No. 25 Virginia slips past Davidson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop sees his Wildcats’ winless start through three games as a test of their will and self-belief.

“The danger is your players can lose confidence and that is clearly a danger because we’re 0-3,” McKillop said Saturday after Davidson lost, 70-57, against No. 25 Virginia at Time Warner Cable Arena. “We could say we’re not very good. But I put a tremendous amount of trust in this team, knowing the fabric of their character and personality. Confidence can erode as a result of a loss like this, but as we progress through this, I have the utmost confidence these guys are going to respond.”

It was the Wildcats’ second game against a ranked opponent (losing on opening night at Duke), and it doesn’t get much easier anytime soon. Davidson plays next week in the three-game Charleston Classic against a field that includes Georgia, Temple and Clemson, then continues with games at rival Charlotte, No. 12 North Carolina and No. 16 Wichita State before Southern Conference play begins.

Virginia (2-1) found plenty to exploit in the young Wildcats. The bigger, more physical Cavaliers pounded the ball inside, usually to 6-foot-11 Mike Tobey (18 points, seven rebounds), and outscored Davidson 36-8 in the paint.