Davidson College
Dayton
Wildcats Begin A-10 Play with Dayton Wednesday
1/2/2024 3:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- After an exciting non-conference ledger, the Davidson men's basketball team tips off the Atlantic 10 season on Wednesday night against the Dayton Flyers.
Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. and will air on CBS Sports Network. Radio coverage will also be available on the Davidson Radio Network with Jarod Latch and Justin Parker on the call.
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: Dayton leads, 9-5
First Meeting: Feb. 6, 1969 | Davidson won 64-63
Last Meeting: Jan. 17, 2023 | Dayton won 68-61
Davidson Record at Home: 2-4
Davidson Record on Road: 1-5
Davidson Record at Neutral Site: 2-0
Matt McKillop's Record: 0-2
WILDCAT SCRATCHES
• Davidson closed out its non-conference season 10-3 overall, winning their last seven games.
• The Wildcats are 5-9 all time against the Flyers, looking to defeat the league-favorite for the first time since 2017.
• Davidson last defeated Dayton in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship, where now-assistant coach Jack Gibbs scored 34 points and eclipsed the 2,000-point plateau during the 73-67 victory.
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
• The 'Cats picked up notable victories against Maryland, Charlotte and Wright State over the non-conference season.
• Through the first 13 games of the season, Davidson is averaging 72.8 points and 35.2 rebounds per game.
• Led by David Skogman's 13.0 points per game, Grant Huffman (11.9), Connor Kochera (10.8) and Bobby Durkin (10.2) all average double-figures in scoring.
ABOUT THE FLYERS
• Dayton is the preseason favorite in the Atlantic 10 in the annual vote of the league's coaches and selected media. The Flyers received 20 of the 25 first-place votes cast.
• Entering the A-10 season at 10-2 overall, the Flyers picked up notable non-conference wins against LSU, Cincinnati, St. John's and SMU.
• DaRon Holmes II was named Preseason First Team All-Atlantic 10 and to the Preseason All- Defensive Team. He was the only player on the first team and the defensive team.
• Last season, he was also First Team All-A-10 and on the All-Defensive Team as well the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 Men's Basketball Championship (21.7 ppg., 10.1 rpg., 4.0 bpg.).
LAST TIME OUT | DAVIDSON 72, OHIO 69 | DEC. 30, 2023
• Reed Bailey scored 10 straight points down the stretch and finished with a game-high 15 points to help Davidson rally past Ohio, 72-69, in the Legends of Basketball Showcase inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Saturday afternoon.
• Down 62-58 with 3:47 remaining, Bailey would spark the Davidson comeback with a 3-point play and a pair of layups in consecutive trips.
• He would follow with three free throws, including one with 27 ticks left to put his club in front for good.
• Playing less than 30 miles from his hometown of Aurora, Grant Huffman also had 15 points and 6 boards for the 'Cats, who trailed by as many as 10 in the second half.
TRENDY 'CATS
• Davidson is 7-0 this season when four or more 'Cats score in double figures.
• The Wildcats are 7-0 when Connor Kochera reaches double digits in scoring.
• When Reed Bailey leads Davidson in rebounding, the 'Cats are 4-1.
• Grant Huffman has led the Wildcats in assists in all but one game this season.
• Winners of seven straight, the 'Cats went 6-0 in the month of December and are on the longest win-streak of head coach Matt McKillop's tenure.
MTE UPSIDES
• After appearing in the 2023 Asheville Championship, Davidson walked away from its eighth consecutive MTE winning a three-point game over Maryland (64-61) and dropping a three-point contest to Clemson (68-65).
• The win marked Davidson's first over the Terps since 1968 and fourth overall, and was Matt McKillop's biggest in his brief head coaching tenure, as Maryland was a top-30 team (KENPOM 29) entering the Friday night matchup.
CONFERENCE HONORS
• On December 4, David Skogman and Bobby Durkin earned Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively.
• Skogman earned the first weekly nod of his career by averaging 24.5 points per game in a 2-0 week for the Wildcats, including a career-high 30-point performance against Charlotte.
• Durkin also collected the first conference honor of his career, shooting 62.5 percent from the floor and 53.8 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Illinois native averaged 15.5 points per game, while scoring a career-high 18, including 11 straight points, against the 49ers in the annual Battle for the Hornets' Nest game.
