Let's Dance

The 2005-2006 Davidson Men’s basketball season has been one of doubt and uncertainty. How does a team that nearly beats Big East powerhouse Syracuse also lose to lowly Wofford and Western Carolina? Davidson showed flashes of brilliance as they tore apart the Missouri Tigers and Southern Conference leaders Georgia Southern and Elon in Belk Arena. For the Wildcats, the Southern Conference tournament looked to be the equalizer. Coming in as a three-seed, the attitude was wide-spread that the ultimate success or failure of this season would be played out in a three-day stretch in Charleston, SC. For fans looking for superstitious trends, this tournament offered up many: Davidson last won the tournament four years ago, also a year when they traveled to Italy. In 2002, Davidson beat a military school in the first-round and the Citadel’s miraculous upset of Furman and advancing to play Davidson confirmed this trend. While the 2002 victory also came in Charleston, it was the only city that Davidson had won a game away from Belk Arena in 2006. The planets were aligning. The board was set. It had come to time to settle things on the court.

Although Day 1 of the tournament did not involve the Wildcats, its happenings proved very helpful. In a conference that had been up and down all season, two out of the first three games were upsets, eliminating three opponents that had defeated Davidson; while advancing The Citadel, Appalachian State, and UNC-Greensboro, all of whom Davidson had shown mastery over in the regular season. With The Citadel’s upset of Furman, they won their third straight game in a row and earned a spot with the Wildcats in Friday’s nightcap.

Day 2 of the tournament proved to be much of the same story as Georgia Southern and College of Charleston were upset and Elon barely escaped an overtime thriller. By the time Davidson tipped off against The Citadel, only 2 favored teams had secured victories, and in the first 15 minutes, The Citadel tried to keep it that way. Sparked by the hot shooting of J’Mel Everhart and Dante Terry, the Bulldogs hit 14 out of their first 19 shots en route to a 37-18 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the first half. But, like they had done all season long, the Wildcats clawed back to take the momentum into the locker room on a Jason Morton ’06 layup and foul.

“We make it a point of emphasis to get the ‘Big Mo’ right before the half,” said head coach Bob McKillop. “Whether you are up seven or down seven, you want to be able to have confidence going into the locker room.”

Davidson had gone on a 15-3 run to end the half that was sparked by several Ian Johnson ’06 layups and a Matt McKillop ’06 three-pointer. For McKillop, it was just the beginning.

“At halftime, Kenny [Grant ’06] told me that I needed to take some more shots and start leading this team,” said Matt McKillop. “I realized what this game meant, and just started shooting.”

McKillop looked like the guard that Davidson fans hadn’t seen in a long while. He began releasing as soon as he caught the ball and did not submit to his usual hesitation. McKillop tied the game for the first time with 14:42 remaining, then another three-pointer gave the Wildcats the lead just a minute later. Going to a four-guard lineup, Davidson was able to close out on the Bulldog shooters in the second half and held them to just twelve field goals. McKillop finished with 21 points, 18 in the second half, and five three-pointers. Davidson also set the tone for their tournament run by dominating the Bulldogs on the glass, 43-19. With the 79-73 win over the Bulldogs, Davidson earned a spot against the second-seeded North Division champs, Elon.

The last time that Davidson had played Elon, Ian Johnson ’06 had scored 18 points, leading Davidson’s frontcourt and their 34 points in the paint. In the semifinals of the conference tournament, Elon decided to take away Johnson’s inside game. It seems they forgot about his outside game. The Wildcats hit eight three-pointers in the first half, half of which came from the Davidson center.

“We have some offensive sets that are designed to get Ian those open looks,” said Coach McKillop. “He is unique for a tall guy in that he has such a quick release. He shoots like a guard.”

Leading by seven at the half, Davidson was able to maintain its lead throughout most of the second half due to strong defense on Elon’s Chris Chalko and aggressive rebounding by Thomas Sander ’08. Sander finished with a game-high 11 rebounds, leading his team to another formidable margin of 39-23. Down by just four with 43 seconds remaining, Chalko missed a three-pointer and Sander hauled in the rebound. Two Winters free-throws sealed the 65-58 win for the Wildcats, and a berth in the title game against the defending-champion Chattanooga Mocs.

