The Charlotte 49ers and Davidson get back together for their annual Mecklenburg County rivalry game Tuesday at the Wildcats’ Belk Arena. Here are five things to know about this season’s battle for the Hornets’ Nest Trophy:
▪ Charlotte (2-2) leads the overall series 28-16 and is 22-13 in games for the Hornets’ Nest Trophy. Davidson (5-1), however, has won the past five meetings, including a 85-70 decision last season at the 49ers’ Halton Arena. Peyton Aldridge scored 25 points and Kellan Grady had 22 for the Wildcats; Andrien White (who has since transferred to Wake Forest) had 22 for the 49ers.
▪ The game offers a clash of styles: Davidson’s free-flowing offense against Charlotte’s “pack” defense, brought in by first-year coach Ron Sanchez from his time as an assistant at Virginia. The coaches are familiar with each other and their systems. Davidson has played Virginia three times since 2013 (all Cavaliers victories).
Wildcats coach Bob McKillop said his team won’t do anything differently.
“Our system is pretty simple,” he said. “Sacrifice equals reward, five guys linked to each other, helping each other out.”
Sanchez said his team will need to be disciplined defensively.
“(Davidson’s) is a random offense and there’s no resting with their constant movement,” Sanchez said. “You can’t go 10 seconds into the shot clock and all of a sudden rest, because you’ll give up a layup. You’ve got to stay engaged.”
There are signs that Charlotte’s defense is beginning to solidify. The 49ers have held opponents to under 45 percent shooting. The Wildcats, however, have plenty of long-range firepower in Grady, Luke Frampton and Jon Axel Gudmundsson.
▪ Both teams have true freshmen to watch. Davidson forward Luka Brajkovic averages 10.2 points on an array of inside moves and also leads the team in rebounds (6.5). Charlotte has four true freshmen in its rotation — guards Cooper Robb, Malik Martin and Brandon Younger and forward Dravon Mangum. Martin averages 10.8 points and Mangum is tied for the team’s rebounding lead with sophomore Milos Supica at 5.3 per game.
▪ Each team is led by a dynamic guard: Charlotte’s Jon Davis and Davidson’s Grady. Davis averages 21.3 points and 3.3 assists. Grady averages 17.5 points and 2.2 assists.
▪ But the guy who might decide the game is often overlooked: Davidson’s Gudmundsson is back to his stat-stuffing self, averaging 17.7 points, 5.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds.