Saint Mary's Hosts Davidson in 11:30 p.m. (EST) Contest Monday

Davidson Wildcats (27-7) vs. Saint Mary's Gaels (27-6)

2009 National Invitation Tournament

Date: March 23, 2009
Time: 11:30 p.m. (EST)
Site: McKeon Pavilion (3,500 capacity) - Moraga, Calif.
Audio: John Kilgo calls the action on the Davidson Radio Network (1350 AM, 610 AM, 95.7 FM and online on DavidsonWildcats.com)
Video: Broadcast live on ESPN2 with Lou Canellis calling the action and Hubert Davis providing the color analysis

Full game notes (PDF)

Layup Line
• Davidson travels to California to take on Saint Mary's in the second round of the NIT.
• The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
• It's Davidson's fifth appearance in the postseason NIT and first since 2005, when the 'Cats went 2-1 in the tournament.
• The Wildcats have won four of their last five postseason games (2008 NCAAs, 2009 NIT).
• Davidson owns a 3-4 all-time record in the NIT, and all seven games have been on the road.
• The Wildcats earned an automatic bid to the NIT by virtue of having the best regular-season record in the Southern Conference, an 18-2 mark.
• The Wildcats have won 17 of their last 21 overall and are coming off a 70-63 victory at South Carolina in the NIT first round March 17.
• Head coach Bob McKillop is coaching in his 600th career collegiate contest tonight.
• Tonight's game will be the first on the hardwood between Davidson and Saint Mary's
• Saint Mary's has won seven of its last eight with the lone loss coming to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game.
• The Gaels are 14-1 at home, including 8-0 in non-conference games. The only loss was a two-point setback to Gonzaga Feb. 12.
• Davidson and Saint Mary's both played in the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis this season. The Gaels topped Southern Illinois 65-52, while Davidson lost 76-58 to Purdue. The teams also played in the Wooden Classic in Anaheim last season but not against each other.
• It will be Davidson's second trip to California in as many seasons. The 'Cats lost 75-63 to UCLA in Anaheim last season.

The Curry Corner
• Stephen Curry, the nation's leading scorer, is climbing up the NCAA?Division I record books.
• The junior guard is now tied for 28th with Temple's Mark Macon on the career scoring list with 2,609 points. He is 24 points from moving into the top-25.
• Curry has moved into sixth on the NCAA Division I career 3-pointers list with 410, two away from fifth.
• He is 18 points away from the NCAA top-25 in single-season points with 948 in 2008-09.
• Curry has already become the Southern Conference and Davidson's all-time leading scorer this season. He is the 60th player in NCAA?Division I history to tally over 2,500 career points.

Leftovers from South Carolina Game
• Curry topped 30 points for the 30th time in his career, and the 15th time this season.
• Lovedale set a new school record for career games played, and has now appeared in 129 contests.
• Curry moved into the top 30 on the NCAA career scoring record books, passing Joe Dumars.
• He also broke his own school record for single-season scoring, with 948 points, topping the 931 he scored in the 2007-08 season.

Postseason Awards
• Curry has been named first-team All-America by the U.S. Basketball Writer's Association (USBWA) and The Sporting News. He is the first Davidson player to earn USBWA All-America honors since Mike Maloy in 1969.
• He was named the SoCon Player of the Year for the second consecutive season by both the league's media association (SCSMA) and the conference's coaches.
• Andrew Lovedale was selected all-conference by the coaches and second-team all-league by the SCSMA.
• Curry was named first-team All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and Lovedale earned second-team honors.
•The duo are now eligible for the NABC All-America Team, which will be announced at the Final Four in Detroit April 4.
• Max Paulhus Gosselin was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches.
• Curry becomes the first player to earn back-to-back SoCon Player of the Honors from the SCSMA since Western Carolina's Frankie King won the award in 1994 and 1995. He is the first Davidson player to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons since Mike Maloy in 1969 and 1970.
• He is the first player to earn the honor in consecutive seasons from the coaches since Keith Jennings of East Tennessee State in 1990 and 1991.

Candidate Curry
• Stephen Curry has been named a candidate for a number of national awards.
• He has been selected as one of the 24 finalists for the Wooden Award and a top-30 midseason candidate for the Naismith Trophy, both of which are given by different organizations to the nation's Player of the Year.
• He has been named a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, given to the Player of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's best point guard.
• The Wooden Award will be given out in Los Angeles in April, while the other three honors will be awarded at the Final Four in Detroit.

Claw Marks
• Davidson has held its opponents under 40 percent shooting in 21 games this season and has won 20.
• The Wildcats have outrebounded their opponent in 21 games this season and have won all 21.
• Andrew Lovedale has become the 11th player in Davidson history to record over 800 points (875) and 700 rebounds (742).
• Stephen Curry has hit the 20-point mark in 77 career games, the 30-point mark in 30 outings and the 40-point plateau six times. He owns the school record for career games with 40 or more and career contests with 30 or more.
• Davidson played in front of sold-out buildings in its last 11 regular-season contests.
• Davidson has committed less than 15 turnovers in 24 games and less turnovers than its opponent in 28 contests.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results