In a year that does not make sense, it is fitting that Davidson is playing the Maui Invitational in its home state of North Carolina as it will take on Texas in the first round of the tournament on Monday.
Texas has among its returning players the highest percentage of minutes of any team in college basketball at 99.9, and those players get a boost by being joined by five-star freshman forward Greg Brown.
Brown had 11 points and 10 rebounds in his college basketball debut against UT Rio Grande Valley en route to the team hauling in 43 rebounds.
Davidson counters with an abundance of experience, as well. Six of its top seven players in points scored from a season ago are back, including Kellen Grady, who has averaged more than 17 points per game in each of his three seasons on campus.
Though Davidson might have a tough time on the glass against Texas’ front line, rising sophomore Hyunjung Lee is picking up where he left last season, dropping 23 points in the season opener against High Point. In the team’s final 11 games of the 2019-20 season, Lee registered 10.6 ppg and made 93.1 percent of his free throws and 40.9 percent of his 3-point shots after seeing limited minutes to begin his freshman season.
Davidson had a lot of players last season who were expected to play big roles but were limited by injuries. While that led to an underachieving 2019-20 season, it should pay dividends this season and allow the Wildcats to hang with Texas.
The Play: Davidson, +7.5.