Last night before the game

Jake: also SoCon Freshman of the Year

The writers’ pick. First time it’s different than the coaches’ choice: DavidsonWildcats.com.

JP: SoCon Freshman of the Year

Back on Dec. 4 in Charleston: These two rookies. And: The Southern Conference Freshman of the Year is going to be a Davidson Wildcat. Today: Kuhlman joins current assistant coach Landry Kosmalski and Stephen Curry as the only Wildcats to claim the coaches’ Freshman of the Year accolade. With Jake, of course, on the all-rookie team, too: It’s the first time Davidson has had two players on the All-Freshman Team since 2003, when Ian Johnson and Brendan Winters earned the honor. Telep in August. JP in Jacksonville. JP Kuhlman from St Paul's Middle School ...: Florida Hoops.

Weird

TheGreatRabbino.com: Today begins round two of our poll to find the best team in the nation that has at least one Jewish player.

Davidson 99, Elon 96

AP:

ELON -- Davidson’s Brendan McKillop and Steve Rossiter hit 3-pointers in the last 3 seconds of a double-overtime win over Elon on Saturday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The Wildcats (16-14, 11-7 Southern Conference), who overcame a 14-point second-half deficit, trailed by three with 14 seconds left in the second overtime period. McKillop tied the game at 96 and Rossiter knocked down the game-winner 2 seconds later after Elon’s Adam Constantine turned the ball over.

McKillop and Jake Cohen scored a career-high 24 points, while JP Kuhlman’s 24 matched his career-high.

Davidson won its 15th straight against Elon (8-22, 5-13), whose first-year coach Matt Matheny was an assistant for 16 years with the Wildcats.

Burlington: An exhausting classic rocked by wild swings of energy and dripping with emotion seemed destined for a third overtime. ElonPhoenix.com: ... in front of a raucous crowd of 1,934 on Senior Night at Alumni Gym. After a Brendan McKillop three-pointer tied the game with two seconds remaining, Rossiter stole the inbounds pass and let go of a prayer before the final horn sounded. DavidsonWildcats.com: McKillop had a career-high seven 3-pointers. … It was the largest second-half deficit the ‘Cats have come back from this season. … It was Davidson’s third overtime game this season, and the ‘Cats are 2-1. … Cohen also had a career high nine rebounds. Highlights. Hot Click.

Another thing

There’s a bit of cold-blooded in Jake Cohen. JP too. Also Brendan.

Live from Elon

1. That was worth 22 hours in the car.

2. I’d say the same thing had Elon won.

3. Not gonna lie. I feel bad for Matt.

Chattanooga 78, Davidson 73

AP:

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Ricky Taylor scored 22 points and Ty Patterson added 20 to help Chattanooga defeat Davidson 78-73 on Monday night, snapping a five-game losing streak.

The Mocs (14-15, 6-10 Southern Conference) trailed 35-32 at halftime, and shot 52 percent from the field in the second half (26 of 56), including 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

Chattanooga outscored the Wildcats 8-3 after halftime, taking its first lead since 6:56 left in the first half, 40-38, on Keegan Bell’s 3 with 17:24 to play.

Davidson (14-14, 9-7) would lead again, 52-50 with 10:03 remaining, but the Mocs scored 11 straight. Jeremy Saffore’s layup put Chattanooga up 61-52 with 6:38 left, and the Wildcats wouldn’t get any closer than six points the rest of the way.

Jake Cohen scored 16 points and Brendon McKillop added 15 for the Wildcats.

Uch at the Roundhouse: The win snaps a season-long five game losing streak. It also snaps an eight-game losing streak to Davidson which had NBA rookie of the year candidate Stephen Curry for the last three seasons. DavidsonWildcats.com: Davidson went on to take a 35-32 cushion into halftime as seven of the ‘Cats 14 field goals in the frame were from long distance. The Wildcats return to action Wednesday, Feb. 24, for the home finale against UNC Greensboro. Davidson will honor its four seniors, Archambault, Bryant Barr, Dan Nelms and Rossiter, before the game. Ty Patterson: “It’s great to get a win after we’ve been so down. And to beat Davidson -- when was the last time we beat Davidson?”

