Deacs Host Wisconsin In ACC-Big Ten Challenge
11/29/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 29, 1999
WAKE FOREST (3-0) vs WISCONSIN (3-1)
November 30, 1999
7:00 p.m.
Joel Coliseum
Wake Forest hosts Wisconsin at Joel Coliseum in a nationally televised contest as part of the 1999 ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The Demon Deacons and Badgers play the first of what will be nine games between the two leagues. Wake Forest, in the midst of a three-game homestand, is coming off an 85-60 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore last Saturday.
THE LINEUP - The Demon Deacons used the lineup listed above in each of the first three games of the season. Three of the starters are carryovers from last season - juniors ROBERT O'KELLEY and RAFAEL VIDAURRETA and sophomore DARIUS SONGAILA - while sophomore NIKI ARINZE was a starter in 24 games in 1997-98 before missing most of last season with a shoulder injury. Freshman JOSH HOWARD is the lone newcomer to the starting lineup.
The Demon Deacons entered the 1999-2000 season with seven players who have started more than 10 games in their careers and 10 players that have cracked the starting lineup at least once. Wake Forest used 15 different starting lineups during the 1998-99 season as twelve different players started at least one game.
PROBABLE DEMON DEACON LINEUP
| Career | ||||||
| No. Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | PPG | RPG | Starts |
| 4 Robert O'Kelley | G | 6'1 | Jr. | *12.0 | 0.7 | 53 |
| 5 Josh Howard | G | 6'6 | Fr. | 9.0 | 3.7 | 3 |
| 41 Rafael Vidaurreta | C | 6'9 | Jr. | 4.7 | 5.0 | 49 |
| 33 Niki Arinze | F | 6'5 | So. | 8.3 | 4. | 31 |
| 25 Darius Songaila | F | 6'9 | So. | 11.7 | 4.7 | 27 |
TOP RESERVES
| 42 Craig Dawson | G | 6'5 | So. | 11.0 | 0.7 | 12 |
| 3 Broderick Hicks | G | 6'1 | So. | 9.3 | 2.3 | 7 |
| 31 Ervin Murray | G | 6'5 | So. | 4.3 | 1.6 | 14 |
| 44 Josh Shoemaker | F/C | 6'9 | Jr. | 8.7 | *8.0 | 34 |
| 34 Antwan Scott | F | 6'8 | So. | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3 |
| 52 Tate Decker | F | 6'11 | Jr. | 4.3 | 2.3 | 0 |
HEAD COACH - Dave Odom (11th year at Wake Forest) / Won 202, Lost 107 (14th year Overall) / Won 240, Lost 149
THE HEAD COACH - The 1999-2000 season is the 11th at Wake Forest for coach DAVE ODOM, who has built the Demon Deacon program into one of the nation's best. The Deacs made seven consecutive NCAA appearances from 1991 through 1997, then extended their string of postseason tourneys to nine in a row by playing in the 1998 and 1999 NIT.
Odom is a three-time ACC Coach of the Year (1991, 1994, 1995). From 1993 through 1998, his Wake Forest teams won 20-or-more games each season. Since a losing record in his first year with the Deacs, his teams have won 67% of their games, averaging 21 wins per season over the last nine years. Wake Forest won back-to-back ACC titles in 1995 and 1996, establishing a school record for wins (26-6) each year, and in 1997 spent 10 weeks as the nation's #2-ranked team.
UP NEXT - The Demon Deacons wrap up their three-game homestand with a nationally-televised contest next Saturday afternoon against Temple (12:00 / ESPN) before taking six days off for fall semester final exams.
SERIES VS. WISCONSIN / AGAINST THE BIG TEN - Wake Forest and Wisconsin are meeting for the first time this evening, and Wake Forest is 8-13 all-time against the 11 current members of the Big Ten.
Under Dave Odom, however, the Deacons are 2-2 against Big Ten schools. Since dropping a pair of games to Purdue and Penn State in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl Tournament (Odom's first year at Wake Forest), the Deacs have won two straight meetings against the Big Ten - topping Iowa (84-78) in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament and downing Illinois (75-73) in the season opener last year at the Coaches vs Cancer Classic.
