Unbeaten Deacs Host No. 9 Temple
12/2/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 1999
WAKE FOREST (4-0) vs TEMPLE (2-1)
December 4, 1999 -- 12:00 pm -- Joel Coliseum
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest hosts Temple at Joel Coliseum in a nationally televised contest on ESPN. The Demon Deacons will face their toughest challenge of the season in the 9th-ranked Owls, who are coming off a 69-58 victory over Florida State on Monday in Tallahassee. Today's game wraps up a three-game homestand for the Deacons, who defeated Wisconsin, 67-48, in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday.
THE LINEUP - The Demon Deacons used the lineup listed above in each of the first four 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
| No. Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | PPG | RPG | Career Starts (99-00) |
| 4 Robert O'Kelley | G | 6'1 | Jr. | 11.8 | 1.0 | 54 (4) |
| 5 Josh Howard | G | 6'6 | Fr. | 8.5 | 3.0 | 4 (4) |
| 41 Rafael Vidaurreta | C | 6'9 | Jr. | 4.3 | 5.3 | 50 (4) |
| 33 Niki Arinze | F | 6'5 | So. | 8.3 | 4.8 | 32 (4) |
| 25 Darius Songaila | F | 6'9 | So. | *12.8 | 5.0 | 28 (4) |
TOP RESERVES
| 42 Craig Dawson | G | 6'5 | So. | 11.3 | 1.0 | 12 (0) |
| 44 Josh Shoemaker | F/C | 6'9 | Jr. | 8.5 | *7.5 | 34 (0) |
| 3 Broderick Hicks | G | 6'1 | So. | 7.0 | 2.5 | 7 (0) |
| 31 Ervin Murray | G | 6'5 | So. | 3.3 | 1.3 | 14 (0) |
| 34 Antwan Scott | F | 6'8 | So. | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3 (0) |
| 52 Tate Decker | F | 6'11 | Jr. | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0 (0) |
HEAD COACH - Dave Odom (11th year at Wake Forest) / Won 203, Lost 107 (14th year Overall) / Won 241, 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 take six days off for fall semester final exams before returning to action next Saturday against Georgia in the Delta Classic For Kids in Atlanta (2:30 / FOXSS, HTS).
SERIES VS. TEMPLE - Wake Forest and Temple are meeting for the 18th time this afternoon, with the Owls holding a 10-7 lead in the all-time series. The two teams have met three times in the 1990's, with the Demon Deacons winning two of those contests. Coach Dave Odom's squad won in Winston-Salem in 1992 (83-75) and in Philadelphia in 1993 (106-69) before falling to the Owls last year in the championship game of the Coaches vs Cancer Classic in Madison Square Garden (59-48).
Last year, the Demon Deacons held a 32-24 lead over the Owls at halftime before managing just 16 second half points against the Temple defense. Rasheed Brokenborough paced the Owls with 16 points while Matt Karcher and Lynn Greer added 10 points apiece. ROBERT O'KELLEY led the Demon Deacons with 10 points.
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 (203-107). 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 241-149 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.
DEACONS TAKE NOVEMBER STREAK TO 2000 - Wake Forest now owns a 28-3 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 will take a nine-game November winning streak into the 2000-2001 season.
NO CLOSE CALLS - Wake Forest has won its first four games by an average of 30.3 points per game, and the closest margin of victory was 19 points (67-48) on Tuesday against Wisconsin. In fact, Wake Forest has held a double-digit lead in the second half for all but 2:02 this season (out of a possible 80 minutes).
ON THE GLASS - In winning their first four games of the season, the Demon Deacons have dominated the battle on the boards - Wake Forest is outrebounding its opponents by 10.5 per game (40.0 to 29.5).
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST - Wake Forest scored over 80 points in each of the first three games of the season before being held to 67 points on Tuesday against Wisconsin. The Demon Deacons scored 80+ points in three consecutive games for the first time since December of 1992.
The Deacons are averaging 82.3 points through the first four games of the season. Of course that number is likely to go down as the season progresses, but Wake Forest has averaged over 80 points per game just once in 10 previous years under head coach Dave Odom (80.5 ppg in 1990-91) and better than 70 points in five of 10 years.
BUT A BALANCED ATTACK - The Demon Deacons are averaging 82.3 points through the first four games of the season, but no player is scoring more than 13 points per game. DARIUS SONGAILA leads the Deacs with a 12.8 ppg average while ROBERT O'KELLEY (11.8 ppg) and CRAIG DAWSON (11.3ppg) are each scoring in double figures. However, a closer examination of the statistics reveals that seven different players are scoring over seven points per game and 11 different players are averaging at least three points per contest.
MORE ON THE OFFENSE - Wake Forest's 90-55 win at Navy 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 at least 50% from the floor in the last three games (60.3% at Navy, 55.4% vs UMES, and 50.0% vs Wisconsin). Wake Forest shot over 50% in only six of 31 games last season.
BUT FREE THROW ACCURACY DOWN - While the Demon Deacons have shown improvement in shooting from the field, they have also been very inconsistent at the free throw line this season. After hitting 37 of their first 48 free throws (77.1%), Wake Forest has connected on only 26 of 50 (52.0%) free throw attempts in the last two games. Last year, Wake Forest ranked second in the ACC with a 72.1% mark at the line.
TIME SHARING - Through the first four games of the season, the Demon Deacons have operated with a very deep bench. Nine different players are averaging better than 10 minutes per game while no single player is playing more than 28 minutes per contest. Junior ROBERT O'KELLEY, who averaged 35.0 mpg last season, leads the team with 27.3 mpg.
Eleven different Demon Deacons played more than 10 minutes in the season opener against Campbell, and only one Deac has played more than 29 minutes in one single game (O'Kelley, 35 mins vs Wisconsin).
DEFENSIVE DEACS - The Wake Forest defense is holding opponents to 35.7% from the floor and forcing an average of 19.3 turnovers per contest through the first four games of the season (last year opponents turned the ball over 14.6 times per game). The Demon Deacons are also averaging nearly nine steals per game this season.
Another aspect of the Deacon defense through two games is an increased shot blocking presence. In the 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 22 blocks in four games. Sophomore ANTWAN SCOTT leads the team in that department with seven rejections.
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 Temple having made at least one three-point field goal in 234 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 124-29 (81.0% 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 70-5 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 | 3-0 | 0-0 | 3-0 | |
| Totals | 70-5 | 54-24 | 124-29 | |
| (93.3%) | (69.2%) | (81.0%) |
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.
ALL IN THE FAMLIY - Did you know that head coach DAVE ODOM's two sons, Lane and Ryan, are both involved in coaching at the Division I level? Lane is in his second season on the staff at UNC Charlotte after previously serving on the staffs at Alabama and East Carolina, while Ryan is in his first year at UNC Asheville after a stint at Furman.
The Wake Forest Record When
| At Home | 3-0 |
| On Opponent Court | 1-0 |
| On Neutral Court | 0-0 |
| Leading at Halftime | 4-0 |
| Trailing at Halftime | 0-0 |
| Leading with 10:00 Left | 4-0 |
| 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 | 4-0 |
| WF Scores 80+ Pts | 3-0 |
| WF Scores 70+ Pts | 0-0 |
| WF Scores 60+ Pts | 1-0 |
| WF Scores Under 60 Pts | 0-0 |
| WF Shoots 50%+ | 3-0 |
| WF Shoots Under 50% | 1-0 |
| Opponent Shoots 50%+ | 0-0 |
| WF Atts More FTs than Opp | 4-0 |
| WF Out-Rebounds Opp | 4-0 |
| Opp Out-Rebounds WF | 0-0 |