The Davidson College men’s basketball team is in the midst of a grueling series of games against top-ranked teams. After a close loss against Duke Saturday, the Wildcats fell 75-68 to UNC-Charlotte Tuesday night at Halton Arena, the Charlotte 49ers’ home court. That means the Wildcats had to hand over the Hornet’s Nest trophy, part of the tradition for the annual December cross-town rivalry.

The two teams have met every year since the 1978-79 season, with the winner unofficially crowned the champion of Mecklenburg County. Charlotte is 19-9 in Hornet’s Nest games, but Davidson won last year’s meeting, 79-51. The Wildcats, now with a 3-4 record, head next to Anaheim, Calif., to face No. 8 UCLA in the John Wooden Classic Saturday, Dec. 8.