From Winston-Salem Journal

Heels to face early test
By Bill Cole
JOURNAL REPORTER

Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Deon Thompson and the rest of North Carolina’s basketball players have been itching to get back on the court since last March 25, when the season ended in the NCAA Tournament East Regional championship game.

Today is the day they get to scratch.

North Carolina, the No. 1 team in both national polls, will open its season against Davidson, an old in-state rival from the Southern Conference. Tipoff is 7 p.m. in Charlotte at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

“The way that we ended last season was so bad,” Thompson said. “I think we’re all excited and ready to play. We’ve been waiting. We’re going to come out full force ready to play. We’re pumped up and ready to go.”

The game will begin Roy Williams’ fifth season as the Tar Heels’ coach. The program is entirely his now, with no players left from the previous coaching staff, and the season will open against a dangerous opponent.

Davidson has become the class of its conference under Coach Bob McKillop, who will begin his 19th season at the school. Davidson has all its starters back from last season’s team that won 29 games, a school record, and has 25 wins in its past 27 games.

Williams watched a tape of Davidson’s last game last season to prepare for the opener. In that game, Davidson pushed Maryland to the end in the NCAA Tournament’s first round before falling 82-70.

“There are some problems; there’s no question about that,” Williams said. “I think more than just opening on the road, opening against a quality opponent like Davidson is probably more difficult than where you’re playing. It’s who you’re playing.

“They’re a very confident team and a well-coached team. They’re a very dangerous team. This is a major challenge for us.”

The Tar Heels will likely start the same lineup that they started in both of their exhibition wins. Everything starts with Hansbrough, a 6-9 junior center who averaged 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds last season.

The forwards were Thompson, a 6-8 sophomore, and Marcus Ginyard, a 6-5 junior and the team’s most consistent defensive player. The guards were sophomores Ty Lawson, at the point, and Wayne Ellington.

Williams said that all of his bench should be available with the possible exception of Michael Copeland, a 6-7 junior forward from Winston-Salem. Copeland was accidentally struck in the forehead, near his left eye, by Alex Stepheson’s elbow and needed five stitches. He suffered what Williams called a slight concussion.

The Wildcats have three seniors and a junior in their starting lineup. Forwards Boris Meno and Thomas Sander are both 6-8 and weigh 220 pounds. The fifth member of the lineup is Stephen Curry, a 6-3 sophomore who more than lives up to the designation “shooting guard.”

Curry scored 27 points in Davidson’s season opener, a 120-56 win over Emory. Curry made five 3-point shots and handed out seven assists, a career high. Williams said that Curry is as deadly a shot as his father, Dell, a former NBA star.

Thompson saw Curry first-hand last summer. Both played on the United States’ under-19 World Championship tournament team that finished second in the competition in Serbia.

“The kid can shoot; I’ll tell you that,” Thompson said. “No matter where he’s at on the court, he can shoot it. He’s a real cool kid. He’s real quiet, but once you get around him and he gets comfortable, he talks a lot and he laughs.”

Thompson and Green are confident that North Carolina will need no convincing to take Davidson seriously. The players have taken note of early upsets in which Gardner-Webb shocked Kentucky in Rupp Arena and Mercer whipped Southern Cal in Los Angeles. Most of the players say they’re still seething from last season’s 96-84 overtime loss to Georgetown in the regional-championship game and want to atone for that loss.

“We’re ranked up high in the polls, but Coach feels that we should be better than what we are right now,” Green said. “I guess we feel like we should be better with a chance to prove to him how good we really are.

“He feels we can be better defensively. He just wants us to communicate more. The last couple of days we’ve showed him that we’re ready. We want to be fully prepared and not be surprised by anything and play our best basketball. If we play our best basketball we feel like nobody can touch us.”

Williams said he isn’t concerned about being the No. 1 team in the polls. The ranking might give the Tar Heels’ opponents more incentive, but Williams doesn’t consider it a burden or an inspiration.

“It adds absolutely zero to my preparation and my thought process,” Williams said. “If there’s anything less than zero, that would be where it stands. I can give a flip.

“I would love to be No. 1 one time, and that’s the last Monday night.”

From TarHeelBlue.com

Top-Ranked Tar Heels Ready To Take Court

By Lauren Brownlow

The Tar Heels certainly have had all kinds of trouble forgetting about the way that last season ended. But seven months and twenty days later, the Tar Heels will take the court in the season-opener in Charlotte against Davidson tomorrow night...

...Some teams might open with what the pundits would dub "cupcakes," but going on the road to face a tough Davidson team that took Maryland to the brink last season in the NCAA Tournament is far from easy. "Opening against a quality opponent like Davidson is probably more difficult than where you're playing, it's who you're playing. Five starters back from a team that won 29 games, a very confident team, a very well-coached team, a very dangerous team, regardless of who they play and where they play. So that's probably a bigger part of it than just on the road, it's who we're playing. But we've lost a few of them and still done okay and we've won a few of them and struggled the next couple of games," Coach Williams said...

From Davidson website

'Cats to Battle Top-Ranked Tar Heels Wednesday on ESPN at Bobcats Arena
Joey Beeler -- Assistant SID

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Coming off a 120-56 triumph over Emory, Davidson will host the top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels Wednesday evening at Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

In their season opener, Stephen Curry led five Wildcats in double figures with 27 points including five buckets from long range and a career-high seven assists. Davidson’s 64-point win was also highlighted by senior captains Jason Richards (14 pts, 10 asts) and Boris Meno (12 pts, 13 reb.), who recorded their fourth and 11th career double-doubles, respectively.

Tonight’s affair is the first of the 2007-08 campaign for the Tar Heels as they recorded a successful preseason slate with wins over Shaw (114-62) and Lenoir-Rhyne (107-52).

North Carolina returns three starters from last year’s club that went 31-7 overall and was a 2007 NCAA Tournament Regional Finalist.

Among those returning include preseason All-American selection Tyler Hansbrough, who holds career averages of 18.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

These two in-state foes have met 71 times on the hardwood with UNC claiming 60 of the previous meetings. Davidson’s last win over the four-time National Champions came Nov. 20, 2002 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Coaches: Davidson Bob McKillop, the all-time winningest coach in Davidson and SoCon history has compiled a record of 312-218. The six-time SoCon Coach of the Year is in his 19 season at the helm of the Wildcats. North Carolina Roy Williams is in his 20th year as a collegiate head coach. He is 524-131 all-time and 106-30 on the bench of the Tar Heels.

Series: North Carolina leads 60-11

Last Meeting: The Tar Heels defeated Davidson 82-58, Jan. 3, 2006 in Chapel Hill.

