2007 Davidson Wildcats Basketball Preview

Last season saw the Davidson Wildcats (29- 5 overall, 17- 1 SoCon) in the tournament brackets for the second year straight. The first place Southern Conference club was out in round one. Still, for a club that was supposed to be in a rebuilding year, the Wildcats had an amazing season. Bob McKillop (320- 222 at Davidson and overall in 19 years) welcomes back four starters and a total of 11 scholarship players.

In the SoCon, the Wildcats were first in rebounding margin, going plus-6.5 and first in assists, making 14.6 per game. Davidson scored 81.3 PPG, which was second in the league and seventh in the NCAA. Ball control was good, with the team finishing fourth in turnovers (14.6 TPG). Although the group’s scoring defense allowed 68.7 PPG and placed eighth in the SoCon, they were plus-12.6 in PF/PA. Shooting .753 from the charity stripe and .449 from the field, the Wildcats proved to accurate.

Senior forwards Boris Meno (11 PPG, 8.2 RPG) and Thomas Sander (13.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG) hit more than 45% of their throws from the field. Meno is an aggressive shot blocker, while Sander serves as the foundation for our free college basketball picks on this team. Look for junior forward Andrew Lovedale (4.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG) to be more explosive this season and for swingman Max Paulhus Gosselin (4.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG) to use his smarts to generate offense and make good defensive decisions.

Stephen Curry (21.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG) proved to be a freshman sensation last season. Curry is the leader and go-to guy on the team. Senior point guard Jason Richards (13.5 PPG, 7.3 APG) was second in the NCAA in assists last year. His precise passing is the perfect projectile for setting up Curry’s jumper. Together, they are an explosive and dynamic duo. When you bet on college games, be sure to see if these two will be playing.

The Davidson Wildcats look like a March Madness brackets shoe-in. What would really make this team standout isn’t winning the SoCon but beating a major, non-conference opponent and also grabbing a victory or even two in the NCAA tournament. This club is better than it was last season. If Curry stays around, the team will simply continue to improve.