Sunday, March 5, 2006 was a day that many Davidson fans will remember for a long time. After an incredible come-from-behind victory over the Citadel and a close game against Elon, Davidson seemed poised for domination. After an opening Brendan Winters ’06 three-pointer gave the Wildcats a 3-2 lead, they never looked back. Chattanooga seemed unable to buy a basket as they shot 9-36 from FG range in the first half. Davidson, on the other hand, was finding baskets in the interior and on the perimeter. The Wildcats hit five threes and were led by 12 points by Brendan Winters at the intermission. The first play of the second half marked the beginning of the end for the Mocs: Thomas Sander found a cutting Winters who hit the layup and was fouled, extending the Davidson lead to 18 at 38-20. Winters went on to finish with a career-high 33 points, as the Wildcats ran over a demoralized Chattanooga squad.

“We aren’t a shooting team,” said Chattanooga head coach John Shulman. “We were deluding ourselves by shooting so well in this tournament, and I think we realized who we were today.”

If Chattanooga realized that they weren’t fit to play in the conference title game, Davidson finally showed that they are the best team in the Southern Conference. Dominating the Mocs on the boards, in the passing lanes, and in the fine art of putting the ball in the basket, Davidson demonstrated to a national audience with their 80-55 victory that the NCAA tournament needs to watch out; there’s a new upset-minded team ready to make some noise.

As the final buzzer sounded, students hugged their friends, wives hugged their spouses, and sons went to find their fathers.

“My dad has been the most influential person in my life,” said Winters. “For him to see my dreams come true was a special moment for both of us.”

It has always been noted that Davidson basketball is a family tradition. Parents and family from all over the country flocked to Charleston to watch their beloved sons, including 28 members of the McKillop family.

“Did you see all those kids with the painted faces?” asked Coach McKillop. “They look up to Matt as their cousin, and as their hero. He has given them an experience to cherish forever.”

This whole basketball team has given all of us that experience. In a college routine of tests, homework, and residual stress, this week will bring us together in support of our beloved Wildcats. We have been given an experience to cherish forever. And, for one shining moment, Davidson gets to go dance.

Davidsonian Interview

The Davidsonian: How did it feel to win this tournament in front of so many family and friends?

Ian Johnson: Well, all of our dads have had tremendous impacts and influences on our lives. My dad has been with me for my entire basketball career, and to win it in front of our fathers and families like that was really a great feeling. It was great for us to have them there when we won.

Matt McKillop: It was just such a special moment for me to be able to walk to the sideline after the game and give my dad a big hug. It was something we had both dreamed about since I decided I was going to come to school here. And it was unbelievable to be able to do it in front of my family as well. My mom’s entire side of the family, which was just about 28 people, all made the trip from all over the country to see us play. It was just amazing to have all my cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles all there to be able to share that experience with me.

Brendan Winters: My dad has been the number one believer in me since day 1 in high school when no one recruited me. And so to win a game like that, and be able to play like that in the title game was very special for me and for him.

TD: What was the low-point of this season for you as a person and for this team? How did you overcome it?

MM: I would have to say the Western Carolina game. Up until that point, we hadn’t lost a game on this court in a while. I really felt like when we were playing in Belk Arena, we were playing with a chip on our shoulders. But Western came in and out-toughed us, out-hustled us and just out-played us the entire day.

BW: I think that’s when we started to realize that this is not how we wanted our final season to go. This wasn’t what we had envisioned over the summer and over our last four years, so we knew we had to regain focus and step up our play.

IJ: That was also when I started growing my beard. I really feel like we have picked up our intensity ever since. If it worked for Roethlisberger, surely it could work for us.

TD: What seems to be an overarching theme for this 2005-06 Davidson basketball team?

BW: This is the time of our lives.

IJ: It’s all about making the most of it for us. Any Davidson senior can tell you that you really just have to make the most of your last year here. It is a great place to be and college basketball is incredible. You just have to have no regrets.

MM: Not taking anything away from the underclassmen, this senior class has really rallied around each other and motivated and encouraged our teammates. We have tried to do everything we can to get this team to where it has gotten. So I think that for us, it has been about doing this the last time and doing it right.

TD: Was there any difference in the team’s preparation for the Southern Conference tournament this year after losing in the semifinals last season?

IJ: Well, last year, after going 16-0, I think we definitely went in to the tournament trying not to lose, instead of trying to win. I think this year we certainly made a conscious effort to reverse that attitude.

BW: We also looked at how Chattanooga won the whole thing last year after having several conference losses. I think that gave us confidence to know that we are just as capable of pulling that off as they were. Even if we were the third seed, we just set our minds to it and didn’t look back from there.

MM: I know we were undefeated last year, but I think our confidence at being the best team in the conference was higher this year. We knew that when we played together and played the way we practiced, we were unstoppable. And that’s the team that showed up in the tournament.

