Five things to know as Davidson Wildcats prepare to open basketball season
It has been a frustrating end to the past two seasons for Matt McKillop and the Davidson Wildcats, but with a new crop of talent, improved depth, and an older roster, this group is optimistic as basketball season approaches.
Tasked with replacing the top five scorers, McKilliop and his staff scoured the power conferences and the traditional one-bid leagues to reload, looking for pieces to increase the balance of the roster in 2025-26.
“Our coaching staff is thrilled about this incoming class, and we know that our fans will be too,” McKillop said this summer. The Wildcats were picked to finish 11th out of 15 teams in the Atlantic 10 in the media poll. “We would like to prove people wrong,” McKillop added.
With the season tipping off in less than a week, here’s a look at Davidson’s 2025-26 strengths and storylines.
Davidson’s men impacted by the transfer portal
Like most mid-majors, the Wildcats have plenty of production to replace in 2025-26, including their do-it-all forward, Reed Bailey, who led the team in points (18.8), rebounds (6.1), assists (3.8), and blocks (0.8) last season.
Davidson must replace its entire starting five, except for forward Sean Logan, who missed all but 11 games last season with a torn ACL. The highest returning scorer, Roberts Blums, averaged just 4.3 points per game.
“You can make the argument (that) Roberts Blums has been the most consistent player in our gym for the last month,” McKillop said.
It will be an even split, returning eight players and adding the same number.
As illustrated at the team’s preseason luncheon, team-building will be important with a myriad of new faces making up the team’s impact and ancillary pieces.
Who’s in the Wildcats’ backcourt?
As preseason practice ramped up, multiple transfers have impressed, with Wake Forest transfer Parker Friedrichsen and Penn transfer Sam Brown drawing praise from McKillop.
The Wildcats recruited Friedrichsen out of high school, before he committed to the Demon Deacons, where he averaged just 4.2 points per game over two seasons.
“What we’ve seen, he’s the player we believed he could be when we recruited him (out of high school), and we recruited him heavily,” McKillop said. “I think in the back of his mind, there was always a (thought) Davidson could have been the right place.”
Friedrichsen will play a big role in the offense, along with returning guard Hunter Adam, who saw a slightly increased role last season. Brown averaged nearly 14 points per game last season with Penn and will look to get back to his freshman season average of 43.3% from beyond the arc.
The X-factor of the group is on the wing: Army transfer Josh Scovens. At 6-foot-6, Scovens totaled 15.2 points per game and won rookie of the year honors in the Patriot League the year prior. Averaging more than one steal and block per game last season, Scovens will be a pest on the defensive end and can turn defense into offense for Davidson.
Who is down low for Davidson?
McKillop won’t replace Bailey’s production with one player, but by committee. Logan will make an immediate impact in his return to the starting lineup, but must improve on his 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds from the 11-game sample size in 2024-25.
Joe Hurlburt didn’t show much in 28 games with the Wildcats last season, averaging just 1.2 points, but McKillop has been impressed with his development entering his senior season. Freshman C Ian Platteeuw, the tallest player on the roster at 7-foot, is touted as a great rebounder, but will be a developmental player early in his career.
Lastly, Vanderbilt transfer JaQualon Roberts has an opportunity to make an immediate impact after his play-time with the Commodores tapered off in his sophomore season. Roberts, a former three-star prospect, is a 6-foot-8 forward that McKillop believes will take a step forward in the Wildcats’ system.
“We believe at Davidson he will take that next step of not only continuing to do those things the right way but impacting the game at the highest of levels with his athleticism, defensive abilities, and the offensive skills that he has not had the chance to show at the college level,” McKillop said of Roberts.
Where to watch Davidson Wildcats
Davidson faces a challenging non-conference slate before tipping off Atlantic 10 play, featuring a clash with Boston College in the Charleston Classic, a trip down to 77 to take on the Charlotte 49ers, and concludes with their toughest task of the season – a trek to Allen Fieldhouse to take on the No. 19-ranked Kansas Jayhawks.
The Nov. 21 matchup against Boston College will be nationally televised on ESPN2, and all other games will be available to stream on ESPN+, as of now.
The Wildcats open Nov. 3 at home against DeSales then host Washington State on Nov. 7.
Outlook for Davidson women
Opposite the men’s team, head coach Gayle Fulks’ women’s squad is returning plenty of production from last season. With three of the top four scorers returning, led by Charlise Dunn and Katie Donovan, the Wildcats are looking to build on their third-place finish in the Atlantic 10 last season and make their first NCAA tournament.
Picked to finish third in the A-10 by the media, the Wildcats’ women have their work cut out for them with a tough non-conference slate, starting Nov. 3 at Mississippi State. The schedule features multiple opportunities against ranked opponents, including home bouts against No. 16 Baylor and No. 9 N.C. State, as well as a road trip to No. 24 Richmond.
This story was originally published October 30, 2025 at 5:15 AM with the headline "Five things to know as Davidson Wildcats prepare to open basketball season."