ODOM HITS 200 - Wake Forest's win over Campbell in the season opener was the 200th at the school for Demon Deacon head coach DAVE ODOM, who is now 11th on the ACC all-time victory list (202-107). He is on pace to surpass both Jim Valvano (209 wins at NC State) and Vic Bubas (213 at Duke) during the 1999-2000 campaign. Odom's overall record as a head coach is now 240-149 including a three-year stint at East Carolina from 1980 through 1982.
On the Wake Forest career coaching list, Odom ranks 3rd behind Carl Tacy (222-149 record from 1973-1985) and the school's all-time victory leader, Murray Greason (288-243 from 1934-1957). Odom's 86 ACC victories (he's 86-70), however, are the most for any Demon Deacon coach.
NOVEMBER A MONTH TO REMEMBER - Wake Forest now owns a 27-3 record in games played during the month of November in 10 years under head coach Dave Odom. In fact, the Demon Deacons had a 15-game winning streak during the month of November snapped last season in the loss to Temple in the Coaches vs Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Deacs bounced back after that loss, however, and now own eight straight November wins.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST - Wake Forest has scored over 80 points in each of the first three games of the season, and the Demon Deacons are averaging 87.3 points per game. In fact, the Deacs have scored 80+ points in three consecutive games for the first time since December of 1992. The last time Wake Forest scored more than 80 points in four successive games was in February of 1992.
MORE ON THE OFFENSE - Wake Forest's 90-55 win at Navy last Monday was the best team offensive performance since the 1996-97 season (Tim Duncan's senior season). The last time the Deacs topped the 90-point plateau was 86 games ago (Dec. 21, 1996 vs Campbell). Wake Forest shot 60.3% from the floor against the Midshipmen, the best shooting performance since hitting 60.9% from the field against Georgia Tech 82 games ago (Jan. 8, 1997).
SHOT TALK - After shooting 43.1% from the floor last season, the Demon Deacons have yet to shoot that low in a single game this year. The Deacs shot a season low 47.4% in the season opener against Campbell, and have shot better than 50% from the floor in the last two games (60.3% at Navy and 55.4% vs Maryland-Eastern Shore). Wake Forest shot over 50% in six of 31 games last season.
A BALANCED ATTACK - The Demon Deacons are averaging 87.3 points through the first three games of the season, but no player is scoring more than 13 points per game. ROBERT O'KELLEY leads the Deacs with a 12.0 ppg average while CRAIG DAWSON (11.0 ppg) and DARIUS SONGAILA (11.7 ppg) are each scoring in double figures. However, a closer examination of the statistics reveals that seven different players are scoring over eight points per game and 11 different players are averaging at least four point per contest.
Wake Forest's leading scorer in 1998-99, O'Kelley accounted for 26% of the team's offense (17.5 of 66.6 ppg). Through two games this year, O'Kelley is responsible for just 14% of the team's offense (12.0 of 87.3 ppg).
TIME SHARING - Through the first three games of the season, the Demon Deacons have operated with a very deep bench. Ten different players are averaging better than 10 minutes per game while no single player is playing more than 25 minutes per contest. Junior ROBERT O'KELLEY, who averaged 35.0 mpg last season, leads the team with 24.7 mpg.
Eleven different Demon Deacons played more than 10 minutes in the season opener against Campbell, and no Deac has played more than 29 minutes in one single game.
DEFENSIVE DEACS - The Wake Forest defense is holding opponents to 35.0% from the floor and forcing an average of 22.3 turnovers per contest through the first three games of the season (last year opponents turned the ball over 14.6 times per game). The Demon Deacons are also averaging nearly 10 steals per game this season.
Another aspect of the Deacon defense through two games is an increased shot blocking presence. In last Monday's 90-55 win at Navy, the Deacs blocked 11 shots - the most in a single game since Tim Duncan's senior season (79 games) - and now have 18 blocks in three games. Sophomore ANTWAN SCOTT leads the team in that department with six rejections.
20 or More Turnovers by Demon Deacon OpponentsYear Opponent (Turnovers)1999-00 Campbell (26), Navy (22)1998-99 ILL(26), UNCG(23), Mercer (21), Coastal (22), FSU (22)1997-98 Radford (22), Missouri (22)1996-97 none1995-96 none1994-95 none1993-94 Florida State (20)1992-93 Mt. St. Mary's (23), Winthrop (23)
ARINZE REDSHIRTED IN 1998-99 - Sophomore forward NIKI ARINZE, who started 24 games as a freshman in the 1997-98 season, was lost for the 98-99 season due to a shoulder injury. Arinze dislocated his left shoulder on October 26th during preseason practice. After missing two games, he returned to action and was a starter in four of the five contests in which he played.