Davidson 61, Furman 58

Saturday afternoon at Belk:

DAVIDSON -- Jake Cohen scored 14 points and Davidson defeated Furman 61-58 on Saturday.

The Wildcats (14-13, 9-6 Southern Conference) led 57-55 with 1:24 to go, and the Paladins missed a shot and had another blocked by Cohen with 9 seconds left. Cohen was quickly fouled and made both free throws for a 59-55 advantage.

Justin Dehm then hit a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left to pull the Paladins (12-15, 6-10) within 59-58. They then fouled Cohen again, who made both shots for the final margin.

Davidson led 53-41 with 5:50 remaining, but Furman went on a 16-2 run to pull within 57-55 on Bryan Barnes' 3 with 1:24 left.

Will Archambault scored 12 points, and the Wildcats scored 22 points off 19 turnovers.

Observer: Cohen was relieved to make the four late free throws. He’s still bothered by two key foul shots he missed in a loss against Cornell at Madison Square Garden earlier this season, helping the Big Red tie the game in regulation and eventually win in overtime. “That was a bad experience,” said Cohen. “I wanted to make sure I made them when it counted this time.” DavidsonWildcats.com: Archambault and Bryant Barr each became the school’s all-time leader in games played with 131.

Davidson 75, Western 72

AP:

CULLOWHEE -- Nik Cochran and Jake Cohen each scored 14 points to help Davidson hold off Western Carolina in a 75-72 victory on Saturday night.

Ben Allison had 12 points and Steve Rossiter added 10 for the Wildcats (13-12, 8-5 Southern Conference), who held a 70-67 lead on Will Archambalt’s jumper with 4:20 left in the second half.

Western Carolina’s Harouna Mutombo answered with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 70-70 with 4:07 to play. But the Catamounts (18-8, 8-6) would not pull ahead, as Cohen’s layup with 1:05 remaining put Davidson up for good.

Asheville Citizen-Times: Sparked by one of the larger and more boisterous out-of-town crowds to visit the Ramsey Center this winter, Davidson (13-12, 8-5) won for the fifth time in its last six games despite shooting 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) from 3-point range. DavidsonWildcats.com: Davidson reserves put up 35 points. ... Cochran, Barr and Allison combined to score 28 points off the bench in the first half. ... Barr and Will Archambault are one game away from tying Andrew Lovedale for the school record for career games played (130). McKillop: “This is the kind of game you’d see in a conference tournament. This is the kind of game that shows you why Western Carolina’s won 18 games and beat Louisville.”

Davidson 84, Ga. Southern 74

AP:

DAVIDSON -- JP Kuhlman scored a career-high 24 points to lead Davidson to an 84-74 victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday night.

Kuhlman was 10-for-14 from the free throw line and Jake Cohen added 18 points as the Wildcats (12-11, 7-4 Southern Conference) won their fourth straight game.

DavidsonWildcats.com: Will Archambault collected 12 points and five rebounds, while Brendan McKillop scored 15 points. Freshman Nik Cochran added nine points off the bench. ... Archambault fouled out in the contest, leaving the senior one point shy of 1,000 for his career. ... Davidson is now 6-2 against SoCon South Division opponents. JP: “We knew coming into this season, that we would have an equal opportunity. That is the way we want to play, and we were able to do it again tonight.” McKillop: “We attacked the pressure. If you let the pressure put the brakes on you, then you’re going to be in trouble, because then you play right into the hands of the press. We will always try to attack the press and take advantage of the floor space that opens up as a result of the pressure.” Highlights.

Davidson 67, The Citadel 63

AP:

DAVIDSON -- Jake Cohen scored 18 points and Brendan McKillop had 17 as Davidson overcame an early 15-point deficit to beat The Citadel 67-63 in overtime on Saturday night.

The Wildcats (11-11, 6-4 Southern Conference) trailed 27-12 with 8:05 left in the first half, then used a 21-6 run, capped by a McKillop 3-pointer, to tie the game at 33 at the break.

The second half went back and forth, with the Bulldogs (10-12, 4-6) leading by six and Davidson by four. A McKillop layup with 58 seconds left was the last score in regulation.

