Davidson Wildcats
Date: Wednesday January 14th, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Charles E. Smith Center (Washington, DC)
TV: Monumental Sports Network/ESPN+
Ranks: 141st (KenPom), 136th (Bart Torvik), 158th (Haslametrics), 147th (EvanMiya), 121st (Sports Illustrated)
2024-25 Record: 17-16, 6-12 (12th in A10)
2025-26 Projected Record: 16-14, 8-10 (T-7th in A10)
NET Ranking: 141st (Q3 Game)

Head-to-Head: 16-15. GW has taken the lead in the head-to-head after winning their third straight in the series (and four of the past five) against the Wildcats.

In last year's 74-67 win at Belk Arena, GW went into halftime with a five point lead. Pretty much the entire game the Revs found success going inside and settled for few threes all game. It's strange to see a CC-led squad attempt just 15 threes total and make just five, but when you're over 60% on two point FGs it makes a lot of sense to prioritize the paint. Davidson was within range for most of the second half but GW did just enough to hold on. The Buff & Blue did not make a FG in the final two and a half minutes, with the final eight points all coming via free throws. Slim led GW with 20 points on 6/7 shooting (and 8/10 from the line). CJ also had an efficient outing with 12 points on 5/7 FGs and 2/3 from deep. Gerald and Jacoi had 11 points each.

The last game in Foggy Bottom was a lot more memorable. The Wildcats held a five point lead after the first 20 minutes of play. Offense came easy for both teams and GW was on fire from distance, knocking down eight triples before halftime so it wasn't great that they were still losing at halftime. The Revs went to work after the half, going on a quick 7-0 run to take the lead just over a minute into the second half. Following a Wildcat timeout, Davidson had the upper hand for the next eight minutes before GW answered with another run of their own.

The final minute was highly chaotic. Durkin made a three to break the tie in Davidson's favor. I'm not sure why, but Max hoisted a 3 when it wasn't needed and Davidson got the rebound. After a timeout, the Wildcats turned the ball over in the backcourt, with Jacoi intercepting the pass and finding Garrett who was fouled and split a pair of FTs. After a quick foul, Davidson missed the front end of a one-and-one and Max made a layup to tie things up. The Wildcats somehow turned it over again in the final seconds of regulation. GW had a chance to win it at the end but unfortunately a well set-up play for Max near the hoop rimmed out. Overtime was less eventful, as neither team could really muster up much offense (just 12 total points between the teams). Ultimately, I think GW's three point shooting (13 made threes at 45%) made the difference as both teams were horrendous at the FT line (like under 50% bad). Garrett led the team with 23 points, JB had 20 points/7 assists, and Jun had a triple nickel (16 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) but was a gross 4/12 from the FT line.

Offensive Efficiency: 185th (KenPom), 187th (Bart Torvik), 185th (Haslametrics), 178th (EvanMiya)
Defensive Efficiency: 111th (KenPom), 100th (Bart Torvik), 99th (Haslametrics), 134th (EvanMiya)
Pace: 332nd (KenPom), 329th (Bart Torvik), 346th (Haslametrics), 332nd (EvanMiya)
Offensive Shot Quality Rank: 205th
Defensive Shot Quality Rank: 81st
Rim & 3 Rate: 83% (178th)

Strengths (2025-26 Season):
Bench Points Per Game: 35.19 PPG (18th; 4th in A10)
Three Point Percentage: 36.4% (62nd; 5th in A10)
Scoring Defense: 69.3 PPG (77th; 5th in A10)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.9 TO/G (86th; 3rd in A10)

Weaknesses (2025-26 Season):
Scoring Offense: 72.3 PPG (285th; 11th in A10)
Free Throw Percentage: 68.2% (305th; 14th in A10)
Rebounds Per Game: 32.94 RPG (309th; 14th in A10)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: 9.25 ORPG (326th; 13th in A10)
Fastbreak Points: 7.56 PPG (327th; 14th in A10)

Projected Starting Lineup:
#11 G Sam Brown (Junior; Merion Station, PA) - 13.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.3 apg; 42% FG, 34% 3-PT, 84% FT per 33.1 mpg/27 GP at Penn last season
#5 G Parker Friedrichsen (Junior; Bixby, OK) - 3.2 ppg, 1 rpg; 32% FG, 25% 3-PT, 85% FT per 14.5 mpg/31 GP at Wake Forest last season
#6 G Devin Brown (Freshman; Lewis Center, OH)
#4 G Josh Scovens (Junior; Greensboro, NC) - 15.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1 spg, 1.3 bpg; 45% FG, 28% 3-PT, 66% FT per 31.7 mpg/29 GP at Army last season
#16 F/C Ian Platteeuw (Freshman; Barcelona, Spain)

