The Davidson men’s basketball team headed to the Bobcats Arena in Charlotte for the second time this season, losing to No. 7 Duke 79-73. Sports reporters referred to Davidson as “pesky” and “stubborn” for giving Duke “a rare close game.” You can read the Associated Press sports report by clicking here. Instead of the play-by-play details, we at DavidsonNews decided to focus instead on some the lesser known facts and interesting tidbits about Saturday’s much anticipated matchup:

• Davidson has no shortage of Duke fans, so this game brought out divided loyalties. “I’m wearing red and black,” said one Davidson woman, pointing with pride to her sweater, “but my jeans are blue.” Another man sporting a Blue Devils sweatshirt explained that, “I pull for Davidson except against Duke!”
• Davidson College was able to make use of its ties to the Presybterians — First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte, which has a prime location on Trade Street, offered free parking to Wildcat fans, though we spotted a few Dukies slinking out of their cars too. Students made full use of the generous offer, enjoying tailgate food and fun.
• Davidson did have one victory during the game — the kid contest. This involves young fans racing to pull on an XL-sized basketball uniform and shoes and then trying to make a basket. Davidson was represented by a young man named “Lucas,” who easily beat the Duke rep, even as his ‘Cats uniform shorts dropped to his ankles.
• Our unofficial, and of course totally unbiased, opinion was that red dominated blue among Bobcats Arena fans – the main floor was eight red to three blue sections. How sweet it was to be the home team, with the home band, in such a large venue. The house rocked when the Wildcats made their official entry, and also when the band played “Sweet Caroline.” The boos were deafening when, with just under four minutes left, a Duke player went out of bounds unnoticed by the refs — but right in front of the Davidson student section.
• The Duke team and coaching staff had to walk down the court to get to their bench, which resulted in an impressive parade of men in black suits at the start of each period. We counted 11 men in suits, as compared to 12 Duke players warming up.
• With his left arm wrapped in bright white tape from wrist to elbow, Davidson star Stephen Curry was the easiest player to track across the court. The sophomore point guard has a torn ligament in his left wrist that needs surgery, but apparently can wait until the post-season. Ouch.
• Duke fans wanting to duck out early to beat the traffic had to keep sitting back down as Davidson repeatedly narrowed the point spread in the final minutes of the game. The Wildcats kept things exciting, rallying from a 12-point deficit with five minutes to play to bring the score to 70-65 at two minutes.
• Even before the fans had filed out after the game, the fancy arena basketball floor was being pulled up and stacked on carts. Make way for the ice — the Charlotte Checkers were to face off against the Mississippi Sea Wolves starting at 8 p.m.!