Radio: John Kilgo will handle Play-By-Play, while former Wildcat standout Logan Kosmalski provides color commentary on the Davidson Radio Network.

TV: ESPN (Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery)

Southern Conference

Here's the SoCon weekly release.

Click here to listen to Inside the Southern Conference (daily audio show).

More Tar Heels discussing Davidson

Inside Carolina's Tuesday press conference coverage includes quotes and audio from head coach Roy Williams, Deon Thompson and Danny Green, who spoke to the media as the Tar Heels begin preparations for Wednesday’s season opener against Davidson in Charlotte.

Roy Williams

Opening remarks:
“This is a major challenge for us, because I really love watching Bobby [McKillop’s] team. Two nights ago, I guess it was, I watched their game against Maryland from the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year and they were really good. Just at the end of the game, the ball just didn’t go in the hole a couple of times for them and Maryland had some kids – D.J. Strawberry, in particular – made some big plays. But it was a heck of a basketball game.”

On Davidson:
“[Jason] Richards gives them a really effective point guard who can score but also can play with a great deal of passion and a great deal of savvy. He’s a really good basketball player. “Curry is a youngster who, like his daddy, can shoot the dickens out of it. He doesn’t need a lot of room to get it off, but also can put the ball on the floor. You look at that frame he has and you say, ‘Boy, he’s a little guy,’ but unless my information is wrong, he averaged 4.6 rebounds a game last year. So he’s a guy that’s really a more complete basketball player than most people make him out to be.

"[Thomas] Sander does give them a big guy who is a plugger who just keeps coming at you, keeps coming at you. [He] can step out and shoot the ball. He does a great job of setting screens and finding any open spots. And [Boris] Mino is probably the most difficult matchup for us as a No.4 man that can go all over the floor and do so many things offensively. That’s not to say that those other guys can’t come in and do a good job…”

On if Danny Green will see significant action at the No. 4 spot to guard Mino:
“I think you’re always wrong if you just change your lineup to match someone else’s. It’s a game of chess a little bit – they’ve got to match you, also. I think it would be stupid for us to say we’re going to play Danny, and that gets us guarding a 6-foot-8 guy with a 6-foot-6 guy, and that makes it easier for him to guard. We’re going to play Danny at the No. 4 spot some, but the majority of the game we’ll have two bigger guys in there because that’s the strength of ours.”

On Bobby Frasor finally getting healthy:
“Last year was such a hard year for him. You’re a gym rat, you’re a coach’s son, and there’s nothing you enjoy more than playing basketball. And when you play, you hurt, and sometimes you can’t play at all. I was dying, much less him in what he was going through. I hope his mouth and his savvy and all that kind of stuff stays where it is and I hope the ability kicks in on game nights like it did in the exhibition game.”

Injury update:
“Will [Graves] practiced yesterday for the first time since maybe Wednesday of last week. He’s a little sore today, but I think he’ll still be able to go. Tyler [Hansbrough] – we held him out of about a half of a practice on Saturday and Sunday was [an off day]. He practiced yesterday and he’ll be fine. The only one that probably won’t play is Michael Copeland. He took a blow to the head. He’s got five stitches above his left eye and got a slight concussion from running into Alex’s elbow Saturday morning.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deon Thompson

On Danny Green playing the No. 4 spot:
“I like it. It gives me a little rest and Alex a rest. He’s very versatile and he can guard too, so it’s different, but it’s good.”

On Stephen Curry:
“The kid can shoot. No matter where he’s at on the court, he can shoot it. He’s a real cool kid. I spent a lot of time with him over in Serbia and in Dallas, so I really like him a lot... He’s real quiet, but once you get around him and he gets comfortable, he talks a lot and [starts] laughing.”
On what he learned playing for the Under-19 USA Team this summer:
I think the biggest thing that helped me so much was the whole mental aspect of it. Just for me not playing as much basketball, starting off in my sophomore year of high school and last year [I] was just a backup for Brandan [Wright] and Tyler [Hansbrough]. The whole experience part of it helped me out a lot.

On how losing weight has helped his game:
“Just running the floor faster and not getting as tired and as winded as I used to. Getting up a little bit higher and being able to finish above the rim. It just helps me a lot mentally, and basketball’s a mental game.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny Green

On Davidson:
“They like to get up and down the floor, definitely. In previous games, they’ve scored a lot of points. I think they had 120 the last game that they played. And we know they like to shoot outside shots. On the perimeter, they have a lot of people to shoot them, so we’re going to have to get out to them. That’s pretty much the main emphasis that we have.”

On if there’s pride associated with being ranked No. 1:
“Definitely, but we know it means nothing to these other teams. It’s just a bigger target on our chest. They’re going to come after us and give us their best shot. But we definitely take pride in it, and basically keep the high expectations… We have long-term goals and short-term goals, and our short-term goal is to play our best basketball on Wednesday.”

Does playing down low make him more appreciative of quick shots on perimeter:
“Yeah – I know what you’re saying. It does, it does. When you’re doing all of the running and taking the ball out, banging inside and somebody shoots a three and you don’t touch the ball, it’s pretty depressing sometimes.

"I understand, because I’ve played both positions. I appreciate the big men more for what they do… I remember taking a shot or two when I should have thrown the ball inside. I apologize to those guys if I hurt their feelings.”

Let The 2007-08 Journey Begin
By Greg Barnes
Inside Carolina
Posted Nov 13, 2007

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – It’s been 233 days since North Carolina last took the floor in a game that actually mattered. Forget the pickup games, the scrimmages and the exhibition contests – those only serve to whet the appetite. Fortunately for the Tar Heels, the wait effectively ends on Wednesday night against Davidson.

“Playing games is a lot better than practicing,” junior wing Danny Green said during Tuesday’s press conference. “So whenever we get the opportunity to play a game to see how good we really are, we would like to do that instead of in practice playing against each other every day.”
This opening test for top-ranked North Carolina would qualify as an upset alert if this were March rather than November. The Wildcats return every member from their 29-5 NCAA team last season, including sophomore sensation Stephen Curry (21.5 points per game).

“Curry is a youngster who, like his daddy, can shoot the dickens out of it,” Williams said. “He doesn’t need a lot of room to get it off, but also can put the ball on the floor. You look at that frame he has and you say, ‘Boy, he’s a little guy,’ but unless my information is wrong, he averaged 4.6 rebounds a game last year. So he’s a guy that’s really a more complete basketball player than most people make him out to be.”

