2017–18 Davidson Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Davidson Wildcats men's basketball team represented Davidson College during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats were led by 29th-year head coach Bob McKillop and played their home games at the John M. Belk Arena in Davidson, North Carolina as fourth-year members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 21–12, 13–5 in the A-10 to finish in third place. In the A-10 tournament they defeated Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure, and Rhode Island to be A-10 Tournament champions. They received the A-10's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Kentucky.

2017–18 Davidson Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record21–12 (13–5 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaJohn M. Belk Arena
Seasons
2017–18 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Rhode Island 15 3   .833 26 8   .765
St. Bonaventure 14 4   .778 26 8   .765
Davidson 13 5   .722 21 12   .636
Saint Joseph's 10 8   .556 16 16   .500
VCU 9 9   .500 18 15   .545
Saint Louis 9 9   .500 17 16   .515
George Mason 9 9   .500 16 17   .485
Richmond 9 9   .500 12 20   .375
Dayton 8 10   .444 14 17   .452
Duquesne 7 11   .389 16 16   .500
George Washington 7 11   .389 15 18   .455
La Salle 7 11   .389 13 19   .406
Massachusetts 5 13   .278 13 20   .394
Fordham 4 14   .222 9 22   .290
2018 A10 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Wildcats finished the 2016–17 season 17–15, 8–10 in A-10 play to finish in ninth place. In the A-10 tournament, they defeated La Salle[1] and Dayton[2][3] to advance to the tournament semifinals where they lost to Rhode Island.[4]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Jack Gibbs 12 G 6'0" 195 Senior Westerville, OH Graduated
Kamau Faines 13 G 6'2" 200 Junior Chicago, IL Walk-on; didn't return
Manu Giamoukis 31 G 6'1" 200 Senior Thessaloniki, Greece Graduated
Connor Perkey 34 F 6'8" 215 RS Senior Atlanta, GA Graduated
Andrew McAuliffe 40 F 6'8" 260 Senior Northbrook, IL Graduated

2017 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kellan Grady
#42 PG
West Roxbury, MA Northfield Mt. Hermon School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Apr 12, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 81
Carter Collins
PG
Chapel Hill, NC East Chapel Hill High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Luke Frampton
SG
Poca, WV Poca High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 27, 2017.

Source[5]

Preseason

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In a poll of the league's head coaches and select media members at the conference's media day, the Wildcats were picked to finish in sixth place in the A-10.[6] Senior forward Peyton Aldridge was named to the conference's preseason first team.[6]

