Davidson College
Charlotte
'Cats Ready for 50th Meeting with Crosstown Rivals
11/28/2023 1:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Davidson basketball is set to take on its cross-county rival, Charlotte, for the 50th all-time meeting on Wednesday night from inside Halton Arena.
The 'Cats and 49ers will tip off at 8 p.m. in the 41st annual Battle for the Hornets' Nest Trophy.
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: Charlotte leads, 31-18
Last Meeting: Nov. 29, 2022 | Charlotte won 68-66 (OT)
First Meeting: Feb. 19, 1979 | Charlotte won 93-83
Davidson Record at Home: 8-10
Davidson Record on Road: 5-13
Davidson Record at Neutral Site: 5-8
Matt McKillop's Record: 0-1
WILDCAT SCRATCHES
• Davidson enters 3-3 overall following an 89-55 setback at St. Mary's last Friday.
• Ranked 23rd in both the AP and Coaches' Preseason Polls, St. Mary's grabbed control and the lead for good with a 16-0 run early in the contest.
• On the season, six 'Cats average at least eight points per game, led by David Skogman's 10.5 points per game efforts.
• Three Wildcats are shooting above 50 percent on the year, led by Connor Kochera's impressive 57.9 percent (22-of-38) shooting from the floor. David Skogman (53.7%) and Reed Bailey (50.0%) also pace the Wildcats' offense above the 50 percent threshold.
• As Davidson's point guard, senior Grant Huffman currently ranks among the top-10 in the Atlantic 10 in assist/turnover ratio (2.36/9th), assists (26/8th) and assists per game (4.3/6th).
BATTLE FOR THE HORNETS' NEST TROPHY
• Wednesday's meeting between Davidson and Charlotte is the 50th overall and 41st Hornets' Nest Trophy Game.
• Charlotte leads the series, which began in 1979, 31-18 and is 25-15 in the Hornets' Nest Trophy Game.
• Davidson has won seven of the last 10 meetings, including a 75-58 victory at Halton Arena two seasons ago.
• The road team has only won seven times since the 2004-05 season, two of which have come in the last two years.
LAST MEETING | CHARLOTTE 68, DAVIDSON 66 (OT) | NOV. 29, 2022 | BELK ARENA
• Jackson Threadgill's buzzer-beater capped a Charlotte comeback and delivered a 68-66 overtime 49er victory in last year's Battle for the Hornets' Nest Trophy rivalry game in Belk Arena.
• Charlotte trailed 66-65 when Threadgill hit a 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired.
• Davidson led by as many as 11, 52-41, with 10:49 to play, before Charlotte scored 15 of the game's next 19 points to pull even, setting up a tight finish.
• Grant Huffman scored five points with four assists and four boards in last season's contest.
THE LAST WIN | DAVIDSON 75, CHARLOTTE 58 | NOV. 30, 2021 | HALTON ARENA
• Former Wildcat Hyunjung Lee had a career night, leading Davidson to its first win on Charlotte's floor since early in the 2017-18 season.
• Lee scored a career-best 32 points and pulled down a career-high 14 boards with his third career double-double to set the tone, while Michael Jones added a career-best 18 points.
SMOOTH CRIMINAL
• Davidson newcomer Angelo Brizzi has become a defensive threat for the Wildcats with a team-best 16 steals this season.
• The Villanova transfer earned six steals alone against Maryland on Nov. 10, marking the first time a Wildcat has had five or more steals in a game since Jon Axel Gudmundsson had five against George Mason in January 2019.
• Brizzi added another five steals to the stat sheet against St. Mary's last weekend, as the redshirt-sophomore currently ranks first in the A-10 in total steals (16) and steals per game (2.67). His average is also good for 20th in the nation.
