Davidson Wildcats
2018-2019 Overall Rank: #57
Conference Rank: #2 Atlantic 10
Davidson has been a solid program for decades under Coach Bob McKillop. Last season they made their ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Coach McKillop, but it took a nice run in the conference tournament for that to happen. The Wildcats slipped past Rhode Island 58-57 in order to earn the conference’s automatic bid. Once in the tournament, Davidson was not going away easily. They gave #5 seed Kentucky a run for their money before falling 78-73. This season will be a little different without Peyton Aldridge and his 21.2 points per game, but this is a group that still has the talent to compete for a conference title and another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
2017-18 Record: 21-12, 13-5
2017-18 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Bob McKillop
Coach Record: 554-337 at Davidson, 554-337 overall
Key Departed Players:
Peyton Aldridge, 21.2 ppg
Oskar Michelsen, 5.5 ppg
Will Magarity, 5.7 ppg
Rusty Reigel, 3.8 ppg
Jordan Watkins, 1.8 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Kellan Grady, Sophomore, Guard, 18.0 ppg
Jon Axel Gudmundsson, Junior, Guard, 13.2 ppg
KiShawn Pritchett, Junior, Guard, 5.9 ppg
Dusan Kovacevic, Junior, Forward, 3.4 ppg
Carter Collins, Sophomore, Guard, 1.4 ppg
Malcolm Wynter, Junior, Guard
Bates Jones, Sophomore, Foreward
Nathan Ekwu, Senior, Forward, DNP last season
Key New Players:
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom, Freshman, Forward
Luka Brajkovic Freshman, Forward
David Czerapowicz, Freshman, Guard
Luke Frampton, RS Freshman, Guard
Mike Jones, Freshman, Guard
Projection:
Without Aldridge, the focus of this team will shift to the backcourt. Kellan Grady is a big 6-5 wing who can handle the ball and score from anywhere on the floor. After a stellar freshman campaign, the Wildcats hope Grady can improve on his 18.0 points per game. Jon Axel Gudmundsson will run the point after averaging 13.2 points and 5.1 assists. He is also very dangerous on the glass and averaged 6.0 rebounds, ranking second on the team behind only Aldridge. KiShawn Pritchett is the other returning starter. Like the rest of the backcourt, he is a big guard and he could improve on his scoring if Davidson needs him to. A few freshmen will add options to the backcourt. Mike Jones and Luke Frampton, if he can get and stay healthy, should see major minutes. In fact, since those two are also big, Davidson could start one of them and play four big guards around senior forward Nathan Ekwu. Ekwu missed last season with an injury and was very limited in 2016-2017 because of those injuries. But back in 2015-2016, Ekwu started 24 contests and averaged 5.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. If he can get back to his pre-injury form, Davidson has more than enough weapons to compete for a conference title (see draft promo codes) and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.3 (95th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.9 (59, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 48.0 (30, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.9 (183, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 10.7 (10, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.9 (27, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 79.8 (4, 1)
Rebound Margin: 1.1 (153, 5)
Assists Per Game: 16.7 (16, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 9.5 (3, 1)
Madness 2019 NBA Draft Rankings:
#22 Kellan Grady
