A little this, a little that, a little bit of everything. The Davidson College men’s basketball team released its 2011-12 schedule this week, and coach Bob McKillop says his team will be challenged at home and on the road, in the Southern Conference and against non-conference opponents, by storied programs and those on the rise.
“We’ve certainly got some high-powered programs, got some great conferences, got some teams that were rivals to Davidson over the years, so it’s a nice mix,” he says.
Following a Nov. 5 home exhibition against Lenoir-Rhyne, the Wildcats open the season at home Nov. 11 against Guilford and will also play host to non-conference foes such as Richmond, Presbyterian, Penn and Vanderbilt. They will visit Duke, Kansas, UNC-Wilmington, Charlotte and UMass.
The Nov. 18 game at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium will renew a series that dates back to the 1908-09 season. The 104 games of the Davidson-Duke series represent the fourth most common opponent for the Wildcats. Davidson has only played Furman (153), The Citadel (135) and VMI (105) more times.
“We’re very happy to have them back on our schedule,” says McKillop. “It’s a great place to play. Every time you play them, you get better because of how good they are, how well coached they are.”
The Wildcats, 17-87 all-time against the Blue Devils, return to Durham for the first time since Duke beat Davidson, 79-67, in 2009. They did not play against each other the past two seasons.
“We just never were able to get the game together,” says McKillop. “There was no rhyme or reason for it.”
The Dec. 19 meeting with Kansas will be the second between the schools. The other came in the 2008 Elite Eight when Kansas ended Davidson’s NCAA Tournament run with a 59-57 win at Detroit’s Ford Field. The game will not be held at the Jayhawks’ Allen Fieldhouse, but rather at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” says McKillop.
Davidson will travel to rival Charlotte Dec. 10, where the Wildcats will try to defend the Hornets’ Nest Trophy it won with a 82-68 win over the 49ers last year.
The Wildcats’ home slate is highlighted by the Nov. 14 date with Richmond, a Sweet 16 team last year, and the Dec. 7 visit by the Vanderbilt Commodores, whom Richmond upset in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Commodores, who return much of their lineup, handed Davidson its worst defeat of last season by an 80-52 score in Nashville.
“Vanderbilt is going to be a top 10 team in the country,” says McKillop. “They are very well coached. They return an entire roster intact. I think it’s terrific our fans, our student body and our townspeople get to see a top 10 program in Belk Arena.”
Davidson will also participate in ESPNU’s BracketBusters for the fourth year. An opponent for the Feb. 18 game will be announced midseason.
Early December will provide a sampling of Southern Conference competition, as the Wildcats travel to Wofford Dec. 1 and host Furman Dec. 3. The Jan. 5 road contest at UNC-Greensboro begins a stretch of 17 games in which 16 will be against SoCon foes.
The SoCon schedule includes two games against each South Division opponent (The Citadel, College of Charleston, Furman, Georgia Southern and Wofford) and two each against North Division foes Chattanooga and Samford. The Wildcats will play North Division members Appalachian State, Elon, UNC-Greensboro and Western Carolina once each, facing Appalachian State and UNCG on the road and Western Carolina and Elon at home.
Asheville will be the site of the SoCon Tournament for the first time since 1995. The tourney is set for March 2-5.
The Wildcats were 18-15 last year, but return four starters and seven of their top eight scorer from a team that finished fourth in the SoCon South and reached the quarterfinals of the postseason College Basketball Invitational. The Wildcats, who won SoCon titles in 2006, 2007 and 2008, are seeking their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the run to the Elite Eight.