In most normal college basketball seasons, this is the kind of game that players and fans could potentially overlook. That’s not the case this year, thanks to Gardner-Webb’s 84-68 blowout victory at Kentucky and UNC-Greensboro’s 83-74 upset of Georgia Tech.

“I think the parity is something that people either like to think that it’s not there or refuse to admit that it is there, but it is, especially if you get a veteran team against an extremely talented, inexperienced team,” Williams said.

The early season shockers have made it easier for the coaching staff to emphasize the true threat that the Wildcats are to the Heels’ No. 1 ranking. Davidson’s final game of the 2006-07 season was a hard-fought 82-70 loss to Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

“I think that has woken a lot of people up – not just us, but everybody,” Green said. “Coach knows that Davidson is a team that can upset a lot of people and shock and surprise us, so we’re going to go in being fully prepared and not be surprised by anything… If we play our best basketball, we feel like nobody can touch us.”

For the first time in Williams’ 20-year coaching career, he does not have a scholarship player new to his program, and that allowed the coaching staff to hit the ground running full speed when practice started a little over four weeks ago.

“I think they’ve been a good practice team in that they have picked up things quickly that we’ve thrown at them,” Williams said. “We haven’t thrown a lot of new things at them. We’re still doing some things that I did 10 or 15 years ago, so a lot of the things are repetition for what they did last year... They’ve learned well. It’s not habit yet – when defensive principles become second nature for them, I think that’s always the best situation, but we’re not at that stage yet.”
Most of the preseason media coverage centered on the battle to replace the departed Brandan Wright alongside Preseason All-America Tyler Hansbrough. But the highly-anticipated grudge match between sophomore forwards Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson has not lived up to its billing, at least not yet.

“I don’t know that it will ever work itself out and I don’t mind,” Williams said. “We had a guy that was the second player picked in the NBA Draft that never started a game, so I don’t worry about that. I guarantee you that when I go to bed at night, that’s the last frickin’ thing I’m thinking about. And it better be the last thing they’re worried about, too.”

And while junior wing Marcus Ginyard is a known quantity as a defensive specialist, junior guard Bobby Frasor is finally healthy and has made his presence felt on the defensive side of the floor, as well – a revelation that will serve the Tar Heels in trying to defend Curry on Wednesday night.

“Defensively, he’s like David Noel,” Williams said of Frasor's defensive understanding and communication. “We’ve got nobody on our club that’s as aware of the big picture as much as he is. We’ve got nobody on our club that communicates as well as he does, and we’ve got nobody on our club that’s got the sense of urgency on the defensive end of the floor as he does. He is phenomenal.”

The fifth-year head coach has stressed defense and limiting mental mistakes in his program’s two exhibition victories, and those qualities will be essential in the Tar Heels prevailing in their season opener at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena against the 2006-07 Southern Conference champions.

McKillop mentioned in a Seattle Times survey of Division I coaches

Coaches Survey: Seattle Times

...the findings in a Seattle Times survey of 82 Division I coaches conducted recently. Participants included Tom Crean of Marquette, Mike Brey of Notre Dame, Bob Huggins of West Virginia, Lute Olson of Arizona, Tim Floyd of USC, Lorenzo Romar of Washington and Tony Bennett of Washington State.

(Click the link and scroll down to find McKillop's name twice in the results.)

Roy Williams discusses Davidson

From Scout.com

What do you think the starting lineup will be on Wednesday night against Davidson?

“Right now I’d say Tywon Lawson at the point, Wayne Ellington at the two, Marcus Ginyard at three, Tyler Hansbrough … and I’m not sure about the other spot, whether it’d be Deon or Alex.”

How do you feel about the schedule this team is going to play this year?

“It’s strange because we play in Charlotte on Wednesday night, then play in the Smith Center on Sunday and Tuesday and then we’re gone for 31 days. We play four games on the road that are true non-conference road games. You can look at most of the Top 10, Top 20 in the country and very few people are going to play four true non-conference road games. It’s the kind of scenario where most people don’t do that and it’s just the way it fell on our schedule. But for us it’s the kind of schedule that will challenge us a great deal early and will tell us what we need to know about our team.”

What are the concerns about playing Stephen Curry and Davidson in the opener?

“There is a big-time concern about playing Davidson. It’s not just a one-man team. Stephen Curry was the second-leading scorer as a freshman last season and if I’m not mistaken he made more threes than anybody in college basketball, so we’ve got to find him and close out quickly because he can get the shot off. I studied the tape of their game last night against Maryland in the NCAA Tournament. Five starters coming back – top seven players – so we’ve got to be concerned about the guy who shot more threes than anybody in college basketball, but we’ve got to be concerned about a very, very good Davidson team, not just him.”

National polls

Coaches move Davidson up to #27 in ESPN/USA Today poll.

AP Poll moves Davidson up one spot to #31.

Playboy ranks Davidson #22

Playboy's Top 25:

1 UCLA
2 Memphis
3 North Carolina
4 Kansas
5 Indiana
6 Georgetown
7 Tennessee
8 Louisville
9 Michigan State
10 Texas A&M
11 Arizona
12 Duke
13 Marquette
14 Washington State
15 Oregon
16 Stanford
17 Gonzaga
18 USC
19 N.C. State
20 Kentucky
21 Texas
22 Davidson
23 Alabama
24 Arkansas
25 Southern Illinois

From The Observer's blog: Above the Rim

Emory a good warm-up for Davidson

Leftover thoughts from Davidson's 120-56 rout against Emory Friday night:

1) Davidson got new scoreboards this season, and the Wildcats will need them. Friday night's 120-point outburst probably won't be topped this season, but Davidson could score more than 100 another handful of times. That's because the Wildcat second team features strong outside shooters such as Brendan McKillop and Bryant Barr, who combined to score 28 points Friday night.

2) Boris Meno had another dominant night Friday, with 12 points and 13 rebounds in 19 minutes. Most people will point to Stephen Curry as the key player heading into Wednesday's game at North Carolina, but Meno's matchup with Tyler Hansbrough will also be crucial.

3)The Wildcats only had one newspaper reporter at Friday's game. That'll change Wednesday, because the school is issuing more than 50 media credentials.

4) Coach Bob McKillop praised the Wildcat defense, especially Will Archambault, and also one play by Curry. McKillop and Thomas Sander both noted that the sophomore had a steal with his left hand, the one wrapped for the past two weeks.

5) That wasn't the most surprising thing of the night for Curry. The 6-foot-3 sophomore led the team with three blocks.

