Welcome to The Sports Bank’s third annual college basketball season preview series. Two years we looked at 99 teams in 99 days. Last year, we were slightly more aggressive and expanded to 111 teams in 111 days and will do so again as we look ahead to the 2012-2013 season.
We will rank the 75 power conference teams and top 36 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order. We’ll break down rosters, transfers, incoming freshmen, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
With all eight rotation players returning from a team that won 26 games a year ago, the Davidson Wildcats will be one of the more dangerous mid-major teams in the country.
DAVIDSON WILDCATS
Last Season: 1st, 16-2 in Southern, 25-8 overall
Predicted Southern Finish: 1st
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Jake Cohen (Sr)/Ali Mackay (So)
F: De’Mon Brooks (Jr)/Clint Mann (Sr)/Youssef Mejri (So)/Jake Belford (Fr)
G/F: Chris Czerapowicz (Jr)/Mason Archie II (So)
SG: JP Kuhlman (Sr)/Tyler Kalinoski (So)/Jordan Barham (Fr)
PG:Nik Cochran (Sr)/Tom Droney (Jr)
Gone: F-Will Reigel, C-Frank Ben-Eze, G/F-A.J. Atkinson
2012-2013 Outlook:
All five starters averaged at least ten points per game last season so Bob McKillop returns a balanced line-up. The biggest asset of that group is that all five guys on the floor can stroke it from deep.
Leading the charge for the Wildcats will be the experienced frontcourt of Jake Cohen and De’Mon Brooks. Cohen is a four-year starter who was named the Southern Conference’s Player of the Year last season by the media. Cohen did not receive that same honor from the league’s coaches but Brooks did. Brooks is more athletic than Cohen and does most of his damage around the basket.
There’s no lack of experience in the backcourt either with Nik Cochran, JP Kuhlman, and Chris Czerapowicz. Cochran will run the point, Kuhlman is a four-year starter capable of contributing on both ends, and Czerapowicz is a three-point gunner who can go off at any given time.
Three key reserves provide McKillop with plenty of depth. Tom Droney started 25 games last year as a freshman and his ability to play multiple positions gives Davidson flexibility in the backcourt. Tyler Kalinoski is another three-point threat off the bench while Clint Mann adds some energy to the frontcourt. With all eight guys back from last year, it’s unlikely any other Wildcat will be able to crack the rotation unless there is an injury.
McKillop did pick up a key transfer in Brian Sullivan from Miami, Ohio. The 5-11 guard was an All-MAC Freshman Team selection last year and will help offset the losses of Cochran and Kuhlman when he becomes eligible next season since he must sit out this year due to NCAA transfer rules.
A major conference team would be incredibly fortunate to return as much proven talent as Davidson does this season. With that being said, they are without question the team to beat in the SoCon and will be a very difficult out come March Madness.
Player to Watch: De’Mon Brooks
It’s pretty impressive that he averaged 15.7 points and 6.2 rebounds despite just playing 22.8 minutes per game last year. There aren’t many (if any) frontcourts at the mid-major level as production as the Wildcat duo and Brooks is poised to be even more productive this year.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/12 at New Mexico
11/22 vs. Vanderbilt (Old Spice Classic)
11/23 vs. West Virginia/Marist (Old Spice Classic)
11/25 vs. Gonzaga/Clemson/Oklahoma/UTEP (Old Spice Classic)
12/5 vs. Charlotte
12/22 at Drexel
12/29 at Richmond
1-2 vs. Duke (in Charlotte)
2/23 vs. TBD (ESPN Bracketbusters)
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#42 Stanford Cardinal
#43 UMass Minutemen
#44 St. John’s Red Storm
#45 Butler Bulldogs
#46 Florida State Seminoles
#47 Drexel Dragons
#48 St. Louis Billikens
#49 West Virginia Mountaineers
#50 BYU Cougars
#51 Temple Owls
#52 Washington Huskies
#53 California Golden Bears
#54 Kansas State Wildcats
#55 Nevada Wolfpack
#56 Colorado Buffaloes
#57 Iowa State Cyclones
#58 Northern Iowa Panthers
#59 Colorado State Rams
#60 Iowa Hawkeyes
#61 South Florida Bulls
#62 Valparaiso Crusaders
#63 Illinois Fighting Illini
#64 Arkansas Razorbacks
#65 Wichita State Shockers
#66 George Mason Patriots
#67 Virginia Cavaliers
#68 Villanova Wildcats
#69 Maryland Terrapins
#70 Marshall Thundering Herd
#71 Iona Gaels
#72 Northwestern Wildcats
#73 Oklahoms State Cowboys
#74 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
#75 USC Trojans
#76 UConn Huskies
#77 Harvard Crimson
#78 Xavier Musketeers
#79 Ole Miss Rebels
#80 Clemson Tigers
#81 Oregon State Beavers
#82 Texas A&M Aggies
#83 Providence Friars
#84 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#85 Oklahoma Sooners
#86 Lehigh Mountain Hawks
#87 Washington State Cougars
#88 Long Beach State 49ers
#89 Belmont Bruins
#90 Vanderbilt Commodores
#91 Dayton Flyers
#92 Houston Cougars
#93 UCF Knights
#94 Old Dominion Monarchs
#95 Oregon Ducks
#96 LSU Tigers
#97 South Carolina Gamecocks
#98 Seton Hall Pirates
#99 Georgia Bulldogs
#100 DePaul Blue Demons
#101 Boston College Eagles
#102 Penn State Nittany Lions
#103 Arizona State Sun Devils
#104 Virginia Tech Hokies
#105 Texas Tech Red Raiders
#106 Auburn Tigers
#107 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
#108 TCU Horned Frogs
#109 Mississippi State Bulldogs
#110 Utah Utes
#111 Nebraska Cornhuskers
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.