Davidson Scouting Report: Five Things to Know for the NCAA Tournament

Davidson punched its ticket to the Big Dance by handling the College of Charleston, 74-55, in the Southern Conference championship game on Monday night. The Wildcats have been a fixture in the NCAA Tournament in recent years, and will make their 12th appearance in the Big Dance this season. Anyone who cares about college hoops remembers that All-Star snub and Most Improved Player candidate Stephen Curry led Davidson to within one possession of the Final Four in 2008.

Still, here are five things you probably didn’t know about Davidson College:

1. It is a really small school. Only 1,700-plus students go to Davidson. It is one of the most selective schools in the nation, as no class has more than 50 students. The school also provides all of its students with FREE LAUNDRY service (how great is that?), and it provided 300 kids with bus transportation, tickets, and hotel accommodations during the Elite Eight run in 2008. (Is it too late to apply to grad school there?)

2. Lefty Driesell coached at Davidson. The Lefthander had a pretty special run at DC, leading the Wildcats to a preseason No. 1 ranking in 1964 and three appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Future No. 1 overall pick Fred Hetzel played on the ’64-65 team, which went undefeated conference play before losing in the conference tournament. Davidson would advance to the Elite Eight twice under Driesell. Lefty also coached at CAA champion James Madison, which will make its first tournament appearance since he coached the 1994 squad to the Big Dance after winning on Monday.

3. They’ve won 17 games in a row. Davidson hasn’t lost since a January 14 setback at Georgia Southern. Before that, the Wildcats lost at Duke, but have otherwise been unblemished since before Christmas. The ‘Cats are 26-7, 17-1 in conference, and they have the potential to spring a major upset come NCAA Tournament time, in part because they don’t remember what losing feels like.

4. De’Mon Brooks is a beast. The junior forward was the co-Southern Conference Player of the Year last season (along with teammate Jake Cohen), and put up 24 points and 8 rebounds in the championship game against Charleston. At 6-7, he could be a matchup nightmare for somebody in the first round.

5. Longtime coach Bob McKillop knows what he’s doing. McKillop has won over 400 games at Davidson and is a seven-time SoCon Coach of the Year. He won’t get out-schemed by anyone. McKillop is one of the most underrated coaches in college basketball, and has quietly built a mini-dynasty at Davidson.

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