-- Kevin Cary

From The Sporting News

Game to watch this week:

North Carolina vs. Davidson, Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Wednesday at 7 p.m. Instead of working around the major-conference fringes trying to build an NCAA Tournament at-large resume, Davidson decided to take on Carolina, Duke and UCLA in its nonconference schedule. Holy Moses. That's a lot to swallow. It might be a stretch to think the Wildcats will win this game, but how close they come could say a lot about their offseason progress -- and the Tar Heels', as well.

Charlotte Observer article

Cats now face tall order
Davidson dominates, but No. 1 UNC is next
KEVIN CARY

DAVIDSON --The Davidson Wildcats looked like giants in their 120-56 win against Emory on Friday night.

But the biggest question is whether the Wildcats can be giant killers Wednesday night. That's when Davidson faces No. 1 North Carolina at Bobcats Arena in the Wildcats program's biggest regular-season game in almost 40 years.

Davidson hasn't beaten a ranked opponent during coach Bob McKillop's 19 years at the school. "We aren't even thinking about (North Carolina) yet," he said. "We are just trying to build consistency right now. We'll go to practice (today) and try to get better."

The Wildcats couldn't play much better than they did at the start of Friday's opener, which saw Davidson jump out to a 16-0 lead. The Wildcats (1-0) used a prohibitive size advantage to ground the Eagles, blocking eight shots in the first half.

Emory (0-1) has only two players taller than 6-foot-3 on its roster, while Davidson often used lineups where every player was at least that tall. The Wildcats had a 68-34 rebound advantage.

Guards Stephen Curry and Jason Richards also looked assertive after a lackluster game in Wednesday's exhibition with Lenoir-Rhyne. Curry scored 27 points and hit five 3-pointers, and Richards added 14 points and 10 assists.

It was the kind of domination Davidson needed heading into Wednesday. The Wildcats were beaten by UNC by 24 points two years ago, but none of Davidson's current core players started that game. Curry wasn't on the team yet.

"We have a few days to get ready," he said. "We have a lot of confidence, but we have to take things day by day."

Interesting sidenote: Davidson/UNC game a reunion of sorts

If you happened to follow any of the U-19 World Championships this past summer, you may be aware that the Davidson/UNC game will pit two former Team USA teammates against one another.

Steph Curry will be facing his Team USA mate, Deon Thompson, of UNC (see article: Thompson eager to play bigger role). However, the likelihood of them guarding one another is minimal, since they play totally different positions (Thompson is 6-8, 240 pounds).

UNC blog giving Davidson some respect (sort of)

From UNCBasketballUpdate.com:

UNC ranked #1 in both Coaches and AP polls

Last week the AP Poll came out and the week before that the first Coaches Poll was released. There was no big surprise that UNC was ranked #1 in both. This is both good and bad. Good that it is well recognized that UNC has a really good team. Bad that it is well recognized that UNC has a really good team (and everyone will be gunning for them). But that isn't much different than any year. UNC always gets opponents' best shot.

The first regular season game is a little over a week away (next Wednesday) against Davidson. If you noticed, Davidson came in 32nd in voting in both the AP and Coaches poll, so it isn't like they are a big pushover. Our recent record is 3-1 against the Wildcats:

ESPN.com article

What intrigues me this week

Andy Katz asks: "Will Davidson give North Carolina a legit scare on Wednesday in Charlotte?"

UNC game on the horizon: Wednesday night on ESPN nationally

Click here to check out the UNC official website: TarHeelBlue.com

There is nothing on their site yet about Davidson. I would imagine that they'll put up game notes, etc. soon, though. They are likely taking this game lightly, which is good for Davidson.

Bob giving directions against UNC in 2003.

Peter Anderer in the Dean Dome a few years ago.

The Chapel Hill News: Davidson/UNC game

Tough, right from the first game
By Eddy Landreth

Basketball season for the University of North Carolina men opens on Wednesday at 7 p.m., when the Tar Heels will play Davidson in Charlotte. And this is an excellent Davidson team.

Stephen Curry, son of former Charlotte Hornets' star Dell Curry, scored 27 points to lead the Wildcats to a 120-56 victory against Emory in the season-opening game for both of those teams on Friday.

Stephen Curry played on a U.S. national team with Deon Thompson of Carolina this past summer. His Davidson team this fall is the real deal. The Wildcats have been picked by some to go as deep as the round of eight, or more, in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

But the NCAA Tournament is a long way off. Right now, Carolina has to worry about Wednesday.

Davidson has experience, and it's experienced at winning. The Wildcats return all their scholarship players and add three freshmen to the mix for a club that went 29-5 overall, 17-1 in the Southern Conference last season.

"We worked hard to get in this position, one where we've received national recognition," said 6-foot-8 senior forward Thomas Sander. "There's no reason for us to feel pressure."

No there is not.

Regardless of how much anyone thinks of this team, the Wildcats will still be expected to lose. They're playing the nation's No. 1.

The pressure will be squarely on the shoulders of North Carolina. How the Tar Heels handle it will reveal just where this basketball team stands.

Coach Roy Williams says exhibition games are practice with people watching. What people saw in Carolina's two preseason matchups was a team seeking its own identity.

This is not the team that finished the season against Georgetown. This is a remix without Brandon Wright, but with Thompson and Alex Stepheson.

Carolina closed out its pre-season with a 107-52 victory Friday against Lenior-Rhyne at the Smith Center. The Tar Heels played better Friday than they did against Shaw in their first exhibition game. The improvement showed on defense in particular.

"We need to work on focusing," said junior guard Bobby Frasor, who hit the Tar Heels' first three-pointer of the year. It came in the second half against Lenior-Rhyne.

In the opening exhibition, Carolina looked disjointed, and the kids getting used to a revamped lineup pointed to the newness of it all as the reason. Another week of practice and another game revealed a team hard at work.

Redshirt freshman Will Graves is the only new face, and he was here last season. Graves sat out last year to gain some separation from his class and improve his body and skills. He did not play on Friday because of a sprained ankle he suffered in practice.

He watched his teammates chisel away at their flaws on Friday. They successfully smoothed out some of the rough edges, but Shaw and Lenior-Rhyne do not simulate Davidson. UNC will be forced to play physically and with some strength of will to win this opening game.

It will not be unlike last year's second game of the season, which was played in Charlotte against Winthrop. UNC had to scrap to defeat Winthrop, 73-66.

UNC cannot afford to make so many mental mistakes, the players said.

"There are a lot of errors we're making by ourselves," Frasor said. "Teams are not forcing them. We're throwing the ball away, not doing the right thing on a play we had designed."

Junior Danny Green, who is moving between post play and the wing this year, gave an excellent performance against Lenior-Rhyne. He hit 5-of-9 field goals, all six free throws, had 10 rebounds, 16 points, three blocks and two steals, while coming off the bench.