TD: What has this week been like, being able to walk around campus not worrying about the NIT but knowing about the NCAA tournament?

BW: Well I know that last year, I didn’t even want to come to classes and have to deal with everyone asking me “what happened?” No one could really understand how hurt we were. This year was so much nicer with everyone congratulating you and seeing all the support that we have around the school.

MM: I think that you really get a feel about what Davidson basketball means to this campus. When you have a professor who moves class time around so that people can watch our game next week, it really makes you feel like all your hard work has finally paid off and that everyone has just rallied around you.

TD: Playing in the NIT last year, really seemed to motivate you guys to prove that you didn’t belong there, and you won some games. Will it be hard to not accept that you’ve completed your goal and that the NCAA tournament is just icing on the cake?

MM: I think that the emotion of this week has just been so unbelievable that we will carry this on and be able to do something really special.

IJ: I think we have more to prove this year than going to the NIT. When you go to the NIT, you are already second place in something. Our season is definitely not over yet. We have some more games to play.

New pictures

Remember to check out my Southern Conference tourney pictures and others from our trip to Charleston by clicking on the link on the right.

Hiatus

I'm sorry for the recent hiatus in posting. I have had a pretty busy week academically and basketball has fizzled just a bit. I will post some more Davidsonian material by Friday night, including a tournament summary and a round-table interview with Matt McKillop, Brendan Winters and Ian Johnson.
By next week I will post some of my picks for upsets in the newly released 2006 bracket as well as analysis of Davidson's tourney situation.

A few pictures

CHAMPS

“It has been a long road for this team. We traveled from the tops of the Alps to Cameron Indoor to long, disappointing road trips to daily practices and magical victories in Belk Arena. Today was just another chapter in a large book. I couldn’t be more prouder of this team.” Bob McKillop

Davidson’s title game performance seems to epitomize the theme of a long season. Despite poor road performances against lesser teams and upsets of bigger programs, this game marked the strengths of Davidson basketball.

1) Versatility. The Mocs focused on high-scoring Ian Johnson and the Wildcats were forced to find scoring outside of the block. Brendan Winters stepped up big from the perimeter and was then able to drive the paint. He totaled 33 points, a career high, and garnered the Tournament MVP award.

2) Intensity. Davidson held the Mocs to 34% shooting from the field and outrebounded them by 45-30. The Wildcats put up fights for every loose ball and didn’t allow Chattanooga to get easy shots, even when they were down big.

3) Shooting. After all of the dust has settled and Davidson looks at all of the keys to victory in this tournament, many things appear: defense, rebounding, hustle, determination. However, nothing can diminish the importance of being able to hit open shots. At times this season, Davidson couldn’t find the mark on open shots from the lane and perimeter. Over this 3-game season, Davidson shot lights-out.

Coming into the tournament, Davidson knew they had to win to extend their season. Yet, throughout it all, this group of Wildcats was relaxed, from the head coach all the way down to the managers. This has always been our year. For a while, the spotlight sought other pieces of brilliance; but in the end, Davidson is the best team in the Southern Conference.

For now, I will let the pure knowledge of victory hold its own poignancy. As life begins to go on, a better perspective on this accomplishment will emerge. For now we can whip out our towels and sing along with Coach McKillop:

Da-da-da-DA-da, da-da-da-dada-dada-da dada Dada.

One Shining Moment

As the Cats began extending their lead in the second half, the Davidson crowd rose to a fever pitch. The house finally came down when Kenny Grant lobbed an alley-oop to Boris Meno for a behind-the-head rim-rocking dunk. Davidson leads by 73-49 right now with 3 minutes to play. I will re-edit this post and write a final analysis when I get back to Davidson later tonight.
For now, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!

Halftime: Davidson 35 UT-C 20

In an action packed first half, Davidson has built a strong lead off of the outside shooting of Matt McKillop and Brendan Winters, each with 2 threes. The Mocs have had trouble finding the bottom of the net as they are shooting just 9-36 from the field, compared to Davidson's 15-29. Thomas Sander has been a force on the boards collecting 9 rebounds as Davidson has outrebounded Chattanooga 24-17.
Some areas of concern include a short stretch where Davidson showed an inability to play fast-paced, committing several turnovers and missed outside shots. They need to continue to try to get it to Ian Johnson who only has four points thus far. The game has been pretty clean with just 7 combined fouls and less disputed calls from Mr. Valentine (who reffed last night's UNC-Duke game). Davidson only has 10 points in the paint compared to Chattanooga's 12. They need to continue to establish the inside presence, whether off of entry passes or drives to the hoop.
Otherwise, Chattanooga will need a strong second half to overcome Davidson's lead and momentum. 20 minutes to glory.

