NFL Show
Davidson will try to take down the top team in college basketball when it faces No. 1 Purdue during the Indy Classic in Indianapolis on Saturday night. The Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak with a 72-64 win over Western Carolina last Wednesday. Purdue remained unbeaten with its overtime win against Nebraska last Saturday.
Davidson got off to a strong start this season, winning six of its first seven games. The Wildcats proceeded to lose their next two games, falling to Charlotte as 4-point favorites at the end of November before losing to Delaware as 3.5-point favorites on Dec. 3. Their only other game since then came on Dec. 7 against Western Carolina, as they bounced back with a 72-64 win—they did not cover the 15.5-point spread, though. Big man David Skogman scored a season-high 17 points in the win over Western Carolina and is shooting 42.9% from the floor. This will be the team’s second-to-last game before opening Atlantic 10 play.
Next Stop… Indianapolis??#TCC pic.twitter.com/wOaAm6Bqqr
— Davidson Basketball (@DavidsonMBB) December 16, 2022
The Wildcats rely heavily on their offense, as they are inside the top 80 (of 363 Division I teams) in effective field goal percentage and turnover rate. They are shooting 53.8% from 2-point range and are knocking down 34.6% of their 3-pointers. Their primary weakness offensively has been their rebounding, as they are No. 321 in offensive rebounding rate. Davidson is facing a Purdue team that is No. 12 in average height. Senior guard Foster Loyer leads the Wildcats with 19.5 points, 5.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. Junior forward Sam Mennenga is adding 16.6 points and 7.2 rebounds. They are facing a Purdue defense that is No. 23 in field goal percentage.