"I was just doing the job coach wanted me to do, come in and give the team energy," Green said. "I felt like we played a lot better than we did in the last game. We were better defensively. We talked more, and it showed."

He's still adjusting to his time at power forward.

"The more I do it in practice, the more comfortable I get with it," Green said. "I'm still an amateur at it, but I'm getting used to it and learning from the other guys."

Now I've seen it all. Davidson logo and Belk Arena on playstation2

Being that I'm not a video "gamer", I guess I never thought I'd see the day that Davidson players and Belk Arena were featured in a playstation game in such detail. My how things have changed...

"Description: Lamar Hull #20 using the crossover move and then taking it all the way to the basket against Arkansas."
Notice the Davidson logo on the court as Lamar dribbles up the court and Thomas Sander (#15) looking on.
Davidson Basketball

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"Description: Lamar Hull taking it to the basket in NCAA March Madness 2007 on playstation 2."
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Rocky Mount Telegram: Article about walk-on, Mike Schmitt

Schmitt earns his spot
Former RMA hoops standout walks on at Davidson

By Jessie H. Nunery
Rocky Mount Telegram

Sunday, November 11, 2007

When deciding where to attend college, former Rocky Mount Academy basketball standout Mike Schmitt chose the strong academics reputation of Davidson over hoops.

Schmitt did not completely give up on his dream of playing college basketball, however. So over the course of the summer, he worked on his game in hopes of walking on to one of the better mid-major programs in the country.

In late October, the Wildcats rewarded Schmitt's hard work. The former Eagle earned a walk-on spot and is now a member of the Davidson men's basketball team.

"It's so exciting," Schmitt said by telephone Thursday. "Running through the tunnel in Wednesday's exhibition, that's when it hit me. Having the crowd there, seeing my nameplate over my locker. I'm glad I put the effort in."

Schmitt is on a squad that features one of the nation's better scorers – sophomore guard Stephen Curry. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season and they nearly knocked off Maryland in the first round.

Schmitt said he is spending time in practice as a member of the scout team and taking part in a number of individual drills. The Wildcats run a fastbreak offense based on screens and cuts. Schmitt said he sees an obvious difference in the style of play from prep to Division I.

"It's a huge adjustment from a level of physicalness," Schmitt said. "It's not high school anymore. Everyone of these players was one of the best on their high school teams. It's a great time to be a part of Davidson College basketball."

Davidson has a challenging schedule, which includes the likes of ACC programs Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State. Schmitt has not seen any playing time yet, but hopes to play in a few games toward the middle of the season.

Schmitt's jersey was retired at RMA last season after he became the school's alltime leading scorer. He finished his career with 2,048 points and 1,108 rebounds.

"From where he was in middle school to now, he's worked really hard," RMA athletics director/boys' basketball coach Renny Taylor said. "He's improved each and every year. He had the determination. I'm very happy for him."

Found on YouTube - this video is not my work...just thought I'd share it

Brendan Winters highlights (careful with the volume...it varies from faint to very loud):

On to the Heels...

As expected, Davidson blew away Emory (D-III), 120-56. Lots of dunks, lots of 3-pointers. Pretty much what you thought it would be. It was good for Jason and Matt to be back on campus, and I'm sure the McKillops and Zimmermans will enjoy the rest of the night. I had to catch the radio broadcast online while the kids watched "Ratatouille". We are heading to Davidson tomorrow to catch our first Davidson football game of this season. Unfortunately we couldn't do the Friday/Saturday basketball/football doubleheader since the Davidson Village Inn was booked up. But I digress...

OK, now the season is officialy under way. NOTHING about last season really matters now....the record of 29-5 does nothing for the Cats this year.

Now, time to focus on Wednesday night and the #1 ranked UNC Tar Heels. We've got as much going for us in this game as we have ever had during the modern era. This is a good chance for a big win.

Remember November 20, 2001 in the Dean Dome? 58-54.....sound familiar?

Brendan McKillop's first basket

Brendan's first bucket as a Wildcat was a 3-pointer. A player named McKillop making a 3-pointer? What a shocker. Who would have guessed that?

Brendan, we look forward to many, many more of those 3-pointers...

Season tips off in 34 minutes

The Wildcats face Emory at 8:00 p.m. at Belk Arena. Emory is a Division III team, with Head Coach Jason Zimmeran and Assistant Coach Matt McKillop. Jason is in his first year as Emory's Head Coach. This is Jason's first head coaching job.

Click here to listen to an interview with Jason, where he discusses the Davidson/Emory game.

Follow the game with live blogging on Will's World.

Click here to get links to video, audio, and live stats.

I'm sure that this is a special night for the McKillop family. Bob will be coaching against his son, while his other son plays for him in the game. Jason will be all smiles heading back to his alma mater as well, I would imagine.

Welcome home, Jason and Matt. By the way, Logan Kosmalski is doing the broadcast with John Kilgo.

One last connection: John Kresse's (former College of Charleston coach) two sons play for Emory.

Brand New 2006-2007 Highlight video

Ready for some basketball? Tip-off is tomorrow night...so, here are 9 minutes of highlights from last year to hold you over until things get started up.

I threw this together last night. It's not very well done, but it's finished.

Wildcats start slow, but pull away in 2nd half of exhibition game

From Davidson official website:

Meno and Richards Lead Wildcats Past Lenoir-Rhyne in Exhibition, 82-58
Joey Beeler -- Assistant SID

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Boris Meno led all scorers with 21 points and Jason Richards just missed a triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as the Davidson Wildcats defeated Lenoir-Rhyne 82-58 in their only exhibition contest of the 2007-08 season Wednesday evening at John M. Belk Arena.

Meno, a senior tri-captain from Paris, France, knocked down eight of his 10 attempts from the floor, went 4-of-5 from the line and grabbed seven boards in 25 minutes of action. The 6-8 forward also nailed one of Davidson’s seven buckets from long range, while recording a pair of blocks and steals.

Preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Stephen Curry also finished in double figures for the Wildcats with 13 points.

Davidson torched the nets in the second half shooting 64.5 percent to conclude the evening with a 55.0 percent (33-60) clip. The Wildcats also drilled 5-of-9 from downtown in the final 20 minutes, but converted just 50.0 percent (9-18) of their attempts from the charity stripe in the contest.

Following a Josh Rudder free throw to cut the Davidson margin to 50-44 with 12:35 left, the Wildcats exploded with a 29-5 run capped off by four consecutive points from Meno to stretch their lead to the game’s largest, 79-49.