Tip - 9 minutes

It's gametime, baby!
It feels like all of the angst of two years worth of basketball are riding on this game. At the beginning of the year, many felt that this was one of the best Davidson teams in recent history. After several disappointing road losses, the wheels appeared to come off the Wildcat mobile. But, one year later after all of the complaints of the tournament system, Davidson has a chance to redeem a 10-5 conference season with a tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament.

Keys to the game:
Davidson needs to do whatever they've been doing the last two days. Playing loose. With the pressure on, and away from Belk Arena, the Wildcats have stumbled thus far. This will be their opportunity to prove their mettle and establish themselves. The post game needs to thrive on Chattanooga's four-guard lineup, and the defense cannot allow the Mocs to run around them. Chattanooga has been playing "inspired basketball" and their skill sets do not match up with Davidson.

I will be back at half. Tune in on ESPN2.

Davidson 65 Elon 58

"Focus. Loose Balls and Rebounds. Communication. I felt like we executed our points of emphasis very well today."
Bob McKillop

With their seven point victory over Elon, Davidson advances to their 15th SoCon title game where they hold a record of 7-7, 2-2 under Coach McKillop. The Wildcats were able to hold off the Phoenix by aggressive offensive sets and defensive intensity. Davidson outrebounded their opponents by 39-23, combining for a mark of 82-42 over the last two games. Sander led all rebounders with 11, while Meno and Winters both had 7. Ian Johnson led all scorers with 23 points off of 5-6 3pt shooting. It was the 10th time that the All-Conference selection had recorded at least 20 points this season.

Jason Richards had some key minutes in the second half when Kenny Grant picked up his fourth foul. Richards kept the intensity high for the Cats' offense, which created a by-product of high turnovers (17). "We realize that turnovers are a part of aggressive play," said Coach McKillop. "But our focus this time is on winning the tournament, not trying not to lose it."

Davidson is certainly playing wide open basketball right now and hopefully that calm will carry over to tomorrow's game against Chattanooga. Davidson will have to overcome a 1-5 overall record against the Mocs in tournament play. Chattanooga shot 52.9% today against Appalachian State, a number that is unusually high for them. They rely on fast-paced ball movement and getting lots of opportunities at scoring.

3:25pm

At the half, Davidson leads Elon by a score of 35-28. Ian Johnson leads all Wildcat scorers with 16 points on 4 three-pointers. Davidson has shot 17 three-pointers, hitting 8. Elon has been very effective at diminishing the Wildcat post game and Davidson has been forced to shoot open looks from outside. Meno has come up big for the Cats with several offensive rebounds, but unfortunately Davidson hasn't seemed tough enough to finish inside. Once again, the refs know who they want in the championship game but Davidson will have to work to overcome that disadvantage.
If the Cats can hit a few more threes and finish on their drives to the paint, this game should be wrapped up. But Elon is effective at employing Davidson's strategies against them, hitting several turn around jumpers in the lane and getting hot shooters open on perimeter rotations. If the Phoenix heat up, this could be a long afternoon.
On a side note, it seems that Chattanooga fans across the way don't know who to pull for. They just want someone to get hurt or something.

2:06pm

As the wheels began to come off of the Mountaineer effort, one small fan epitomized the agony and determination of tournament basketball. A five-year old App St. fan began yelling at his mom and those around her to stand back up and start cheering defense. When she told him to “shush,” he waved her off and started jumping up and down, cheering in line with the cheerleaders. The Mountaineers were down by as many as 16 points, but pulled to within 6 on consecutive three-pointers. Some fans believe no matter what reality is showing. App. State was playing tired, uninspired basketball but somehow have been able to make Chattanooga earn this victory. UT-C’s Keddric Mays nullified consecutive ASU steals by hitting a three-pointer to push the lead to 71-63. But ASU fans and players refused to give up, making shots on the offensive end and putting Chattanooga on the line. A McLaughlin-Williams three-pointer with 48 seconds remaining put the Moc lead at 4. After only hitting 1 free throw, an ASU layup cut the lead to 3 and sent the Mocs back to the line with 29 seconds. That kid had the whole ASU section on its feet. After two free throws, D.J. Thompson was fouled on a three-point attempt that went in. His free throw cut the lead to 1 with 14 seconds. After two free throws, D.J. Thompson’s three-pointer was off the mark, sealing the Mountaineers fate as they lost by a score of 78-75.
If they win, Davidson will get to play a Chattanooga team that got a run for its money.
Hats off to ASU, they certainly made their mark on the 2006 SoCon tournament.

