Wednesday, January 4, 2023 6:00 p.m.
Belk Arena, Davidson, N.C.
The Ramblers stumbled out to a disappointing A-10 conference debut on Saturday by making one of the team's worst defensive performances in more than a decade-- at home, against a bottom half opponent-- in their first game in their new conference. James Bishop-- the 6'2" transfer from LSU-- lit up the Ramblers for 40 points in 39 minutes, and the George Washington Colonials shot 64% from the field, 59% from three point territory, and 92% on 25 shots from the free throw line in a 97-87 win over Loyola.
Loyola will now attempt to get their first ever A-10 conference win at Davidson's Belk Arena, the former home of Steph Curry. And if you think GWU's James Bishop looked like Steph Curry on Saturday at Gentile Arena, wait until you meet Foster Loyer, Davidson's current top scorer and playmaker.
Like the Ramblers, Davidson lost a lot of talent from last year’s tournament team, and also features a head coach navigating through the A-10 for the first time. Matt McKillop, son of Davidson's legendary longtime coach Bob McKillop (and a former Davidson player and assistant under his dad), has piloted the Wildcats to 8-6 overall, 1-1 in conference thus far. After losing 6'10" Luka Brajkovic and 6'7" Hyunjung Lee-- both had another year of eligibility but decided to go pro-- the Wildcats were picked to finish sixth in the A-10 preseason poll. Belk Arena is a powerful home court atmosphere that has helped Davidson win league regular season titles in 2015 and 2022. But uncharacteristically, Davidson has lost three of their last four at home-- most recently a 69-55 setback on New Year's Eve versus Dayton. The last time the Ramblers faced Davidson was in a tough 59-56 loss at Gentile Arena December 22, 2019. Another loss in December 1974 makes Loyola’s all-time record against Davidson 0-2.
The Wildcats will be starting the aforementioned 6'0" senior point guard Foster Loyer, 6'3" junior guard Grant Huffman, 6'5" junior guard Connor Kochera, 6'9" junior power forward Sam Mennenga, and 6'11" freshman center Reed Bailey.
Loyer-- a Michigan State transfer and Michigan's 2018 Mr. Basketball-- has been a terrific leader for Davidson the past two years, often putting the team on his shoulders. Averaging 17.0 points, 5.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, Loyer fills up the stat sheet. He's taking a lot more threes this year than last (to compensate for the loss of Hyunjung Lee's outside shooting?), and his field goal percentage from deep has dropped to 36% from 43.8% last year. Don't foul him, because he's a 91.4% career shooter from the line. I watched him put up 38 points in a crazy double-overtime, come-from-behind win at Wright State, and I watched him drop 30 (mostly down the stretch) to beat San Francisco so far this season. Really impressive. Yes, that's his younger brother who plays for Purdue.
Sam Mennenga is a mobile power forward who averages 15.2 ppg and leads the team with 7 boards per game. Mennenga leads the team with 44% accuracy from distance. Kochera is a Chicago-area product out of Saint Viator High School, and a transfer via William & Mary; he averages 7.3 ppg and adds 3.6 boards. Huffman averages 7.7 points and 2.7 assists per game. Bailey averages 7.1 points per game, chips in 3 rebounds, and fires threes with 35% accuracy; he splits time with 6'10" junior center David Skogman, who averages 6.7 points and 4.3 boards. Desmond Watson, a versatile 6'5" sophomore swingman, averages an impressive 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds coming off the bench.
Like most of the other teams in the A-10 this year, Davidson has some good wins (South Carolina, San Francisco, Old Dominion, a 14-point win at a resurgent Fordham), mixed in with some wince-inducing head-scratchers (losing to Northeastern at home, an OT home loss to Charlotte). They showed well in a neutral site loss to Purdue, but why are they playing road games at Delaware (a two-point win) and Wright State (a 2 OT win after being down by 20)?
The Ramblers need to return to the form and focus they had in their impressive win over Clemson. Bryce Golden had a great game against George Washington, and he'll need to keep it going against 6'9" 240-pound Mennenga, 6'11" Bailey and 6'10" Skogman. Seems like it might be a pretty good opponent for Hutty to get an opportunity for several minutes. Phil Alston will need to stay out of foul trouble, because he's likely going to be a mismatch for Watson, Kochera, and Davidson's frontcourt. The weakest part of Loyer's game is turnovers (3.1 per game), so if the Ramblers can hold onto the ball there are some opportunities there.
Take care of the ball. Keep them off the free throw line. Play hard defense. Get some contributions from the bench.
Loyola game notes:
https://loyolaramblers.com/documents/20 ... _Notes.pdfDavidson game notes:
https://davidsonwildcats.com/documents/ ... Loyola.pdfTV/Streaming video: CBS Sports Network
https://www.cbssports.com/watch/cbs-sports-networkRadio/Streaming audio:
https://loyolaramblers.com/watch/?Live=132&type=LiveLive stats:
https://davidsonwildcats.com/sidearmsta ... ll/summaryVegas odds: Davidson by 5.5
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