Roster

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2017–18 Davidson Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Dusan Kovacevic 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS So Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School Novi Sad, Serbia
F 1 Nathan Ekwu 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Cardinal Hayes High School Enugu, Nigeria
G 2 Jordan Watkins 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Sr Providence Day School Charlotte, North Carolina
G 3 Jón Axel Guðmundsson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurnesja Grindavík, Iceland
G 4 Cal Freundlich (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 155 lb (70 kg) So Friends Seminary New York, New York
G 5 Malcolm Wynter (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) So Harborfields High School Greenlawn, New York
G 14 Michael Brown (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Saint Francis Academy Gainesville, Florida
F 15 Oskar Michelsen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Makelanrinne Sports High School Helsinki, Finland
G 20 KiShawn Pritchett 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS So Lake Norman High School Mooresville, North Carolina
F 22 Will Magarity 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Sr Boston College Stockholm, Sweden
F 23 Peyton Aldridge 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr LaBrae High School Leavittsville, Ohio
G 24 Carter Collins 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr East Chapel Hill High School Chapel Hill, North Carolina
F 25 Bates Jones (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Charlotte Latin School Charlotte, North Carolina
G 31 Kellan Grady 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Northfield Mount Hermon School Boston, Massachusetts
G 32 Rusty Reigel 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Charlotte Latin School Charlotte, North Carolina
G 34 Luke Frampton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Poca High School Poca, West Virginia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 3, 2017*
7:30 pm
Hampden–Sydney W 106–55 
John M. Belk Arena (2,864)
Davidson, NC
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm
Charleston Southern W 110–62  1–0
John M. Belk Arena (3,705)
Davidson, NC
Nov 14, 2017*
7:00 pm
UNC Wilmington W 108–81  2–0
John M. Belk Arena (3,252)
Davidson, NC
Nov 21, 2017*
10:00 pm, ATTSN
at Nevada L 68–81  2–1
Lawlor Events Center (8,225)
Reno, NV
Nov 25, 2017*
7:00 pm
at Appalachian State L 62–79  2–2
Holmes Center (1,216)
Boone, NC
Nov 28, 2017*
7:00 pm, Stadium
at Charlotte W 85–70  3–2
Dale F. Halton Arena (4,418)
Charlotte, NC
Dec 1, 2017*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. No. 13 North Carolina
Charlotte Showcase
L 75–85  3–3
Spectrum Center (11,395)
Charlotte, NC
Dec 5, 2017*
7:00 pm
VMI W 74–51  4–3
John M. Belk Arena 
Davidson, NC
Dec 16, 2017*
2:00 pm, ACCN Extra
at No. 16 Virginia L 60–80  4–4
John Paul Jones Arena (13,910)
Charlottesville, VA
Dec 22, 2017*
11:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. New Mexico State
Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals
L 68–69  4–5
Stan Sheriff Center (7,669)
Honolulu, HI
Dec 24, 2017*
12:30 am, ESPNU
at Hawaii
Diamond Head Classic consolation round
L 71–79  4–6
Stan Sheriff Center (5,946)
Honolulu, HI
Dec 25, 2017*
12:30pm, ESPNU
vs. Akron
Diamond Head Classic 7th place game
W 91–78  5–6
Stan Sheriff Center (6,698)
Honolulu, HI
A-10 regular season
Dec 30, 2017
4:30 pm, NBCSN
at Richmond L 58–69  5–7
(0–1)
Robins Center (6,560)
Richmond, VA
Jan 3, 2018
7:00 pm
Saint Louis W 54–51  6–7
(1–1)
John M. Belk Arena (3,140)
Davidson, NC
Jan 7, 2018
12:00 pm, NBCSN
at George Mason W 86–59  7–7
(2–1)
EagleBank Arena (3,023)
Fairfax, VA
Jan 10, 2018
7:00 pm
George Washington W 72–45  8–7
(3–1)
John M. Belk Arena (3,310)
Davidson, NC
Jan 14, 2018
3:00 pm, NBCSN
at Fordham W 75–45  9–7
(4–1)
Rose Hill Gymnasium (1,734)
Bronx, NY
Jan 19, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2
St. Bonaventure W 83–73  10–7
(5–1)
John M. Belk Arena (4,305)
Davidson, NC
Jan 23, 2018
7:00 pm, CBSSN
at Dayton L 64–65  10–8
(5–2)
UD Arena (13,173)
Dayton, OH
Jan 28, 2018
2:00 pm, NBCSN
Richmond L 63–66  10–9
(5–3)
John M. Belk Arena (4,412)
Davidson, NC
Jan 31, 2018
7:00 pm, Stadium
La Salle W 84–65  11–9
(6–3)
John M. Belk Arena (3,248)
Davidson, NC
Feb 3, 2018
4:00 pm
at George Washington W 87–58  12–9
(7–3)
Charles E. Smith Center (4,018)
Washington, D.C.
Feb 6, 2018
7:00 pm, Stadium
Saint Joseph's W 91–62  13–9
(8–3)
John M. Belk Arena (3,134)
Davidson, NC
Feb 9, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 18 Rhode Island L 59–72  13–10
(8–4)
Ryan Center (7,743)
Kingston, RI
Feb 14, 2018
7:00 pm, CBSSN
at VCU W 74–63  14–10
(9–4)
Siegel Center (7,637)
Richmond, VA
Feb 17, 2018
7:00 pm
Massachusetts W 83–78  15–10
(10–4)
John M. Belk Arena (4,202)
Davidson, NC
Feb 21, 2018
7:00 pm
Fordham W 76–52  16–10
(11–4)
John M. Belk Arena (3,212)
Davidson, NC
Feb 24, 2018
12:00 pm
at Duquesne W 71–60  17–10
(12–4)
Palumbo Center (2,555)
Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 27, 2018
9:00 pm, CBSSN
at St. Bonaventure L 113–117 3OT 17–11
(12–5)
Reilly Center (4,865)
Olean, NY
Mar 2, 2018
8:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 17 Rhode Island W 63–61  18–11
(13–5)
John M. Belk Arena (4,442)
Davidson, NC
A-10 tournament
Mar 9, 2018
8:30 pm, NBCSN
(3) vs. (6) Saint Louis
Quarterfinals
W 78–60  19–11
Capital One Arena (7,664)
Washington, D.C.
Mar 10, 2018
3:30 pm, CBSSN
(3) vs. (2) Saint Bonaventure
Semifinals
W 83–70  20–11
Capital One Arena (8,756)
Washington, D.C.
Mar 11, 2018
1:00 pm, CBS
(3) vs. (1) No. 25 Rhode Island
Championship
W 58–57  21–11
Capital One Arena (7,643)
Washington, D.C.
NCAA tournament
Mar 15, 2018*
7:10 pm, CBS
(12 S) vs. (5 S) No. 18 Kentucky
First Round
L 73–78  21–12
Taco Bell Arena (11,673)
Boise, ID
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

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  1. ^ "Davidson vs. La Salle – Game Recap – March 9, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "Davidson vs. Dayton – Game Recap – March 10, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  3. ^ "Davidson stuns Dayton Flyers in A-10 tournament". daytondailynews. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  4. ^ "Davidson vs. Rhode Island – Game Recap – March 11, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  5. ^ "Verbal Commits". www.verbalcommits.com. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Rhode Island Picked to Win A-10 Men's Basketball". Atlantic 10 Conference. Atlantic10.com. October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.