Now it's Davidson's turn.

Day 3 (12:48pm)

Chattanooga leads ASU 36-34 at halftime. ASU jitterbug D.J. Thompson leads the Mountaineers with 19 points, while Jerice Crouch has nine points for the Mocs. The Mocs will have some momentum going into the second-half as they eliminated a double-digit deficit capped off by a hanging three-pointer by Steve Cherry at the buzzer. As Davidson fans know, hitting three-point plays going into the half can do wonders for a team's confidence for the second half.
The Mocs will look to capitalize on the Mountaineers' fatigue as they have played one less game than ASU.
Sitting in the bleachers, Davidson fans should hope for a Mountaineer upset, but that will be harder than a two-point deficit would make it seem. ASU needs more scoring options than Thompson's slashes.

Looking ahead, Davidson should match up well with this Elon team that likes to play Davidson's game of fundamental, tough basketball. Unlike the Citadel, the Phoenix will be hard-pressed to get off to a quick start as it just doesn't fit their offensive style. Davidson should use that to their advantage and try to get more offensive looks inside at the beginning of the first half.

Thoughts

Here are some random thoughts from Day 2 of the Southern Conference tournament.

-There needs to be more communication about the Women's bracket in the Coliseum. With games going on all afternoon, I never once saw a score announced or published.

-Davidson really travels better than I would have imagined. For a fan core that has been criticized for not coming out to several important home games, there was a significant Davidson contingent at the game. Out of the four remaining teams, Elon and Davidson have the best fan groups and Davidson should dominate the cheering tomorrow.

-While Charleston may certainly testify to its not being a home-court advantage, the tournament committee might have a hard time sizing up this tournament. Four incredible games in one day and there really was not enough excitement in the fan groups. Maybe the closer teams (Furman, Wofford, GSU) should stick around a little longer.

-On a scale of 1 to 10, today's overall officiating ranks near 3.6. With absolutely dangerous no-calls in the Citadel-Davidson game, the refs were allowing the game to get out of control and players were in serious danger. There were many questionable calls against the College of Charleston and even the ever ferocious Tom Herrion had a right to be angry. If the players are expected to play at a higher level, then the officiating should follow.

-All of the media members continue to be upset that internet access is restricted to the phone lines in the media room. I would have had a few more game updates if I hadn't had to leave the court to go write them.

-I was very impressed with the overall parking situation. All parking was free and cars got out of the lots and onto the Interstate pretty quickly. A for parking.

-While Davidson and Chattanooga rank as the remaining top dogs of SoCon basketball, the new media darling is the Elon Phoenix. However, at one point in the media room, a fellow writer was discussing whether "the Elon Phoenix's point guard..." was correct grammar. It was finally decided that "Elon's point guard" would have to suffice.

"Never say Die" (79-73)

"I felt like we really just chipped away, chipped away, and never got desperate. This team never died and never went for home runs."
Bob McKillop

Down by 7 at the half, Davidson went on 10-3 run to begin the second half. Emboldened by several defensive stops, the Davidson offense was able to light fire as Matt McKillop ripped off 4 second half threes en route to a season-high 21 points. Davidson shot 10-18 from the 3 point line, and outrebounded The Citadel 43-19 to get 14 second chance points. The Wildcats chipped away at the Bulldog lead and a McKillop three finally gave them a one point lead. Davidson never looked back as Grant, Morton and Winters continued to drive the lane and cause fouls. The Citadel had several opportunities to tie the game at the end, but Johnson and Meno came up with big-time defensive rebounds, and Morton was able to knock down the free throws.

Simply, this game was exactly what Davidson needed to get through the tournament. As Coach McKillop said, "we were forced to recollect the small instances of comebacks this season [St. Joe's, CofC, Citadel, UMass]. We used those memories as a catalyst for confidence." Davidson seemed to put it all together in the second half, combining toughness inside, strong drives to the hoop, crisp passing and lights-out shooting, and tenacious defense and rebounding. It is a testament to a group of players and coach who have been dogged as too uptight and self-critical. The Wildcats believed in themselves tonight, and their play reflected it.

"We knew going into the half that we had a chance. We just never thought about the season ending, but making the next shot."
Matt McKillop

Davidson will make their way home tonight and sleep heavily as they tip off against Elon tomorrow at 2:30pm.