Like Davidson, the Bears bettered their shooting totals after intermission, but still finished with a percentage under 30 percent (18-62).

After Davidson jumped out to an 11-3 advantage following a Curry jumper, Lenoir-Rhyne responded with 11 unanswered to grab a 14-11 lead, its first of three in the opening period.

Trailing 26-24 with just under three minutes to play in the first stanza, the Wildcats’ closed on a 7-1 spurt sparked by a Jason Richards’ layup, to head into the break up, 31-27.

Despite committing 12 turnovers in the half, Davidson held the Bears’ to just 8-of-34 (23.5 percent) from the floor.

Rudder was the lone Lenoir-Ryhne player to score in double-digits compiling 11, which included 5-of-6 from the line.

Davidson will open its 2007-08 campaign Nov. 9, in an 8 p.m. tip-off with Emory University at John M. Belk Arena. The Eagles are coached by former Wildcat standouts Jason Zimmerman (1990-94) and Matt McKillop (2002-06), who are both in their first season as head and assistant coach, respectively. Lenoir-Rhyne will conclude its preseason slate with a 7:30 p.m. contest at top-ranked North Carolina Friday.

Live updates during exhibition game

Holy Cow!! Is it really time for some basketball??

Will's World will have live blogging updates during tonight's exhibition game.

I highly recommend you check it out. Click here to go to the site.

I'm off to finish giving the kids baths and helping with homework...

Davidson All-Access

Davidson will be streaming video of (I believe) all home basketball games, as well as many other events. I have read that each school is doing its own streaming video this year, instead of having SoCon TV (which had many, many problems).

If you can't make it to the games, this is an option for you.

Click here to go to the All-Access sign up page.

"Will's World"

Three things about "Will's World" blog:

1) Will is a student at Davidson, writes for The Davidsonian and does an excellent blog. While he and I have never met and we're separated by a number of years, we've emailed back and forth a few times and he seems like a good guy.

2) He's got a great article posted over there right now (click here to read it).

3) Will will be blogging LIVE during many games this year, including tonight's exhibition game.

Go check out Will's World.

There is one basic disinctions between our two blogs. Will actually writes what he posts, and does it very well. I, on the other hand, just regurgitate what others have written. So, all credit to Will for his excellent writing. (No credit to me for writing absolutely nothing. Ha!)

Exhibition Game tonight: 7:00 p.m. at Belk Arena

This will be a good chance to see the Wildcats in action before the season kicks off on Friday. Incidentally, Lenoir Rhyne also plays North Carolina in an exhibition game on Friday. It will be somewhat interesting (although of very little actual value) to compare the outings of Davidson and UNC against Lenoir-Rhyne. This will give us some (very little, actually) insight into how we stack up against the Heels prior to the game next Wednesday.
From Davidson official website:

Men's Basketball to Host Lenoir-Rhyne in Exhibition Contest Wed. at 7 PM
Joey Beeler -- Assistant SID

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Under the direction of 19th year head coach Bob McKillop, the Davidson Wildcats will take to the hardwood for the first time this season Wednesday evening as they host an exhibition contest with Lenoir-Rhyne in a 7 p.m. tip at Belk Arena.

The Wildcats return all five starters and 11 letterwinners from last year’s SoCon Tournament champions that finished the 2006-07 campaign with a school-record 29 wins. Last season’s trip to the NCAA Tournament was the second straight, ninth overall and fourth under McKillop, who is the all-time winningest coach in Davidson and SoCon history with a career mark of 311-218.

Among those returning, include senior tri-captains Boris Meno, Jason Richards and Thomas Sander and the reigning SoCon Freshman Player of the Year Stephen Curry.

Richards, Sander and Curry have been named to the 2007-08 Preseason All-SoCon team, while the Wildcats were the unanimous selection to win the South Division title as voted on by the 11 league head coaches. Along with being named the preseason squad, Curry was tabbed the conference’s Preseason Player of the Year.

Davidson will open its 2007-08 campaign Friday, Nov. 9 in an 8 p.m. tip-off with Emory University at John M. Belk Arena. The Eagles are coached by former Wildcat standouts Jason Zimmerman (1990-94) and Matt McKillop (2002-06), who are both in their first season as head and assistant coach, respectively.

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Lenoir-Rhyne's basketball team photo:

Davidson in MSNBC.com Top 25; Curry makes preseason All-American

Click here to see the Top 25.

#25 Davidson
2005-06 record: 29-5 (17-1)
First in Southern Conference
Lost to Maryland in Midwest Regional first round
Coach: Bob McKillop, 311-218, 18 years
Last NCAA miss: 2005
Last regular-season league title: 2007

Key players (*returning starter)
G—*Stephen Curry, 6-2, So. (21.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg))
G—*Jason Richards, 6-2, Sr. (13.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
F—Andrew Lovedale, 6-8, Jr. (4.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
F—*Thomas Sander, 6-8, Sr. (13.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
F—*Boris Meno, 6-8, Sr. (11.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg)

Strengths: Coach Bob McKillop deserves credit for building a terrific program at Davidson. The Wildcats have been trained to win consistently and with 11 scholarship players back from last season they should dominate the Southern Conference again. Sophomore Stephen Curry is legitimate All-America candidate and enjoyed a fine summer playing for the U.S. in the U-19 World Championships. Point guard Jason Richards gives McKillop a senior floor general.

Weaknesses: McKillop is still waiting for big man Andrew Lovedale to be more aggressive, increase his scoring and battle for more rebounds. If Lovedale elevates his game, he will add to a solid frontcourt combo of Thomas Sander and Boris Meno.

X-Factor: Curry and the Wildcats aren’t going to sneak up on anybody this season. That shouldn’t bother this Davidson team. The goal for the Wildcats is make more noise in the postseason.

Don’t Miss: The Wildcats don’t seem to mind hitting the road to play good teams. Davidson’s schedule includes North Carolina (Nov. 14), Duke (Dec. 1), UCLA in the Wooden Classic (Dec. 8) and North Carolina State (Dec. 21) – all away from home.

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Click here for article about Curry as 3rd-team preseason All-American.
Stephen Curry
School: Davidson
Position: Guard
Year Sophomore; Height: 6-2
2006-07 stats
PPG: 21.5
RPG: 4.6
3-point FG percentage 40.8

Curry nearly shot Davidson to an NCAA Tournament win over Maryland, then followed that by playing a key role for the U.S. in the U-19 World Championships. His stellar shooting ability will be tested in early games against North Carolina, Duke and UCLA, but Curry could shoot into the public eye with strong showings.