The 6'5 Nashville product re-injured the shoulder on November 30th in Wake Forest's win at VMI. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on the shoulder on December 15th. Having played in only five regular season contests, Arinze qualified for a medical hardship ruling and did not lose a year of eligibility.
Arinze also underwent a preventive procedure on his right shoulder on February 19th. That step was taken by WFU medical officials in order to tighten the joint and reduce the chances of injury to that shoulder later in his career. He has returned to action this fall with no problems whatsoever.
DAWSON HEALS, TOO - Sophomore guard CRAIG DAWSON, who played throughout his rookie season with a stress fracture in his leg, underwent surgery on May 11th to stabilize and help insure healing in the tibia of his lower left leg. Team medical officials, who were fully aware of Dawson's condition during the season and had continued to monitor his progress during rehabilitation, advised that he undergo the procedure to fully facilitate his recovery for this season.
THREE-POINT STREAK CONTINUES - Wake Forest enters the game against Wisconsin having made at least one three-point field goal in 233 consecutive games. The last time that the Demon Deacons did not make a three-pointer was in a 1992 homecourt victory over Tulane.
DEACS IN THE "O-DOME" - The Demon Deacon overall record in Lawrence Joel Coliseum since the facility opened for the 1989-90 season is an excellent 123-29 (80.9% winning pct).
After winning just one league game in Joel in its inaugural campaign (1989-90), Wake Forest has won nearly 75% of its conference games (53-18) on its homecourt since 1990. North Carolina is the only ACC visitor to post a winning record in Joel Coliseum.
Wake's record in Joel includes an outstanding 69-5 mark against non-ACC foes. Non-conference losses suffered by the Deacons in Joel Coliseum have come to Colorado in January of 1991, California in December of 1993, Utah and Vanderbilt (in the NIT) during the 97-98 season, and Arkansas last year.
Deacon Homecourt Advantage - Record in Joel Coliseum
| Non-ACC | ACC | Overall Record | ||
| 1989-90 | 7-0 | 1-6 | 8-6 | |
| 1990-91 | 7-1 | 6-1 | 13-2 | |
| 1991-92 | 8-0 | 5-3 | 13-3 | |
| 1992-93 | 7-0 | 5-3 | 12-3 | |
| 1993-94 | 7-1 | 6-2 | 13-3 | |
| 1994-95 | 5-0 | 7-1 | 12-1 | |
| 1995-96 | 6-0 | 8-0 | 14-0 | |
| 1996-97 | 6-0 | 5-3 | 11-3 | |
| 1997-98 | 7-2 | 5-3 | 12-5 | |
| 1998-99 | 7-1 | 6-2 | 13-3 | |
| 1999-00 | 2-0 | 0-0 | 2-0 | |
| Totals | 69-5 | 54-24 | 123-29 | |
| (93.2%) | (69.2%) | (80.9%) |
TOP HALF OF ACC - With a victory over NC State in its final regular season contest, Wake Forest claimed undisputed possession of 4th place in the final league standings for the 1999 campaign. The Demon Deacons have now finished in the top half of the ACC regular season standings (4th place or higher including ties) seven consecutive years.
ACC SUCCESS - Since dropping their first 11 league contests and finishing with a 3-11 mark in the league in 1990, the Demon Deacons under head coach Dave Odom have achieved winning records against seven of their eight ACC foes, with only North Carolina holding an advantage over the Deacs the past nine years.
