Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Davidson's season through crystal ball

Just how good will Davidson be this season?

The first 10 games of the Wildcats’ schedule should help provide the answer. The Wildcats face four ranked teams and also face pivotal nonconference games against Charlotte and Western Michigan. That could make last season’s school-record 29 wins hard to match.

But here’s one guess at the early season, and how the Wildcats will end up this season.

Nov. 9 Emory: Uh, let’s just say Davidson puts up its first (of many) 100-point games this season.

Nov. 14 North Carolina (Bobcats Arena): Remember when Winthrop took on the Tar Heels there last season? Expect a similar result – the mid-major team losing late.

Nov. 21 at Western Michigan: Tougher game than you might expect. Western Michigan is one of the best teams in the Mid-American conference and will edge Davidson in the final minute.

Nov. 24 N.C. Central: The Davidson second unit might be able to win this game.

Nov. 26 at Appalachian State: The Mountaineers gave Davidson its only conference loss last season, but Davidson won’t let a repeat happen.

Dec. 1 Duke (Bobcats Arena): Duke has routinely given Davidson 30-point beatings in recent years, but this year should be different. The arena will help Davidson (Tar Heels fans will come to pull against the Blue Devils), and the Wildcats will get a marquee win that should help their NCAA at-large chances.

Dec. 5 at Charlotte: The hangover from the Duke win might create a slow start, but Davidson will get its first win in Halton Arena in overtime.

Dec. 8 vs. UCLA (at Anaheim): This will be the only game that Davidson is overmatched all season. Expect a big win by the Bruins.

Dec. 13 The Citadel: Davidson will bounce back with a win of at least 40 points.

Dec. 21 at N.C. State: The Wolfpack has improved and has the size to give Davidson trouble. Another loss comes here.

That leaves Davidson at 6-4, including two conference wins. The rest of the schedule will probably include two other losses, likely at UNC Greensboro and at College of Charleston. If that plays out, Davidson will be 23-6 overall, and 18-2 in the Southern Conference. Davidson will win the Southern Conference tournament, and then one NCAA tournament game.

So, the guess here is a 27-7 season – not as many wins as last season but a better result overall.

What do you think?

-- Kevin Cary

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Uhh......

Overmatched against UCLA, but not UNC?

Not saying they'll lose both---they might win either, or even both. Your sense of how the UNC game might go is the same as mine. But how in the world can you claim that UCLA is a worse matchup for the Wildcats?

DrFrankLives said...

If we lose to UNC-G, I'll eat my hat.

Anonymous said...

You guys smoke crack much?

Anonymous said...

Don't you think the Niners are hungry after losing to Davidson by 18 last year? Charlotte beats Davidson every year and then last year; well, the jury's still out on that one. Charlotte is licking their chops at a rematch in their own house to bring back the Hornet's nest trophy. Come on now. In overtime, please...that crystal ball of yours might have too many smudges on it. If the UCLA game is the only game Davidson is overmatched, then won't Davidson go 9-1 instead of 6-4? Hmmmm....I wonder?

Anonymous said...

This is laughable:

First of all, the tar hole fans won't show up in Bobcats arena for the Davidson/Dook game because they didn't even show up for the Wintrip/Tar Hole game last year.

Also, the Davidson players will crumble again in Halton. 49ers win with the athletic advantage.

Anonymous said...

Drfranklives, Kyle Hines will eat your heart out.

metroniner said...

Davidson was a blind squirrel finding a nut last year. They won't sneak up on anyone this year, and teams might actually prepare for them for the first time (Niners). Hope the geese-stalkers enjoyed winning their national title vs the Niners for the first time in 15 years, it won't happen again this year.
-metro

Anonymous said...

I hope I'm not on that hit list.

-Sincerely,

A Flock of Geese

Anonymous said...

Are the Niners D-1?

I just moved here from South Florida and always througt UNCC was D-2.