Key Bench Players:
#45 G Roberts Blums (Sophomore; Riga, Latvia) - 4.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg; 34% FG, 31% 3-PT, 60% FT per 15.4 mpg/31 GP at Davidson last season
#3 G Nick Coval (RS Freshman; Orefield, PA)
#12 G Hunter Adam (RS Junior; Christchurch, New Zealand) - 3.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg; 53% FG, 40% 3-PT, 62% FT per 14.5 mpg/33 GP at Davidson last season
#15 F Sean Logan (Senior; Westfield, NJ) - 4.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.6 bpg; 56% FG, 33% 3-PT, 42% FT per 19 mpg/11 GP at Davidson last season
#24 F JaQualon Roberts (Junior; Bloomington, IN) - 1 ppg; 67% FG, 73% FT per 4.6 mpg/21 GP at Vanderbilt last season
#0 F Manie Joses (Sophomore; London, United Kingdom) - 2.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg; 53% FG, 33% 3-PT, 54% FT per 13.1 mpg/23 GP at Davidson last season

Key Losses:
Reed Bailey (Transferred to Indiana; Harvard, MA) - 18.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.8 apg; 48% FG, 42% 3-PT, 77% FT per 33.3 mpg/33 GP
Connor Kochera (Graduated; Arlington Heights, IL) - 14.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.8 apg; 50% FG, 33% 3-PT, 78% FT per 32.8 mpg/33 GP
Bobby Durkin (Transferred to Minnesota; Darien, IL) - 13.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.3 spg; 41% FG, 36% 3-PT, 85% FT per 33.8 mpg/33 GP
Zach Laput (Graduated; Beacon Falls, CT) - 8.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.6 apg; 48% FG, 32% 3-PT, 68% FT per 24.5 mpg/33 GP
Mike Loughnane (Transferred to Northeastern; Quincy, MA) - 5.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.3 apg; 44% FG, 37% 3-PT, 72% FT per 23.8 mpg/33 GP

Preview:
When it comes to winning college basketball games, it's always been (mostly) about the Jimmys and Joes and not the X's and O's. A good coach can elevate a talented roster, but their abilities are capped when handed a team of subpar players. In the NIL era, a school's ability to pay players more than others in a league has become a real advantage. That's the only reason that I can imagine why the Field of 68 has placed GW at #5 when ranking jobs in the A10. Even as a fan of the school I can't think of any other reason GW would be that high if not for revenue sharing. Jeff Goodman ranked the A10 jobs back when he was still at Stadium, and at that point GW was #9 in the league. Prior to this offseason, I would imagine GW would have been closer to the middle of the league. Clearly the perception of the program has changed, and both CC and AD Lipitz deserve a lot of credit for that.

The coaching matters still, but being able to fundraise and bring in the funds necessary to pay players has become just as, if not more important. To land a coaching job these days the candidate has to bring in NIL from their own pockets, get help from a family member, or have a contact/donor base that is willing to help them out. Apparently, that's why Zach Chu was hired at Radford last offseason. He played collegiately at Richmond and was most recently on staff at SMU as the chief strategist for men's basketball. However, Chu was never even an assistant coach before getting a head gig. The main reason for bringing him in was that apparently his father was going to help fund the NIL efforts. Talent is certainly not an issue with their team. There's at least four former players who were high-major recruits - a pretty staggering number for a Big South school. Despite that, the Highlanders are just 257th on KenPom, and are projected to finish just fifth in the league on KenPom. I get why the school made the hire, but hiring someone with no coaching experience is a little dicey. Maybe he just needs a bit of time. After all, Doug Gottlieb has got Green Bay much improved this year which no one really saw coming.

I'm sure Matt McKillop knew that he was taking over as head coach long before his dad decided to hang it up four seasons ago. While Bob left just as NIL was getting started, the decision was likely more driven by wanting to keep things going at the school and establish continuity within the program. Davidson was in a tough spot during this transition. Given how much Bob McKillop did for the program, not allowing him to be part of the decision making process would have been tough. Additionally, the younger McKillop already understood the nature of the Davidson job. They don't have a graduate school, and with it being a great academic institution not every player can make it past admissions. Not every coach can handle that. Perhaps the most important is the Steph Curry factor. I don't doubt that Curry would have given to the school regardless, but I'm not sure the contribution would have been as much if a McKillop wasn't in charge.