Vote for Davidson on MSNBC.com to win National Championship

There is a poll on MSNBC.com which asks which team will win the National Championship.

Guess what....Davidson is one of the teams on the list.

Click here to get to the webpage, scroll down the page, then vote for Davidson! Let's see how many votes we can get!

Hey, it's fun just to be in the conversation for this.

Contest: Create a caption for this picture. Post yours in the comments.

Photo credit: John Singler, communications director for Body Worlds
Here's my attempt:
Unknown Davidson freshman receives gameball in Texas scrimmage.
We're not yet sure who he is (pictured above). However, Coach McKillop refers to the player as a "very raw" talent. Click here to read more about this development.

Meet the Women's Basketball team

Annette Watts: Head Coach (East Tennessee State 7th season)

Stephanie Roe: Assistant Coach (Lander 6th season)

Usha Gilmore: Assistant Coach (Rutgers 3rd season)

Abby Pyzik: Assistant Coach (Lynchburg College 3rd season )

Team Roster:
2 Monica Laune
10 Alexandra Thompson
12 Katie Hamilton
14 Mandy Halbersleben
15 Kelly Gardner
20 Chloe Woodington
21 Mercedes Robinson
22 Honna Housley
24 Ashley Lax
32 Kelly Gassie
35 Julia Paquette
42 Kelsey Cary
44 Danielle Hemerka

Davidson Women's preview

Wildcat Women's Basketball Gears Up For Another Record-Setting Season:
2007-08 Preview
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID

Puzzles come in all shapes and sizes, but each piece must fit properly together to discover what the puzzle has to reveal.

For head coach Annette Watts and the 2006-07 Davidson women's basketball team, those puzzle pieces seemed to fit together so perfectly from the beginning that it formed one of the best seasons, if the not best ever, in the program's 27 year history. Davidson concluded the season with a school-best mark of 23-9. Included among the numerous accomplishments and records set by the team was the Wildcats' first-ever postseason appearance in school history when Davidson was selected to play in the Women's National Invitational Tournament.

Click here for entire article.

ESPN's Pat Forde has big prediction for Davidson

Five Fearless Predictions
By Pat Forde
ESPN.com

1. Billy Donovan will be SEC Coach of the Year when the Gators finish second in the Eastern Division.

2. Arizona will continue to have problems sharing the ball and playing defense, especially with shoot-first freshman Jerryd Bayless playing the point.

3. The Atlantic 10 will put a team in the Sweet 16 (Xavier and St. Joseph's being the leading candidates).

4. Davidson will win 30 games and make the Sweet 16.

5. Memphis will beat North Carolina in San Antonio for the national title.

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He also likes Steph:

Five Stellar Sophomores
The talent from the recruiting class of 2006 didn't all go pro with Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Sophomores we'll be talking about this season:

1. Stephen Curry, Davidson
2. Jodie Meeks, Kentucky
3. Earl Clark, Louisville
4. Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth
5. Raymar Morgan, Michigan State

Davidson preview

From the Davidson website:

2007-08 Davidson Men's Basketball Season Preview
Written By: John Kilgo

This time last year, Davidson basketball could have passed the plate among its Southern Conference brethren and maybe come away with a sympathy card or two. Well, on second thought, maybe not. Still, Davidson had graduated seven seniors from the 2006 Southern Conference champions, a team that went on to lead Big Ten champion Ohio State at halftime in the NCAA tournament before losing a close game. Included among those seven seniors lost were the team’s two leading scorers and its leader in assists.

Last year’s Wildcats were picked to finish fourth in the SoCon South Division. There were no expectations for the team – except those held by coach Bob McKillop, his staff and players. They were not ready to surrender an inch. Not only were they not buying what the prognosticators were peddling, they turned it around and used it as motivation.

Click here for entire article.

College of Charleston to leave Southern Conference?

Here's an interesting quote from a young man named Matt Sundberg. Matt has committed to play for the College of Charleston:

"They have a good coach and a good staff. I know I'm going to be comfortable there," he said. "They are moving to a new conference in a couple of years and it's going to be for competition. Plus, I love their campus there. I visited earlier in the summer."

I wonder what the coaches are telling those kids. Is CofC planning to leave the SoCon?

Interesting...

Bushido: What's up with this? What's the word down there in Charleston?

Oh, how the mighty are falling (in exhibition, anyway)

The College of Charleston falls to Division II Augusta State in exhibition, 65-63.

Also, #8 Michigan State falls to Division II Grand Valley State in exhibition, 85-82 in 2OT.

New email contact

I've changed email addresses....(not that many of you email anyway).

The yahoo address was completely disabled by spam. So, I got a gmail account.

I've somewhat disguised the email address in the sidebar (and here, too), in hopes of keeping the spam from getting bad on this address.

The email is davidsonbasketball "at" gmail "dot" com. Sorry for having to type it that way to disguise it, but it would otherwise get picked up and put on spam lists.

Note: This is not my normal email account; it's for stuff related to this blog. I don't check it frequently. Don't be offended if it takes a bit to get a response.

A classmate of mine has tied the knot with a celebrity...

A classmate of mine recently married Steve Martin.

"What's that?" you say.

Yes...THAT Steve Martin.

I won't post her name on here, as this is not a tabloid blog. I mention it because of the Davidson connection. Plus, I just found this to be....well....pretty cool. Steve Martin rocks!

To the nameless lucky lady from Davidson Class of '94: Congratulations on the wedding, and get Steve to visit Davidson!

(By the way, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is one of the best movies ever.)

From The Observer

Strength from tragedy
Forward Meno copes with brother's on-court death
KEVIN CARY

DAVIDSON --Boris Meno's quiet confidence has been built through an inner peace.

Meno's brother, Yannick, died after collapsing on the basketball court in his home country of France six years ago. Yannick, three years younger than Boris, had an undetected heart condition that led to his death, his brother said.

Few in the Davidson community know about Yannick's death. They only know Boris Meno for his basketball improvement.

The senior forward has boosted his scoring and rebounding each season, yet that progress hasn't come just from long hours in the weight room and practice court.

It has come after being able to cope.

"Boris and I will talk about our siblings because we have sisters the same age," said sophomore forward Max Paulhus Gosselin. "And eventually, his brother will come up. It was hard for him for a while, but at least now he can talk about him without tearing up."

It took a while for Meno, 23, to adjust to the loss of his brother, and the new culture he came to at Davidson.

He became homesick at times, and the skinny, 6-foot-8 forward struggled to match up against bigger opponents for his first two seasons.

