The back-and-forth, on-and-off drama surrounding this season's men's basketball game between the Davidson Wildcats and Charlotte 49ers took another bizarre turn on Thursday, once again throwing the 29-year history of the rivalry between the two Mecklenburg County Division I schools in doubt.
Chattanooga, one of Davidson's fellow members in the Southern Conference, released its 2008-09 schedule on Thursday, which includes a Dec. 13 matchup with the Wildcats at Davidson's Belk Arena.
However, that's the date Davidson and Charlotte officials agreed to play when the future of the game was first put in doubt earlier this month.
At that time, Davidson athletics director Jim Murphy said the Wildcats would need to reschedule their game with Chattanooga, but also said that would not be problem. Charlotte rescheduled its game with Winthrop, originally planned for Dec. 13, and moved it to Jan. 31.
Murphy did not return calls or e-mails for comment on Thursday.
The new twist left Charlotte athletics director Judy Rose frustrated.
“We did everything Davidson asked us to do to make the Dec. 13 game work because they assured us it would work,” she said. “We would never have asked Winthrop to change a previously contracted date unless we were certain this game was going to happen.
“Now we're told that Dec. 13 won't work. It seems to me nothing we did was good enough for Davidson to get this game done.”
Jim Horten, a team spokesman for Chattanooga, said the Mocs offered Davidson “three or four” new game dates, but none worked for the Wildcats. Horten said the team then proceeded with its schedule as is.
Horten also said Dec. 13 was not the original date of Chattanooga's visit to Davidson. The Wildcats asked for a date change earlier this year to accommodate another game, but Horten did not know which game it was.
Horten said Chattanooga was in no additional discussions with Davidson regarding their game. Charlotte has released its 2008-09 schedule, which includes the Dec. 13 game at Davidson.
Davidson has not released its schedule.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
49ers-Wildcats game in doubt - again?
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13 comments:
WHO
FREAKIN
CARES
IF
WE
PLAY
DAVIDSON!!!!
Screw them... I used to love and root for Davidson when they weren't getting destroyed by us... but... they have picked up this UNC-CH "our crap don't stink" attitude that makes it look like it is an honor to play them.
1. We OWN them
2. Who cares about a mid-major, schedule an SEC team
3. See #1
(don't give me that Curry crap... he was owned by Leemire, and Lee won!)
Norm the Niner isn't going to open the door when the Wildcats are hungry and crying in a few years.
Meow, meow...
Dear Mrs. Rose, Coach Lutz & any other decision-maker with the Niners
Can we just move on from this discussion.
Just schedule another game for the 13th, home or away. Go get the best game you can. The needs of your team is more important than jumping thru hoops to keep a tradition alive.
Stop wasting time with these people and look out the best interest of your program.
Sincerely
A Charlotte 49er Alum & Supporter
This is absolutely pathetic. Does Davidson realize that they are going to suck in 2 years? Do they really think that their one elite 8 run has propelled them to the top of anything other than there pathetic excuse for conference? Sure - they scored a hat on the hat rack at dicks sporting goods for the next few years, but thats about it.
In a few years when they have a pathetic rpi and the only reason a decent team will play them is because they are a guaranteed win again they will come back crying.
Sucks to be you Davidson. Sucks to be you.
Davidson is garbage, if they don't want to play, don't sweat it.
Go out and find a team who actually presents a challenge.
*Waits for the Kitty Kat whining*
Play a quality team like Monmoth, UNC Greensboro, Youngstown State, Long Island, Illinois Chicago, Gardner Webb, Duquesne, Hofstra, Tulsa, Farliegh Dickenson, High Point, St. Bonadventure....
...That will get the fans excited.
With the exception of Missouri, Saint Joe's, Seton Hall and of course Charlotte, those teams are for the most part bigger names than the teams that have visited Belk Arena in the past 10 years.
As much as I enjoy the yearly game with Davidson, I say we end the series and move on. It's ridiculous how much Charlotte has tried to do to work around Davidson's schedule (2 agreed on dates). We've consistently been one of the top teams on their schedule, and suddenly they're too good? No thank you.
Maybe Horten listened and didn't hear a who.
OK, that's bad, but you had to be thinking that when you raed his name.
And, ever since Hollywood Bob got his Elite Eight smile, he doesn't have to answer to Jim Murphy. He's on his own. That's what a little bit of luck and a Steph Curry will get you.
Or, maybe Horten couldn't hear a who because he was driving the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.
OK, that was bad, too.
As a graduate of Charlotte and proud member of Niner Nation, I am appalled at Davidson and their obvious lack of sportsmanship. This "back and forth" has been initiated and perpetuated by Davidson. The Wildcats head coach Bob McKillop cowardly notified the Observer of the “unlikelihood the schools would meet this season”. After involvement by the Athletic Directors of both schools Davidson agreed to a contract stating Dec. 13 as the play date, which additionally stipulated a multi-year agreement to continue the tradition. Later Davidson again broke their word regarding the previously agreed upon date; after, might I add, Charlotte and Winthrop went out of their way to reschedule their game.
While I love Charlotte Athletics and once admired Davidson Basketball my perception and opinion of the entire Davidson Athletics program has become severely tarnished. I'm not afraid to say that Davidson, in light of their recent success in the NCAA tournament, has grown a few sizes too big for their Southern Conference britches, (to steal a line from my grandfather). I believe that their recent decisions to end the series are no less than willful and blatantly pretentious. Are they tired of losing; a 26-10 record may indicate that? Have they gone the way of many ACC teams, believing the 49ers are unworthy of their time? Should I remind them of the previous meetings victor?
It is noteworthy that Davidson plays a 20 game Conference schedule, but despite this, Bobby Lutz, Judy Rose and the entire Charlotte Athletics community has gone out of it’s way to accommodate the finicky Wildcats.
Shame on you, Bob McKillop.
We should never play them again... at least until the official apology is released.
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