By Bob McKillop and Davidson are Back in the NCAA Tournament Once Again
March 14, 2013 – 5:45 am by Eric Schmoldt
This isn’t your Steph Curry-led Davidson team, but the Wildcats are back in the Big Dance once again. They rolled through the Southern Conference tournament and haven’t lost since Jan. 14. At 26-7, the Wildcats are perhaps looking at a seed somewhere around 12 or 13.
Bob McKillop joined WFNZ in Charlotte with Mac Attack to discuss what this year’s Davidson team is like, what kind of opponent he’d like to see the Wildcats play in the NCAA tournament, winning the Southern Conference title game despite some foul trouble and setting goals this time of year.
You don’t have Steph Curry, but this seems like a team that’s full of talent and experience:
“It’s very reminiscent of the ’05-’06 team and the ’01-’02 team, because it’s senior-heavy with a lot of experience in the senior class and guys who have been through some battles. What’s really gratifying about this year is that there were such expectations on their shoulders, and they never as a team, as a roster, have had to deal with those kind of expectations. When we got knocked to the mat early … they started to do some soul-searching and questioning and doubting. … But right after Christmas they came back determined and united and I think we’ve been on a pretty good roll since Christmas.”
What type of opposing team might give you trouble and what type of team might you have a better chance against in the NCAA tournament?:
“A big, slow team that is poorly coached. … I think matchups are really very significant as the seeds are developed. With our ability to stretch the court, shooting the ball, and our ability to handle the ball at so many different spots, we’d certainly love to have a team that maybe cannot match up with De’Mon Brooks or Jake Cohen as they go inside out or sometimes with the three- or four-guard offense that we play.”
On beating the College of Charleston by 19 in the conference title game despite Cohen being in foul trouble:
“It was a two-penny night … because it was the emotional penny, the success emotionally, and it was also the success technically. They certainly earned their pennies last night. And having us do that with Jake Cohen in foul trouble, what a statement about the guys on the bench.”
How do you approach setting goals in the Big Dance? Is it to win a game, to get to the Sweet Sixteen?:
“When you establish a goal, a specific goal that you really don’t have control over, which is winning 25 games, winning a conference championship. When you start establishing those kind of numerical goals, I think you put limitations on yourself, so we make it a little bit less oriented with stats and more toward four very key things. We say let’s get better every day, let’s have fun, let’s play to win and let’s make every play count. Now, we are in complete control of those four goals, those four objectives, and that has been our mantra all year long. … So as we approach this week, we are going to do those same things.”
Listen to Bob McKillop on WFNZ in Charlotte here
Tags: Bob McKillop, College Basketball, Davidson Wildcats, De’Mon Brooks, Jake Cohen, NCAA Tournament, Southern Conference
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