No one’s calling Andrew Davison foolish now.
No one believed him then. It was way before the undefeated start, really before there was much hope at all.
Davison kept telling people he saw something more than other selfish teams he’d been on — and something much more than what coaches called the ninth-best team in the conference.
Davison saw the beginnings of a team. A great one.
“I thought we were going to be special,” the ESU guard said. “Some people might have thought I was crazy, walking around, thinking that we were going to be good, but I thought I always knew we were going to be good.
“Now we’re proving it.”
The Hornets’ most significant test is to come on Saturday.
In what some have called the biggest game at White Auditorium in more than 15 years, No. 8 ESU will put its school-best 14-0 record on the line Saturday against the 14-0 and No. 3-ranked Central Missouri Mules, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.
“I don’t think Emporia’s seen anything like this before,” Davison said. “If they love basketball, I think it’s the time to show up.”
The game will be more than a battle for the top spot in the conference — it also will be about as true of a David versus Goliath showdown as there can be.
David, aka Emporia State, comes in as the underdog, picked to finish ninth out of 10 MIAA teams after having multiple players transfer from last year’s 18-13 team.
Coach David Moe had one player in particular tell him that his team wouldn’t win five games after he transferred. The Hornets are now 5-0 in the conference.
“I really hope,” Davison said, “we’ve proved ourself by now.”
Meanwhile Central Missouri, aka Goliath, enters as the heavy favorite after being picked to win the conference in the preseason.
The Mules have done everything to live up to expectations, defeating teams by an average of 23.1 points. Their closest win came against Rollins College on Dec. 17 — and even that was by seven points.
“I see a lot of intensity from both teams,” ESU guard DeAndre Townsend said. “They’re going to give us 100 percent. We’re going to give them 1,000 percent.”
The game is expected to draw a good crowd, as the University is expecting the returning ESU students and a strong Central following to help pack White Auditorium Saturday.
“I think it’s going to be a huge game,” Townsend said. “One to remember, one to go down in the history books.”
ESU returns home after proving itself in three consecutive road games against Washburn, Pittsburg State and Truman.
The team’s toughest test came last, as it overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat Truman, 63-60, on Wednesday.
The normally hot-shooting Hornets won despite shooting just 33 percent from the floor.
“That was probably the biggest adversity we’ve faced,” ESU forward Caleb Tegtmeier said, “because we haven’t had a night yet that we didn’t shoot well.”
The game also will feature the league’s top two candidates for MIAA Most Valuable Player.
ESU guard Donta Watson comes in leading the league in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game. The senior also is second in the league in three-point shooting percentage, making 46.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
On the other side, UCM guard Zack Wright is third in the conference with a 17.7-point scoring average. He also leads the league with 2.43 steals per game.
ESU leads the league in scoring (87.4 ppg) but will get perhaps its toughest challenge of the year against the Central pressure defense. The Mules are second in the MIAA, allowing just 60.6 points per game.
“The game is going to be one of those battle games,” Townsend said. “I think our team is ready for it.”
Fans also will have reason to show up early, as the ESU women will take on UCM and longtime foe in coach Dave Slifer.
The Lady Hornets also are ranked No. 8 in the nation, coming in with an 11-3 record.
Though Emporia has been known as a women’s basketball city, Davison believed there was enough basketball love to go around.
“The women’s team is great. We’re great,” Davison said. “I think it’s just a basketball town.”
Townsend said it would be a game that fans wouldn’t want to miss.
“Get your tickets early, come out,” Townsend said, “and enjoy the show.”