At least, you can make that argument. And you can make that argument sound pretty convincing. When Davidson takes on VCU in front of more than 5,000 fans — the first back-to-back sellouts at Belk since Stephen Curry’s junior season — the Wildcats will be making their case for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. 

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Davidson, believe it or not, has never earned an at-large bid. 

The Wildcats are no strangers to the madness of March — Curry’s magical scoring spree in the 2008 tournament remains unforgettable — but all 12 of their trips to the big dance have come via an automatic bid after a Southern Conference tournament title. 

When legendary coach Lefty Driesell’s 1968 squad finished 24-5 and two agonizing points short of a spot in the Final Four, the Wildcats qualified with a SoCon tournament championship. And when the Curry-led Wildcats made their stunning run to the Elite Eight as a No. 10 seed in 2008, that journey started with a SoCon title. 

But when Davidson was upended by College of Charleston in the SoCon tournament in 2009, for example, the Wildcats were left out of the NCAA Tournament despite a 26-7 record (they were given an NIT invite). And that’s part of the reason Davidson jumped to the Atlantic 10 this year. 

The SoCon, as a league, has never had a team earn an at-large bid, either. The Atlantic 10, on the other hand, sent six teams to the NCAA Tournament last season. 

But that’s enough of a history lesson.

Davidson (21-6, with an RPI of 44 and a Pomeroy rating of 32) enters this game against a sliding VCU squad — the Rams have lost five of their past nine games and have struggled with point guard Briante Weber out with an ACL tear — in position to earn that elusive at-large bid. The Wildcats have won seven consecutive contests and sit a half-game behind Dayton in the conference standings (13-4 to 12-4). 

“We’re starting to really hit our stride now,” junior Jordan Barham said after the Wildcats beat George Washington on Saturday night. 

In previous years, with a couple games left in the regular season, the Wildcats would be jockeying for position in the SoCon tournament (if they hadn’t already clinched the top seed). This year, it’s a bit different because they’re trying to convince the selection committee that they’re one of the teams that deserves an at-large bid. 

And they’re handling it with a style that reflects coach Bob McKillop’s measured approach. 

“Coach does such a good job eliminating distractions for us,” junior Brian Sullivan said Saturday night. “Today, he even said he sensed a little bit of tightness with us, maybe because of that. We just go out one game at a time, because he does such a good job of preparing us mentally, and I think we do a good job pushing the distractions away, having fun and just taking it one moment at a time.” 

They could, of course, get into the NCAA Tournament by winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament and the accompanying automatic bid, but the goal is to make that a non-essential option. 

The Wildcats are playing like a team that deserves an at-large bid, but their resume is thin. They don’t have any non-conference wins that will impress the selection committee, though they did hold a lead well into the second half of their game at Virginia (which is now 28-1 on the season). 

And though victories against Richmond, Rhode Island and George Washington (they swept the Colonials) are solid, their home win against Dayton is the only one they have against a likely NCAA Tournament team. The Rams are a likely NCAA Tournament team (though this recent slide is a bit concerning). 

And that’s why Thursday’s game is so very important. It’s a shot at history.