Buzzworthy: Wildcats Look to Keep the Hornets' Nest Trophy in Belk Arena

On the eve of Davidson's 51st meeting against Charlotte, and the 42nd Hornets' Nest Trophy game, head coach Matt McKillop sat down to reflect on a rivalry that has withstood the test of time in a new era of college basketball, complete with conference realignment, the transfer portal and NIL.

"I have been able to be a part of this rivalry as a kid, where I was just a fan," McKillop said. "I was able to be a part of it as a player, in which I played in four games [...] and then as an assistant coach, and now as a head coach. So I've seen it from every angle."

McKillop emphasized that since the final buzzer of the Charleston Southern game, the coaches have made it very clear how important this crosstown rivalry is to Davidson and its history, which began in 1979. Davidson has won eight of the last 11 match ups against Charlotte, and the team is looking to hand the 49ers their second consecutive loss in the rivalry.

"[Charlotte runs] a Princeton offense; so there's a lot of sharp cutting, there's a lot of constant movement, and you have to be on alert for all 30 seconds of the shot clock. And we typically will defend for long possessions by the design and discipline of our defense, but we've got to be [...] sharper for 30-second defensive possessions."

McKillop stated that Davidson and Charlotte play a similar style of defense, rooted in a variation of man-to-man defense known as the "pack line." The main difference between the two is that pack line defense allows perimeter passing, in exchange for limited dribble penetration and back-door cuts. Off-ball defenders will sag off their man to play help defense, and if the ball is passed their way, they will close out and provide pressure.

"If we can move the ball well, if we can screen well, if we can cut well and play inside out the way we've been playing, we have a chance to be effective," McKillop said.

Coming into Tuesday's game, Davidson is 6-2, with both losses coming in the prestigious Battle 4 Atlantis tournament to then #24 Arizona and #3 Gonzaga. However, Davidson didn't leave the tournament empty-handed, beating a solid Providence team and taking valuable lessons back to Belk Arena.

"The first thing we said in the locker room after the Arizona game was that that scoreboard does not indicate how well we played at times. [Around the twelve-minute mark in the second half], it was 68-62 against one of the best offenses and one of the best defenses in the country," McKillop emphasized. "[The tournament] was a challenge, and we knew it was going to be a challenge, but I think we walked away pleased with the Providence win, pleased with how strong we looked at times against Arizona, knowing that we can compete with anyone, and that we had enough moments in every single one of those games to show that we can be a really dangerous team this year if we continue to play team basketball and get more detailed and disciplined on the defensive end."

When asked about his two captains, Reed Bailey and Connor Kochera, McKillop was quick to praise not only their leadership, but their improvements on the court.

"They light up the scoring column, but Reed has become such a great passer and decision-maker, and Connor is playing on the ball, he's playing off the ball, and he's doing the same thing controlling our offense at times."

McKillop was also quick to praise Bobby Durkin's night against Charleston Southern last Friday, a sign of confidence in his entire team and a testament to McKillop's leadership.

"Bobby didn't shoot the ball as well as we wish, but he helped us grab two steals in the final two minutes, which ultimately won us the game. So his mentality is terrific in terms of he's going to keep shooting, because he knows the next one is going in, and he doesn't let that impact any other part of his game."

And don't look now, but Davidson is steadily improving in important basketball metric systems. McKillop is not somebody that cares for outside noise, but he acknowledged that offseason development is starting to pay dividends.

"If we can have something close to what we did defensively last year and continue to play the way we're playing offensively, I think we'll continue to jump in those numbers, but the numbers are less important than getting wins and being positioned to win a championship in the Atlantic 10."

For a team projected to finish 12th in the A-10, the Wildcats are quickly becoming a team to watch as conference play gets underway later this month. For now, Davidson tips off Tuesday against Charlotte at 7 p.m. in Belk Arena to keep the Hornets' Nest Trophy at home.

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