The Observer: Whenever time grew short Saturday, point guard Brendan McKillop was there for Davidson’s Wildcats. For starters, McKillop hit Davidson’s go-ahead basket -- a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left in overtime -- in the Wildcats’ 67-63 Southern Conference victory against The Citadel. Ed Conroy: “Brendan McKillop is a heck of a shooter,” Conroy said. “Of his four 3-pointers, three of them were really clutch.” DavidsonWildcats.com: The ‘Cats have won nine of their last 13 games. DavidsonNews.net: Will Archambault, who had a big night last Thursday against College of Charleston, had 8 points and 8 rebounds on Saturday night. His point total brought within 13 points of 1,000 for his 4-year career as a Wildcats. Still: The Wildcats entered the game as the Southern Conference’s home attendance leaders, averaging 3,917 in the 5,223 arena.

Davidson 86, Charleston 71

AP:

DAVIDSON -- Will Archambault scored 24 points, freshman JP Kuhlman matched a career-high with 19 and Davidson rallied to beat College of Charleston 86-71 on Thursday night to send the Southern Conference-leading Cougars to their second straight loss.

Charleston’s seven-game winning streak, which included its stunning victory over North Carolina, was snapped Monday at Western Carolina. Despite 22 points apiece from backcourt mates Andrew Goudelock and Tony White Jr., the Cougars (13-8, 8-2) faded down the stretch as they played without center Jeremy Simmons (knee) for a third straight game.

After trailing 23-9 early and by five points early in the second half, Davidson (10-11, 5-4) broke up a close game with an 8-1 spurt behind Archambault. His bucket with 2:56 left put the Wildcats ahead 78-71 and his 3-pointer with 1:22 left made it 82-71.

Jake Cohen added 15 points for the Wildcats.

DavidsonWildcats.com: Archambault scored a season-high 24 points for Davidson (10-11, 5-4 SoCon) on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, including 4-of-5 3-point attempts and 4-of-5 free throw attempts, while adding five rebounds, three assists and a block. Freshman JP Kuhlman matched his career-best scoring total of 19 points by going 8-for-14 from the field and 3-of-5 from behind the arc, while adding three rebounds and three assists. McKillop: “This is one game. The challenge that any teams have in college basketball is endurance and consistency.” More: “This was a team that lost Stephen Curry, Andrew Lovedale, Max Paulhus-Gosselin, and a team that no longer had any of the majors players in that Elite 8 run. For us to think that we could stay with Big Ten and A-10 and Big East teams, I thought that was a good statement for where we were headed. But it really impacted our confidence.” Cremins: “They’re tough. Stephen Curry may be in the NBA, but they’re still a good basketball team.” Live 5. Highlights. After the game.

Davidson 86, Furman 81

AP:

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Will Archambault scored 15 points, including four in the final 14 seconds, helping Davidson hold off Furman 86-81 on Wednesday night.

The Wildcats were up 11 points with just over 1 minute remaining when Amu Saaka almost single-handedly put the Paladins back in the game. He hit two 3s and a free throw in the span of about 30 seconds, sparking a 13-2 Furman run in less than a minute to pull within 82-80.

But Archambault dunked it home to put Davidson up 84-80, grabbed a rebound and hit both free throws after being fouled to seal it in the final seconds.

JP Kuhlman added 14 points for the Wildcats (8-9, 3-2 Southern Conference), Steve Rossiter had 13 and Jake Cohen 11.

McKillop: “I’m going to look at the bright side. They made terrific 3-pointers. We missed free throws. We could have hung our heads, but we didn’t. With the crowd pressure, all of that, it could have been 'poor us.’ We could have had a pity party. But we stayed within the system.” Davidson. Furman.

Little look at Jake

Ron Green Jr.:

In some ways, the long-term effects of Davidson’s storybook run in the 2008 NCAA men’s basketball tournament are difficult to measure.

In other ways, it’s simple.

Jake Cohen stands 6-foot-10 and weighs 220 pounds. A freshman center from Berwyn, Pa., he leads the Wildcats (7-8, 2-1 in Southern) in scoring, averaging 13.4 points.