Well, we're now three and a half seasons into the Matt McKillop era, and Davidson has kinda just been in no man's land. They've not fallen off a cliff or anything, and they still run a system that prioritizes shooting. But something is not clicking. Of course, the constant roster turnover isn't all on McKillop. Davidson was built on continuity, but there's just very little of that these days in college basketball. The Wildcats lost their top five scorers from last year, but unlike seasons in the past not all were to graduation. Reed Bailey was crucial as an interior hub, ranking top 50 nationally in both field goals made and points per game. He also got to the line a ton, ranking tops in the A10 (and 18th nationally) in free throws made and attempted. Connor Kochera was one of their most efficient weapons, ranking 94th in field goal percentage. Bobby Durkin made some huge triples in his time as a Wildcat, ranking top 100 in three point percentage and makes. In the past, these guys would help lead the way and usher in the newcomers. Davidson's internal development system is tried and true, to the point where you could pencil them in the NCAA tournament every four years, if not more frequently. The last time the program has missed the big dance four years in a row was between 1993 and 1997. Talk about consistency.

Unfortunately, it's looking like four misses in a row for Matt. It's harder to get to the tournament now as a mid-major, but Davidson isn't even in the conversation right now. This year's Davidson roster might be his most talented, but throughout his tenure it's felt like the team falls apart down the stretch in close games. The offense has not been anywhere near as elite as it was under Bob, and there's been a lack of identity. Since Matt took over, Davidson has alternated years where they've been better on offense and years where they've been more defensive-minded. On offense, they generally take care of the ball, prioritize getting back on defense than crashing the glass, and take a fair amount of threes. Defensively, they try to limit second chance opportunities and keep teams off the FT line. The problem is that they've gone one-and-done frequently on offense because the shooting has been inconsistent, and their defense has not been disruptive enough to prevent teams from getting the looks they want.

This season's Davidson squad is a lot deeper and more balanced than past editions. They are currently 18th in the nation in bench points, which is one spot above GW. Eight players average five or more points per game. All the returners from last season are coming off the bench, led by Roberts Blums. The Latvian paces the team in scoring (10.4 ppg) and is notably shooting the ball a lot better than last year from 3 (38%). Blums is coming off a 1/7 shooting performance against URI, which broke a streak of five straight games in double figures. Hunter Adam, a Kiwi, is a career 37% three point shooter who is not only having a career year from 3 (46%) but he is doing so on higher volume. I do find myself wondering why he doesn't get more shot attempts given his efficiency though.

Sean Logan and Manie Joses are bigger contributors on the defensive side of the ball. Logan is a very good shot blocker when healthy. Two seasons ago, he posted a 12.9 block percentage in A10 play, which was the second best mark in the league. The key phrase is "when healthy" though, as Logan was sidelined for much of last year due to injury, and has again been in and out of the lineup due to various ailments. I thought Joses gave the Wildcats a different energy when McKillop inserted him into the starting lineup lsat season. Offensively, he's not a finished product but Joses is intriguing when slashing to the basket. For his career, he's 53% from the field on low volume, although just 56% from the line. Joses finished with two points in last year's contest in 22 minutes, the only returner that scored in that game. Former Colorado transfer Joe Hurlburt has retained his role as a depth option up front. The senior hails from Enderlin, North Dakota which was hit by a pretty bad tornado last summer. Three people were killed but thankfully there were no other injuries. The tornado was an EF-5 on the Fujita Scale, which means it was pretty intense and could have caused even more damage. Anyways, Hurlburt is a fairly good rebounder in the minutes that he sees the court but is a bit raw otherwise.

Davidson was more active in the transfer portal this offseason than they've ever been. Parker Friedrichsen, an Oklahoma native, stayed in state after spending two years at Wake Forest. Friedrichsen paces the team in three point makes (28), knocking down 44% of his attempts from 3. He is more than just a shooter though, as he also leads the squad in steals (three steals in three of Davidson's last five games). Friedrichsen had a career high 27 last week at Loyola (6/8 from 3) in just 25 minutes of action. When he gets going, he can be hard to stop. Sam Brown has started 44 games for Penn over the last two years. During that time, he shot the 3 fairly well for the Quakers but has seen his efficiency dip so far this year across the board. Brown is a very useful piece for Davidson as a facilitator, with an assist to turnover ratio of over 2. He missed the last game with a calf injury and his availability could make a major difference on Wednesday.