"You can see (Yannick's death) impact Boris every time he's out here," coach Bob McKillop said. "His brother died on the court, and everyday he goes out and is reminded of that. It has been so hard for him and his family."

Meno carries a quiet, reserved nature and doesn't talk about his brother's death often.

He still visits home when he can -- Meno missed a photo shoot last week to make a quick trip to France -- but slowly, he's learned how to adapt.

He's become more outgoing with teammates, and isn't afraid to joke around at times.

He's become one of the Wildcats' best inside scorers and rebounders, and averaged 11 points and eight rebounds a game last season. And, he's done more than value his time on the court.

"You can tell he really values the relationships he has with his teammates now," assistant coach Matt Matheny said. "Every time we are in the locker room or in a pregame meal he's one of the last to come out because he savors the time he has with them. I think his brother's death has something to do with that."

Meno said his brother's death was a jolt, but said he has learned to appreciate what he has now.

"I think about him everyday," Meno said. "He still motivates me to do well."

From The Observer's "Above The Rim" blog

Shhh! Davidson's playing Sunday, but it's a secret
--Kevin Cary

Davidson's schedule actually includes five nationally ranked teams, but that's supposed to be a secret.

Wildcats fans already know about games scheduled with North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, and N.C. State, which all are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. But Sunday, the Wildcats will have a scrimmage at Texas, which is ranked 15th

But don't try to hop on a plane to Austin to see it. The scrimmage isn't open to the media or public, in accordance with NCAA rules. Davidson has played Clemson in similar scrimmages in recent years, and it shouldn't be a surprise that the Wildcats and Longhorns are getting together Sunday.

Davidson coach Bob McKillop and Texas coach Rick Barnes were both assistants at Davidson in the 1978-79 season.

Davidson guard Stephen Curry will be wearing an accessory Sunday that might give Wildcats fans pause. He has had his left wrist wrapped the past two weeks to help a sprain heal. He might still have it in the team's opening game Friday against Emory, but the appendage hasn't affected his shot. Curry made his first four 3-pointers at Friday's practice.

TV Scheduling info from The Observer

Davidson guaranteed 13 TV games
KEVIN CARY

More than half of Davidson's games could be televised this season either on regional or national networks, thanks to additions announced by the school and other games that could await.

The school is now guaranteed to have 13 of its 29 regular season games on regional or national networks, after four more games were picked up by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

That channel is not yet available on Time Warner, but is available on DirecTV and Dish network.
MASN will show the Nov. 26 game at Appalachian State, the Jan. 9 game at Elon, the Feb. 6 home game with Elon and the Feb. 13 game at UNC Greensboro.

Davidson's Feb. 27 home game with Appalachian State has been moved from MASN to SportSouth.

For a complete list of Davidson games on TV, go to www.charlotte.com/hoops.

Sports Illustrated article

Curry-led Davidson has the ingredients to be the next mid-major surprise

DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) -Bob McKillop walked into the locker room moments after Davidson's loss to Maryland in the NCAA tournament and saw his dejected players trying to figure out how they let a second-half lead slip away.

As heartbroken as McKillop was, the coach was struck by the image. They didn't look like the usual mid-major conference champion, just happy to be first-round fodder.

"They had an extraordinary season, but there was no sense of contentment with having been there and playing well,'' McKillop said. "To me, that ignited a new flame within them to become even better than they were last year.''

All five starters from that tear-filled locker room are back, including Stephen Curry, the high-scoring shooting guard who keeps getting taller, and Jason Richards, his golfing buddy and the point guard who always seems to get him the ball at the right time.

The anticipation of a breakthrough season has left this small private school 20 miles north of Charlotte buzzing about basketball at a level that hasn't been seen since the 1960s, when Lefty Driesell twice led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight. And with a schedule that includes North Carolina, UCLA, Duke and North Carolina State, Davidson isn't shying away from anybody.

In an era when the small schools are knocking off the big boys with great regularity, the Wildcats think it's their turn.

"I think we're very talented,'' Curry said. "We're going to play like we deserve that kind of credit.''

Davidson went 29-5 last season behind Curry, the son of former NBA 3-point specialist Dell Curry. The shooting guard averaged 21.5 points and made an NCAA Division I freshman record 122 3-pointers.

Yet Curry wouldn't be at Davidson if Virginia Tech, his father's alma mater, offered him a scholarship. The Hokies were among the big schools that passed on Curry because of his size.

McKillop could only smile as Curry continued to grow. He was 5-foot-11 when he signed with Davidson. He sprouted to 6-1 by the time practice started last year. He was recently measured at 6-3 and his doctor told him he's got another two inches to go.

"He walks into the office sometimes and he just looks bigger,'' McKillop said.

Needing only an instant to get off his shot, Curry scored 32 points in his first college game, at Michigan. He finished the season with 30 in the loss to Maryland, but got tired down the stretch and missed five of his last six shots.

He spent the summer working on his strength and conditioning, and gained experience as a member of the U.S. under-19 team that finished second to host Serbia in world championships.

"I know I can compete with whoever is guarding me and whoever we're playing against,'' Curry said.

Curry has become inseparable from Richards. The senior, who was second in the nation with 249 assists last season, started watching Curry when he was still playing high school basketball. Competitive golfers who shoot in the low 80s, Richards has won five of their past six stroke-play matches.

"As soon as he stepped on campus, we kind of had a special bond, on the court and off,'' Richards said.

The entire frontcourt returns from a team that won 25 of its last 27 games. But at 6-8, leading rebounder Boris Meno is the tallest of a group that includes Thomas Sander and Max Paulhus Gosselin. Maryland eventually exploited that lack of height in the tournament when they rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit.

It remains a concern, with North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough one of the many big men they'll face with their brutal schedule.

McKillop, entering his 19th season, wanted to challenge his players. He's also been demanding in preseason practices as the up-tempo Wildcats try to become the next breakthrough team, the goal of every school at their level since George Mason's run to the Final Four in 2006.

McKillop has eyed Gonzaga, Southern Illinois and Butler as the programs to emulate.

"They've proved consistently that they've been able to keep their head above water,'' he said. "The margin for error is ever so slight at the mid-major and low-major level.''

Students recently camped out for North Carolina tickets, reminiscent of the days when Driesell built the Wildcats into one of the nation's best programs.

"You know about the history. It's talked about a lot,'' Richards said. "It's different because they were one of the powerhouses back in the '60s. But we think we can play with anybody.''

The air of confidence and determination has been around this team since that heartbreaking day last March, when the No. 13 seed came so close to advancing in the NCAA tournament.

"We see that it's possible,'' Richards said. "Other teams have done it before. Why can't it be us this year?''