McKillop on Hofstra

In the NYP: “They have tough kids, New York City kids and that’s where they get their edge. I don’t see that going away anytime soon. I expect them to respond.”

McKillop on Duke

Here: “This is an entire team that plays like they live on Park Avenue but they refuse to give up the court on West Fourth Street. West Fourth Street’s a pretty darn competitive park, and it’s asphalt, and these guys aren’t afraid of getting their knees bloody and their fingers stuck in the chain rims.”

Davidson 61, Hofstra 52

AP:

NEW YORK -- Jake Cohen scored 18 points, including a three-point play with 45 seconds left, and Davidson beat Hofstra 61-52 on Monday night in the third-place game of the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.

Cohen, a 6-foot-10 freshman, was fouled as he made a reverse layup with 45 seconds left. His free throw gave the Wildcats (4-8) a 60-52 lead with 45 seconds to play.

Not only a good win going into the short Christmas break but for this group a good two games at the Garden. Now can wear the white jerseys for a little while when they get back to the village. Coming around. DavidsonWildcats.com. Matt McKillop on Facebook: needed this badly. GoHofstra.com.

The Cornell coach

Steve Donahue: “Davidson is a very good basketball team. I think we’re fortunate to catch them when their young guys are still growing. They are an excellent offensive team. I would not be surprised if they win their league. You don’t realize it until you play them. This is a great win.”

Cornell 91, Davidson 88

AP:

NEW YORK -- Ryan Wittman capped a season-high 29-point performance by hitting a 30-footer at the overtime buzzer and Cornell beat Davidson 91-88 on Sunday in the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.

JP Kuhlman of Davidson made the first of two free throws with 6.6 seconds left to tie it at 88. Jeff Foote rebounded the miss of the second free throw and found Wittman, who let his game-winner go with plenty of time.

Cornell will play the winner of the Hofstra-St. John’s game in Monday night's championship.

The shame of it, of course, is that this could’ve been a galvanizing win for this group, against an experienced team that knows what it’s doing, and now it will have to be a galvanizing loss. McKillop put it bluntly with Kilgo after the game -- had a chance to win that game in regulation, had a chance to win that game in overtime, didn’t win that game -- and that’s disappointing. I feel bad for the coaches and the kids. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: For Davidson, always, but especially in years like this year, a season’s “success” or “failure” comes down to what happens over the course of three days in the first week of March. What happened this afternoon up at the Garden was a step in the right direction with that in mind. DavidsonWildcats.com.

Tough loss

Great game.

Tomorrow in the big city

Against two-time defending Ivy League champ Cornell at the Garden. Game notes.

Central Park South

The World’s Most Famous Arena

More (and more to come) over at The Davidson Project.

Autographs in New York

Photo from The Journal News.

Holiday Festival

Next year’s field at Madison Square Garden: Cornell, Hofstra, St. John’s, Davidson. AP. Schedule: coming together.

Green room

The list for Thursday night.

The day before?

Transformers 2.

Thursday night site

A week from tonight

Green room.

New York mag

With a prediction: Curry would immediately become a star and “S. Curry” the hottest-selling jersey ...

Knicks beat man

Alan Hahn: Curry’s physical stats will be among the most requested at the NBA combine in Chicago ... Also: The Knicks Blog.

Citi Field

Times Square

'One Stephen Curry'

Jay Wright in the New York Post: “It’s like the old days of the Garden when they bring in Oscar Robertson or somebody like that so everybody in New York can get a view.”