On Dec. 31, Davidson opened their Atlantic 10 (A-10) conference play in Fairfax, Virginia against George Mason. Coming into the game, the Wildcats looked promising with a 10-3 record. Two of their losses came in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament at the hands of the highly competitive University of Arizona and Gonzaga University teams. At the time, both teams were in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 rankings: Gonzaga was ranked 3rd, and Arizona 24th. Davidson’s third loss was by just one point on the road against Temple, after the ‘Cats allowed a game-winning layup in the last seconds.
Davidson entered Fairfax coming off two double-digit wins versus Bethune-Cookman University and Eastern Michigan University. Still, conference play always proves to be a difficult task, and this time was no different. The ‘Cats were crushed by George Mason University—who now leads the conference with a 10-1 record—despite a 20-point effort from Reed Bailey ‘26.
Davidson didn’t stay down for long, though. They returned home for a two game stretch and won them both. In the first game, they achieved a 7-point victory over Duquesne University, and they followed it up by downing Fordham University 74-64 a week later.
Following the home stint, Davidson went on the road for a two-game stretch. On Jan. 15, the ‘Cats fell to La Salle University by three points, 79-76. Three days later, Davidson was edged out, 92-90, by the University of Rhode Island, despite a 30-point performance from Bailey. The Wildcats returned home Jan. 21, only to lose 78-61 to Saint Joseph’s University.
In the midst of the turbulent A-10 season, Bailey has held steady for Davidson with consistently strong play and leadership. Bailey currently leads not only Davidson but the entire A-10 in scoring averaging 20 points per game. Bobby Durkin ‘27 and Connor Kochera ‘25 also sit at fourteenth and eighteenth, respectively, across the conference in scoring.
On Jan. 25, the ‘Cats snapped their losing streak on the road against Richmond with a 72-66 win. Once again, Bailey led the way with a career-high 32 points, while Durkin grabbed ten rebounds to help Davidson seal the deal. The following Saturday, the Wildcats hosted George Mason in a potential revenge game. Despite stellar defensive play from the ‘Cats and 17 points from Durkin, Davidson could not pull close enough to steal the win. They lost in a close matchup, 64-60. Three days later, Coach McKillop and his team travelled up to Ohio to take on University of Dayton. Bailey once again led Davidson in scoring with 19 points, but it wasn’t enough—the Wildcats fell 69-63.
Davidson was able to bookend those losses with a series sweep against Richmond on Feb. 8. Bailey showed out again with 24 points, and the ‘Cats won 71-60 in front of a jubilant home crowd. Currently, Davidson is 4-6 in conference play, leaving them at tenth place in the conference with eight games remaining. With the exception of Fordham—whom Davidson will meet again on the road on Feb. 22—every team the Wildcats face sits above them in the A-10 standings and will be first-time matchups. These games are against Loyola University Chicago (twice), George Washington University, Saint Louis University, St. Bonaventure University, and a huge road game against Virginia Commonwealth University, who are currently sitting alone in second place in the A-10.
While a regular season title seems out of reach for the ‘Cats at this point, stranger things have happened. Each win from here on out helps Davidson build momentum for the A-10 Tournament in March, which will likely be the Wildcats’ only chance to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
