Overall record: 26-8, 17-1 in the Southern Conference
Head coach: Bob McKillop
Tenure at Davidson: 25th season
Career coaching record: 452-279
Home court: John M. Belk Arena
Starters: F De'Mon Brooks, F Chris Czerapowicz, G Tyler Kalinoski, G Brian Sullivan, G Tom Droney
Outlook: Last season, the Wildcats lost their best chance at a tournament run since 2008 by letting a victory over Marquette slip through their fingers in the final minutes. Davidson may have to put NCAA tournament hopes on hold this season and rebuild with a younger roster.
Without star center Jake Cohen and guards Nick Cochran and J.P. Kulhman, the Wildcats will turn to senior forward De’Mon Brooks as the team’s leader. Last season, Brooks led Davidson in rebounds with an average of 6.2 per game and scored 13.7 points per game last season. A solid season from Brooks, along with consistent performances from their talented young roster, should propel the Wildcats to the top of Southern Conference for the last time before the team heads to the Atlantic-10 for the 2014-15 season.
One thing that needs to go right: Senior Chris Czerapowicz and junior Tyler Kalinoski step up to fill Cochran and Kulhman’s shoes and defend the Wildcats’ conference title against preseason favorite Elon.
One thing that could go wrong: Davidson struggles to find its rhythm early with road challenges against four ranked teams–including opening the season at No. 4 Duke–beginning nonconference play with a tougher schedule than in years past.
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