Wake Forest vs the ACC
| School | Last 6 yrs | Last 9 yrs | |
| Clemson | 10-4 | 15-5 | |
| Duke | 8-5 | 11-8 | |
| Florida State | 9-4 | 9-8 | |
| Georgia Tech | 8-6 | 11-9 | |
| Maryland | 7-5 | 11-7 | |
| North Carolina | 5-10 | 6-16 | |
| NC State | 9-4 | 14-5 | |
| Virginia | 10-4 | 14-8 | |
| Totals | 66-42 | 91-66 | |
| [61%] | [58%] |
ACC Regular Season Records in the 1990's
| School | W-L | Pct. | |
| Duke | 109-47 | 69.9 | |
| North Carolina | 108-48 | 69.2 | |
| Wake Forest | 86-70 | 55.1 | |
| Maryland | 80-76 | 51.3 | |
| Georgia Tech | 73-83 | 46.8 | |
| Florida State | 56-72 | 43.8 | |
| Virginia | 69-87 | 44.2 | |
| Clemson | 60-96 | 38.5 | |
| NC State | 49-107 | 31.4 |
NINE STRAIGHT POSTSEASON TRIPS - The Demon Deacons made a ninth straight postseason appearance with their participation in the 1999 NIT. That streak of nine straight postseason trips ranks second among ACC schools, seven of which took part in either the NCAA Tournament or NIT last year.
Consecutive Postseason Appearances by ACC Schools
| North Carolina | 33 | |
| WAKE FOREST | 9 | |
| Clemson | 7 | |
| Maryland | 6 | |
| Duke | 4 | |
| NC State | 3 | |
| Georgia Tech | 2 |
O'KELLEY ENTERS ELITE COMPANY - With a driving layup early in the second half of Wake Forest's NIT win over Alabama last year, ROBERT O'KELLEY became only the third sophomore in Wake Forest history to score 1,000 points. After a career-high 36 points in the NIT loss at Xavier, the Demon Deacon guard completed his second year at WFU with 1,041 points (497 as a freshman, 544 this season), which places him 3rd among all Wake Forest players for points as a sophomore.
The only other two players in Wake Forest history who have scored 1,000 points in their freshman and sophomore seasons are Dickie Hemric (1,161 pts in 1952 & 1953) and Rodney Rogers (1,084 in 1991 & 1992). (Of course, from the mid-50s until the 1972-73 season freshmen did not play on the varsity level.)
Deacon Sophomore Scoring Leaders
(800+ Points at End of Sophomore Year)
| Dickie Hemric | 1,161 | |
| Rodney Rogers | 1,084 | |
| ROBERT O'KELLEY | 1,041 | |
| Randolph Childress | 997 | |
| Skip Brown | 933 | |
| Sam Ivy | 903 | |
| Tim Duncan | 860 | |
| Chris King | 856 | |
| Rod Griffin | 830 | |
| Frank Johnson | 818 |
SONGAILA CAREER OFF TO PROMISING START - DARIUS SONGAILA became only the 11th freshman (since formation of the ACC in 1953) to average in double figures for the Demon Deacons last year -- but he's the second in the last two years. ROBERT O'KELLEY's 16.6 ppg average in 1997-98 is the best by a Wake Forest rookie since '53. Only Dickie Hemric's school record for scoring as a freshman (22.4 ppg in 1952) is higher.
"MARCH MADNESS" RETURNS TO JOEL - The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball championship returns to Winston-Salem and Joel Coliseum this spring. After hosting first and second round action of the event in both 1993 and 1997, Wake Forest and Joel Coliseum were selected as a host site for this year's event as well.
Winston-Salem and Buffalo, N.Y., will be the two sites for the first and second rounds of the East Region this spring, with gamedates set for March 17 and 19, 2000.
The Wake Forest Record When
| At Home | 2-0 |
| On Opponent Court | 1-0 |
| On Neutral Court | 0-0 |
| Leading at Halftime | 3-0 |
| Trailing at Halftime | 0-0 |
| Leading with 10:00 Left | 3-0 |
| Trailing with 10:00 Left | 0-0 |
| Final Margin Fewer than 5 Pts | 0-0 |
| Final Margin 5-to-9 Pts | 0-0 |
| Final Margin in Double Figures | 3-0 |
| WF Scores 80+ Pts | 3-0 |
| WF Scores 70+ Pts | 0-0 |
| WF Scores 60+ Pts | 0-0 |
| WF Scores Under 60 Pts | 0-0 |
| WF Shoots 50%+ | 2-0 |
| WF Shoots Under 50% | 1-0 |
| Opponent Shoots 50%+ | 0-0 |
| WF Atts More FTs than Opp | 3-0 |
| WF Out-Rebounds Opp | 3-0 |
| Opp Out-Rebounds WF | 0-0 |