‘Cats and ‘Dogs

As you probably know, I’ve been obsessed with Davidson basketball since I was a little kid. I come from a Davidson family, so I am naturally a Wildcat sympathizer, but my obsession began in 4th grade when I accompanied my parents to a Davidson game at Ole Miss (which was preceded by an alumni meet and greet). The ‘Cats, obviously a bit of an underdog at the “Tad Pad,” scored a one-point victory, much to the chagrin of many drunk Rebels fans (redundant, I know). In addition to gaining a few heroes (Brandon “Ozone” Williams, Ben Ebong, etc.) on the Davidson side, I gained a sense of understanding about Ole Miss culture. Two quotes will stick with me the rest of my life came from the well-boozed frat boys behind us: “Michael *bleep bleep* White, get the *bleep* off the floor!” (Michael White played for Ole Miss)…and…”Hey, Davidson, go back to Chapel Hill!” (the comedy there should be obvious). The very next year, Davidson beat Ole Miss again. Consequently, Ole Miss has not added Davidson to their non-conference schedule since that 1996 season.

This past Saturday Hillary and I had the opportunity to meet Mom and Dad in Birmingham for a Southern Conference matchup between the ‘Cats (from just over 2 hours outside Chapel Hill) and the Samford Bulldogs. Davidson came into the game having won 46 straight Southern Conference games (including sweeps of the SoCon tourneys the last 2 years), were 10-0 in the conference thus far this season, and were several games up in the Southern division. Samford entered the game in a virtual tie for the Northern division, and with the same hopes of all SoConers–shut down Stephen Curry and knock off the Wildcats.

The record crowd participated in a “White Out” promotion, which meant the home fans wore white I guess in hopes to blind/distract the opposition…or it was a sign of Samford’s Baptist purity. The students were pumped up and deserve tons of credit for helping their team stay in the game until the final buzzer. We sat in a Davidson section. This we knew not from the ubiquity of red and black, but from the presence of Wall Street Journals and New York Times as a little light pre-game reading.

The ‘Cats started out strong and by the 11 minute mark in the first half they had a 21-5 lead. Samford turned up the heat and the rest of the game was way more stressful than it needed to be. Unfortunately, Steph Curry did not have one of his typically explosive days (which had as much to do with Samford’s defense as anything else), and scored a quiet 20 that consisted mainly of free-throws and layups. Davidson’s strong, extended defense took away Samford’s outside shooting threat and was the main ingredient in the 55-52 win. Davidson forward Andrew “Big Cat” Lovedale would get my MVP award for the game, scoring 13 and pulling in 12 rebounds.

Other than the unnecessary heartburn the Wildcats’ sloppy offensive play gave me, the trip was fantastic. Davidson won, I got to see Mom and Dad (and accept their gifts of free meals), Pops got to exchange tales with Davidson geezers, Hillary and I harmonized in the car, and I discovered the source (not the cause, though) of the mysterious water presence in my car. Now, enjoy some pictures:

Three MusCateers

Change of characters

Coach McKillop doing what he does best

This nifty move drew roars from both Davidson and Samford fans

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