Jake: “It hasn’t been anything like what I expected. I wasn’t expecting much.”

An oddity?

In some SoCon notes:

Davidson’s recent three-game winning streak -- between Dec. 21-30 -- came with a bit of an oddity. Three Wildcats led the team in scoring in those three games. In the first, against Hofstra, Jake Cohen had 18 points. Brendan McKillop’s 19 points led the way against Pennsylvania. And J.P. Kuhlman scored a team-high 18 against UMass.

More like a necessary part of the plan. (Also, note to AP, ESPN, etc.: It’s not J.P. It’s JP. JP JP JP.)

Samford thoughts from snowy New England

1. Samford’s been in the league long enough now, all of a year and change, to know how they play. It’s excruciating. Against those guys, a win is a win is a win, and then get the hell out of there.

2. Davidson basketball is a better, more enjoyable thing when a McKillop is doing well, and right now Brendan is doing very, very well. Since the Gonzaga game, McKillop the father said postgame on the radio, McKillop the son has shot “as well as any player we’ve had.” As well. As any player. We’ve had.

3. Loved Ben’s game tonight. Who didn’t? This group is more than capable when Ben does stuff like 13 and 9. It was mostly just how he looked before the numbers started to catch up. Alert and energetic. With it. McKillop: “He’s just getting better and better and better.”

4. That’s a tight little stat sheet. The slower the game, the more mistakes cost, and the number that jumps off the page tonight is seven turnovers. You’ll only give us 46 shots? Fine. We’ll do this then. Goodwingoodwingoodwin.

5. Get well Jake.

An e-mail this morning

From a fan:

My wife and I drove home from New England this week and were discussing how much more fun this season is. Hoping for a win is a hell of a lot more enjoyable than fearing a loss.

We were at the Hofstra game and I was struck by how Coach McKillop is resculpting some identities. I love Bryant coming off the bench as a sparkplug. I love how economical Steve has become. He is always THERE. Avoids mistakes and is beginning to remind me of Thomas just a little. I loved the bounce pass Nik fed to Cohen to ice the game. He was very cool in a tight spot. I loved how coach stuck with JP during the Hofstra game. I loved how he had Frank in the line-up down the stretch. I love how coach is not relying on Will as our primary scoring threat and how Will is becoming a much more productive all-around player.

It’s a fun year! Big game tonight.

Like this.

Davidson 79, Penn 50

AP from last night:

DAVIDSON -- Brendan McKillop scored 19 points to lead Davidson to a 79-50 win over Penn on Monday night.

McKillop led four players in double figures for Davidson (5-8). Jake Cohen scored 12 points, while Will Archambault and Ben Allison scored 10 each.

Davidson jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, and then went on an 11-1 run for a 24-8 advantage with 9:43 to play in the first half.

Charlotte: Against a team trying to turn around an 0-8 season, Davidson was not an ideal foe for Allen’s first game. Philly Daily News: Thrust into the coaching duties after the Quakers fired Glen Miller 2 weeks ago, Allen fell into a perfect storm of chaos in his debut last night. Davidson: The advantage never dipped below 20 points in the second half and reached as high as 34 on three occasions. Penn: Reality quickly set in, however, as the Wildcats were patient, athletic, and accurate on offense in the first half. David Boraks (with Tim Cowie photos) at DavidsonNews.net: Two games do not make a long winning streak, but since the Wildcats’ 103-91 loss to Gonzaga in Seattle, the team has been shooting more reliably and playing more aggressively, McKillop said.

Rush the Court on the Wildcats

Here:

Might Davidson be turning the corner a little in the post-Stephen Curry era? It’s entirely understandable that there would be a dropoff, but over the last two nights the Wildcats took Ivy League champion Cornell to overtime before losing on a last-second thirty-footer by Ryan Wittman, and got a solid win tonight over a solid CAA foe. Some of the 4-8 record is due to strength of schedule, but Bob McKillop is too good of a coach for this program to completely melt down. Jake Cohen had 18/6/4 blks in the winning effort, and keep an eye on this team as we hit the SoCon schedule next month.