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The Davidson Wildcats take on the Wright State Raiders. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Davidson Wright State prediction and pick.
The Davidson Wildcats begin a new era this season, though they are still keeping their basketball program in the family. They will still have a McKillop coaching them, but not the one they have known for the past third of a century. Bob McKillop, one of the best coaches in college basketball for the past few decades, retired in the offseason after 33 years at the helm of the Davidson program. McKillop will forever be remembered as the man who coached and developed a player named Stephen Curry and guided Davidson to the Elite Eight in 2008, narrowly missing the Final Four. Davidson took eventual national champion Kansas into the final seconds of that Midwest Regional Final, showing that tiny Davidson College could compete with the big boys on the national scene. McKillop made several NCAA Tournament appearances with Davidson. He also led the program on an upward climb in conference realignment. Formerly in the Southern Conference, Davidson moved up to the Atlantic 10. It was easy to think the Wildcats would be overmatched in their higher-rent neighborhood, but they won multiple Atlantic 10 championships. They made the NCAA Tournament last season in McKillop's final ride.
Now the program goes to Bob's son, Matt McKillop, who will maintain the offensive system which has been so hard for Davidson's opponents to defend over the years. Matt has to prove he can X-and-O the same way his father did, and make the shrewd adjustments and maneuvers which can keep Davidson basketball in the top tier of the Atlantic 10.
Wright State had a great campaign last season under head coach Scott Nagy. The well-respected Nagy, who spent two decades at South Dakota State, guided Wright State to the NCAA Tournament and then to a First Four victory over Bryant in a battle of 16 seeds. Wright State then lost to Arizona in the Round of 64 in March Madness. Wright State went 15-7 in regular-season play in the Horizon League. The Raiders then won three games to capture the Horizon League Tournament championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The championship game was a one-point thriller over Northern Kentucky. Nagy showed the steady hand of a seasoned coaching veteran. He will try to replicate in 2023 what he did with Wright State in the first months of 2022.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Davidson-Wright State College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Davidson-Wright State Odds
Davidson Wildcats: -4.5 (-104)
Wright State Raiders: +4.5 (-118)
Over: 151.5 (-110)
Under: 151.5 (-110)
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Why Davidson Could Cover the Spread
This is a new era for Davidson, but Foster Loyer returns from last season. He poured in 30 points on Monday in Davidson's 87-64 win over a non-Division I opponent. Loyer's scoring will anchor this offense and give Matt McKillop a dependable producer to lean on in these first few games of the season. Loyer could make the difference for Davidson.
Why Wright State Could Cover the Spread
Not having Bob McKillop to go up against could help Scott Nagy win the coaching matchup in this game and get Wright State — playing at home — off to a good start. It's certainly worth wondering how Davidson will play in its first road game of the new season.
Final Davidson-Wright State Prediction & Pick
You should frankly stay away from this game because we don't know what Matt McKillop truly brings to the table as Davidson's new coach, replacing his father. If you insist on a pick, go double: Wright State plus the points and the under.
Final Davidson-Wright State Prediction & Pick: Wright State +4.5, Under 151.5
