Game Thread [2023-24] Wake Forest

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

Monday, February 12, 7pm ET, ESPN
Cameron Indoor Stadium

Kenpom: #25 overall, #27 offense, #42 defense

Wake is one of the best shooting teams in the country (#17 3PT%, #2 FT%), and their extreme bad luck on opponent FTs this season (#310 FT% allowed) is artificially depressing their overall defensive numbers. The least threatening shooter in their main lineup, 7-0 junior transfer Efton Reid, is a 90% FT shooter. Junior SG/SF Hunter Sallis is the latest in a line of transfers who blow up at Wake, transforming from a terrible overall player in his two seasons at Gonzaga to a high volume 3pt marksman, midrange assassin and great finisher. 6-10 senior transfer Andrew Carr is a very nice and perhaps underutilized stretch 4 in this offense, with a 126 offensive rating on 20% usage; he makes shots and draws more fouls than anyone else on Wake.

Steve Forbes' best attribute appears to be identifying high-potential transfers, recruiting them to Wake and getting them to reach their potential. His entire main lineup consists of transfers. If a coach were to combine Jon Scheyer's recruiting with Forbes' portal use, he would have the best roster in the country every season. Of course, this is impossible.

 

[Devilsforlife]

Wake has been a generally solid team under Forbes, but they have not beaten a single NCAA tournament team on the road in his tenure, despite pushing us at Cameron the last 2 years. Really need to win this one with the 3 game road swing following it.

 

[rhfarmer]

Wake Forest, in my mind, has clearly already won this game.

RIP Duke

 

[aiw]

Totally agree.

 

[DrKlahn]

Great shooters with an awful assist percentage. That’s similar to, uh, nobody?

Wake by 18

 

[Inveigle]

Feels like a loss.

 

[rome8180]

Much as I love Stewart getting more minutes, just not sure you can play him in this one. Or if you do play him, maybe it needs to be with better offensive lineups. The offensive lulls in the first half of the last two games have been a result of the awkward lineups we've had in. Stewart has played in place of Flip some, which sounds great in theory, but you're losing Flip's screen setting and overall gravity. This problem is compounded when the guards are Blakes, Proctor, or Foster. The former is a non-scorer and the other two aren't always aggressive. Throw Power out there for three minutes and you have another guy the defense doesn't care about (because no one is passing to him and we're not running anything for him).

Not sure what the right combination is. But I know we can't afford to go minutes at a time without scoring against an offense like Wake's. Also, while he and Power have held up defensively okay recently, I wouldn't trust them against a team with such excellent guards.

 

[StopThePumpFakesShav]

I mean there’s no way we’re sweeping Wake. We have to play them again on the road. So we better win the home game.

This one makes me nervous.

 

[physicsfactor]

Ugh. I hate Wake’s coach. I do not want to lose a home game to them.

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

Duke is favored by 7.

 

[dukebluedevils05]

The lossiest loss of all time.

 

[Rollins]

the list of impressive performances from wake forest outside of lawrence joel in the last 25 years has got to be under 5. cannot lose this.

 

[Topher]

The one game I decide to get tickets for seems like an automatic loss. Looking forward to cheering for the upstart rapscallions from Duke.

 

[torontoduke]

Duke is always the underdog

 

[aiw]

Last time Wake beat Duke in Cameron was my senior year. All good things come to an end.

 

[Devilsforlife]

24 straight wins. I want 25!

 

[aiw]

Flip

 

[Devilsforlife]

Fucking Flip

 

[aiw]

gross

 

[aiw]

Just sticking with that Flip centric offense