March Madness 2013: Davidson Wildcats are in the NCAA Tournament
By Jason Lisk
Conference/Record: Southern Conference (26-7)
Location: Davidson, North Carolina
Famous Alums/Attendees: Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors (the first podcast guest). John Belk, the head of Belk Inc., the company that has given us the immortal Belk Bowl. President Woodrow Wilson also attended Davidson but did not graduate.
Social Media: @DavidsonWildcat is the official athletic department account.
Random Fun Fact: Lefty Driesel coached Davidson to consecutive Regional Finals in the 1960’s, and Davidson finished four different seasons in the AP Top 10 while Driesel was the head coach.
Tournament History/Most Recent: Davidson is 8-12 all-time in 12 appearances. The most recent appearance was a loss to Louisville by 7 points last year as a 13 seed. They advanced to the Elite Eight with Stephen Curry in 2008, losing to national champion Kansas.
Good Wins/Bad Losses: Davidson beat Vanderbilt, West Virginia, and Richmond, all away from Davidson. They lost a close game at New Mexico and lost to both Gonzaga and Duke. The worst loss was at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and they rolled through the Southern Conference at 17-1.
Notable Player(s): Jake Cohen, the 6’10” center, and De’Mon Brooks, are the duo to watch here. They are the top two in both points and rebounds on the team, and will provide a test to the Marquette front line.
All-Important Rankings: 61(RPI), 59 (Pomeroy), 57 (Seven Overtimes)
Outlook/Seed: Davidson drew a 14 seed. If you want to draw up a profile of a dangerous 14, this is it. They will play a deliberate style, have excellent shooters, and lead the country in free throw percentage. They limit rebounds and get back on defense. If they get a lead on Marquette, this could be a struggle all game long.
Other Tournament Profiles:
James Madison
Florida Gulf Coast
Harvard
Liberty
Creighton
Belmont
Bucknell
Gonzaga
Saint Louis
Albany
Pacific
Iona
Valparaiso