex on the school's campus.

Conference affiliations[]

• 1907–08 to 1995–36: Independent
• 1936–37 to 1987–88: Southern Conference
• 1988–89 to 1989–90: NCAA Division I independent
• 1990–91 to 1991–92: Big South Conference
• 1992–93 to 2013–14: Southern Conference
• 2014–15 to present: Atlantic 10 Conference

Postseason[]

NCAA tournament results[]

The Wildcats have appeared in 14 NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 8–15.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1966	First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place Game	Rhode Island Syracuse Saint Joseph's	W 95–68 L 78–94 L 76–92
1968	First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	St. John's Columbia North Carolina	W 79–70 W 61–59OT L 66–70
1969	First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	Villanova St. John's North Carolina	W 75–61 W 79–69 L 85–87
1970	First Round	St. Bonaventure	L 72–85
1986	First Round	Kentucky	L 55–75
1998	First Round	Michigan	L 61–80
2002	First Round	Ohio State	L 64–69
2006	First Round	Ohio State	L 62–70
2007	First Round	Maryland	L 70–82
2008	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	Gonzaga Georgetown Wisconsin Kansas	W 82–76 W 74–70 W 73–56 L 57–59
2012	Second Round	Louisville	L 62–69
2013	Second Round	Marquette	L 58–59
2015	Second Round	Iowa	L 52–83
2018	First Round	Kentucky	L 73–78

2008 NCAA Tournament[]

In 2008, Davidson defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Georgetown Hoyas, and Wisconsin Badgers to advance to the Elite Eight. The Wildcats nearly made the Final Four, but lost to the eventual champion Kansas Jayhawks 57–59. Prior to their Sweet Sixteen matchup, the college's board of trustees supplied students with tickets, transportation and lodging for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games.^[2] Following the tournament, the Wildcats earned a number 9 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today poll.^[3] Stephen Curry, who has since become a two-time NBA MVP with the Golden State Warriors, was the leading scorer of this team.

NIT results[]

The Wildcats have appeared in nine National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 3–9.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1972	First Round	Syracuse	L 77–81
1994	First Round	West Virginia	L 69–85
1996	First Round	South Carolina	L 73–100
2005	Opening Round First Round Second Round	VCU SW Missouri State Maryland	W 77–62 W 82–71 L 63–78
2009	First Round Second Round	South Carolina Saint Mary's	W 70–63 L 68–80
2014	First Round	Missouri	L 77–85
2016	First Round	Florida State	L 74–84
2019	First Round	Lipscomb	L 81–89
2021	First Round	NC State	L 61–75

CBI results[]

The Wildcats have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 1–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2011	First Round Quarterfinals	James Madison Creighton	W 85–65 L 92–102

ESPN basketball ranking[]

In a system ranked by ESPN, Davidson was listed as the #44 Basketball Program^[4] of the last 50 years (1962–2012) based on its on the court accomplishments during that period. (out of 309 Division I programs that qualified)

"Positives: Under Lefty Driesell, the Wildcats were a powerhouse in the 1960s, racking up seven 20-win seasons in an eight-year span. The ’64–65 team was AP preseason No. 4 and boasted future NBA No. 1 pick Fred Hetzel. Nine combined conference titles (Regular season & Conference Tournaments) since 2005."

Players[]

All-Americans[]

Player	Year(s)	Team(s)
Fred Hetzel	1964	Consensus Second Team – AP (2nd), NABC (2nd), UPI (3rd)
	1965	Consensus First Team – AP (1st), USBWA (1st), NABC (1st), UPI (1st)
Dick Snyder	1966	Consensus Second Team – AP (2nd), USBWA (1st), UPI (2nd)
Mike Maloy	1969	Consensus Second Team – AP (2nd), USBWA (1st), NABC (3rd), UPI (3rd)
	1970	AP (3rd), NABC (3rd), UPI (3rd)
Stephen Curry	2008	Consensus Second Team – AP (2nd), Sporting News (2nd)
	2009	Consensus First Team – AP (1st), USBWA (1st), NABC (1st), Sporting News (1st)

Wildcats in the NBA/ABA[]

Player	Years active	Teams	Highlights
Stephen Curry	2009–present	Golden State Warriors	3× NBA champion (2015, 2017, 2018); 2× NBA Most Valuable Player (2015, 2016); 7× NBA All-Star (2014–2019,2021)
Fred Hetzel	1965–1971	San Francisco Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Cincinnati Royals, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers	Top overall pick in the 1965 NBA draft
Rod Knowles	1968–1969	Phoenix Suns, New York Nets
Mike Maloy	1970–1973	Virginia Squires, Dallas Chaparrals
Dick Snyder	1966–1979	St. Louis Hawks, Phoenix Suns, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers	NBA champion (1979)
Brandon Williams	1997–2003	Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks

Wildcats playing in international leagues[]

• Jake Cohen (born 1990), American-Israeli basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Israeli national basketball team

Players in Davidson Athletics Hall of Fame[]

• {G.F."Red" Laird, three sports, about 1923 inducted this year}

References[]

External links[]

• Official website