At 220 lbs, Army transfer Josh Scovens adds a bit of toughness up front. The junior has always been a bit limited with his shooting range, but I thought he was fairly efficient during his time at West Point given the lack of talent around him as a primary option. Scovens is a decent rebounder and is capable of making the extra pass to find an open shooter. He was one of the lone Davidson players to show up on Saturday against URI (10 points on 5/7 shooting). We faced Scovens a year ago while he was still at Army. In that game, he had 20 points and 6 rebounds on 8/16 shooting, but he missed all five three point attempts. JaQualon 'JQ' Roberts is one of the least Davidson-like players to play for Davidson and I don't mean that as an insult. He gives the Wildcats a bit of an edge. The Vanderbilt transfer has serious hops and is more than happy to engage in some trash talk. While not as skilled or refined as some of the guys around him (he's not really a high-usage option), Roberts is an Energizer bunny who can help wake Davidson up from scoring lulls with big dunks. He will be active on the glass as well.

Finally, a quartet of freshmen round out the roster. Nick Coval is actually a redshirt who was on the team last year. He can handle the ball when needed but may be even more lethal off ball. Coval has cooled off a bit the last couple weeks, but is still shooting 52% from the field, 39% from 3, and 91% from the FT line which is currently just short of the exclusive 50/40/90 club. He does still have work to do defensively, as EvanMiya rates him as their weakest defender by a considerable margin (-1.43 DBPR). Davidson is 6-1 when he scores in double figures. Devin Brown (no relation to Sam) has started ten games right away as a true freshman. Like many freshmen, his efficiencies are a bit rough but the times I've watched Davidson I can see why the coaching staff likes him. Brown is crafty with the ball in his hands, gets good separation on jumpers, and can get to the rim as well. While he's a cold 6/35 from the field in Davidson's last five games, he has a lot of upside moving forward. Until then, he can use his length to create some issues defensively.

7-footer Ian Platteeuw generated a bit of buzz in the offseason. The native of Barcelona reminds me of some of Davidson's previous bigs who gave GW problems (like Brajkovic). Hopefully, he sticks around and goes through the development process. Right now, his decision making has been rough at times but like many Euros he is a smart passer and has good fundamentals. A 'hack-a-Shaq' strategy may be used against him, given he's just 46% from the line. Since Luke is destined to commit a few silly fouls a game, I guess there are worse players to send to the line. One of the bigger mysteries in general this year is why this Davidson team is so bad at shooting free throws. RJ Greer, a former NC State commit, has been sidelined lately, but he's been highly efficient offensively when given the chance. If he can take strides defensively, he could be a threat down the line.

The biggest thing that stands out when looking at this matchup is the clashing of styles between Davidson and GW. The Wildcats want to play slow, while the Revs want to, well rev it up. One thing that was key in the Loyola game was that GW managed to successfully get the Ramblers to play at their pace. While Davidson is a bit more disciplined, I do think GW will want to take advantage of transition opportunities rather than operate exclusively in the half court. The Buff & Blue continue to be a bit lazy at times guarding the perimeter, but they'll need to be a lot more attentive against Davidson's off-ball movement. I think GW's defense has improved in conference play, but they haven't quite put 40 minutes together yet. This feels like a game that should be won before things get a bit tougher over the next week. Davidson is 2-0 on the road in A10 play, but I think GW is better than both St. Joe's and Loyola.

Projected Score: GW 81, Davidson 70. 83% chance to win (KenPom). Bart Torvik forecasts an 84% chance at a W. ESPN predicts an 85% chance for GW to move to 13-5.
 

If you look at history, a double bye will require somewhere near a 13-5 record. Give or take a game. We are roughly on pace for that so far. Looking at the schedule, I see the following:

Must wins

Home

Davidson (H)
Richmond (H)
Fordham (H)
Rhode Island (H)
George Mason (H)
St. Bonaventure (H) 

Road

St. Joseph's (A)
La Salle (A)
Loyola  (A)
Duquesne (A)

Steal One or Two if we lose a must win ...

Dayton (H)
St. Louis (A)
George Mason (A)
VCU (A)

It seems to me that it will be very hard to finish ahead of SLU, Dayton, or Mason. That would mean we’ll probably be battling VCU for the final spot in the Top 4…

He is not listed as out on the game day report. Bevins and Rougier-Roane are

Isn´t this game supposed to be on Monunmental Sports? Why is it showing LaSalle vs Richmond?

one of these days i'm going to count how many names Patsos drops in a game

Shades of Delaware game.  We did not come out with defensive intensity and we are letting them have wide open 3s.   Now need to crawl back into the game before half

Gotta believe they learned from the Delaware game  

Unreal sequence (bad)