Wake Forest Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Vanderbilt in NIT
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 17, 1998
The Demon Deacons meet the Commodores in the second round of the 1998 NIT here tonight. Both teams won first-round games on their home floors last week--Wake Forest holding off UNC Wilmington here last Thursday, 56-52, while Vanderbilt pulled away from St. Bonaventure in the closing minutes for a 73-61 victory.
The winner of this matchup will face the winner of the Georgia-N.C.State game that is also being played tonight in the quarterfinals of the NIT, with the winner of that contest moving on to Madison Square Garden.
This evenings matchup is being nationally televised on ESPN.
PROBABLE DEMON DEACON LINEUP
97-98
No. Name/Pos. Ht./Class Career Key Statistics (*leads team) Starts
20 Niki Arinze F 6'5 Fr. 7.0 ppg,6.1 rpg, 24 stls*, 74 off.rebs* 23
44 Josh Shoemaker F/C 6'9 Fr. 3.0 ppg,4.3 rpg 16
41 Rafael Vidaurreta F/C 6'8 Fr. 4.4 ppg,5.8 rpg 20
30 Tony Rutland G 6'2 Sr. 12.6 ppg,2.7 rpg, 87 asts*, 80.0 FT%. 39.8 3pt% 81
4 Robert O'Kelley G 6'1 Fr. 16.8 ppg*,2.2 rpg, 81.0 FT%*. 42.4 3pt%* 18
TOP RESERVES
11 Joseph Amonett G/F 6'5 Jr. 2.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg 10
25 Jerry Braswell G 6'1 Sr. 3.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg 72
5 Steven Goolsby F 6'4 Sr. 8.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 38.3 3pt% 13
13 Loren Woods C 7'1 So. 8.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg*, 50 blocks* 25
HEAD COACH - Dave Odom (9th year at Wake Forest) / Won 182, Lost 92
(12th year overall) / Won 220, Lost 134
THE HEAD COACH - The ACC Coach of the Year three times in the 1990s (1991, 1994, 1995), DAVE ODOM is in his ninth season at Wake Forest, having built the Demon Deacon program into one of the most highly regarded in the country. The Deacs have won 20-or-more games five straight seasons under Odom and had appeared in seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments until 1998.
Odom's winning percentage at Wake Forest is an impressive 67%. The last five years (prior to 97-98), the Deacons averaged 23 victories per season under Odom's guidance, finished no lower than third in the ACC regular season, and reached the NCAA "Sweet 16" three times, including the Midwest Regional finals in 1996.
THE LINEUP - Wake Forest has used 12 different starting lineups this season, including eight different starting fives during a nine-game stretch in December and January. Freshmen have played a key as starters since mid-January. Three rookies started on a couple of occasions early in the year, then on January 17th vs Maryland, Coach Dave Odom went with four freshman starters (the lineup listed above) for the first time. Wake became the first team in ACC history to start five freshmen on February 4th at N.C.State and kept that same lineup at Clemson the following game, but has returned to only four first-year players as starters ever since.
The five players listed above have started 11 games together, including six of the last seven contests.
No player has started every game. The team leaders in starts are freshman NIKI ARINZE and veteran TONY RUTLAND with 23 starts each. The longest current string of consecutive starts is 19 by freshman RAFAEL VIDAURRETA. He is the only Deac who started all 16 ACC regular season contests.
Wake Forest in the NIT
THIRD TIME FOR DEACS - Wake Forest played in the 1983 and 1985 NIT events, experiencing both success and early round disappointment. In 83, the Demon Deacons won three games to advance to New York for the national semi-finals where they lost to eventual champion Fresno State. Two years later, though, the Deacs were eliminated in the first round, suffering a loss at South Florida.
Overall, after last weeks win over UNCW, Wake Forest has compiled a 4-2 record in NIT competition.
1983 NIT 1985 NIT 1998 NIT at Murray State W 87-80 at South Florida L 66-77 UNC Wilmington W 56-52 at Vanderbilt W 75-68 South Carolina* W 78-61 Fresno State (@MSG) L 62-86 *at Greensboro Coliseum
FIRST TIME IN WINSTON-SALEM - The meeting between Wake Forest and UNC Wilmington last Thursday was the first NIT game ever played in Winston-Salem. In the 1983 tournament, the Demon Deacons hosted South Carolina in the third round, but that game was played in the Greensboro Coliseum, which was Wake Forests home arena for most ACC games during the 1980s until the completion of Joel Coliseum in 1989.
LAST GAME FOR TACY - Wake Forests last NIT appearance marked the conclusion of the coaching career of Carl Tacy, who compiled an excellent 222-149 record as the Demon Deacon head coach from 1973 through 1985. The Deacons lost at South Florida, 77-66, to close their 1985 campaign with a 15-14 record. Tacy then resigned four months later in July of 85 after 13 seasons at the WFU helm and as the second-winningest coach in school history (Murray Greason is 1st with 288 victories).
VS VANDY IN THE NIT - Wake Forests three-game win streak on its way to New York in the 1983 NIT included a seven-point (75-68) victory at Vanderbilt. The Deacs trailed by seven (32-25) at halftime of that contest but the one-two punch of guards Delaney Rudd (21 pts) and Danny Young (19 pts) sparked a comeback.
Demon Deacons vs. Vanderbilt
THE SERIES - Vanderbilt leads the competition between the two schools, 3-2, in a series that has had its five meetings spread among three different decades. Vandy defeated Wake Forest twice in the 1960s (1966 & 1967) before the Deacons recorded their first win over the Commodores in that 1983 NIT meeting noted above.
More recently, the two played a home-and-home series in the 1994 and 1995 campaigns, with Wake falling in double overtime in Nashville in December of 1993, but then coming back to register a 12-point victory here in Joel Coliseum on January 29, 1995, which is the last time that the two schools met--and also represents their only previous get-together here in Lawrence Joel.
1965-66 @Vandy 102, WF 82
1982-83 WF 75, @Vandy 68
1993-94 @Vandy 91, WF 83 (2ot)
1966-67 Vandy 88, @WF 82 (NIT)
1994-95 @WF 63, Vandy 51
THAT LAST MEETING - Wake Forests senior trio of TONY RUTLAND, JERRY BRASWELL and STEVEN GOOLSBY were all here for that 1995 meeting with Vanderbilt, of course, but none had particularly memorable games.
Goolsby, in fact, did not play at all. Braswell started at guard but played only 12 minutes, scoring three points. Rutland actually played more than his backcourt mate, seeing 29 minutes of action, but missed all six of his field goal attempts. He did hit 3-of-4 free throws, hand out 3 assists and pick up 3 steals.
Vanderbilts current standout Drew Maddux started and played 24 minutes that day, but also had a dif-ficult afternoon shooting the ball, hitting 1-of-7 shots for three points (1-4 on 3s).
Tim Duncan led Wake Forest that day with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Noting the Demon Deacons
EIGHTH STRAIGHT POSTSEASON TRIP - Wake Forest is appearing in postseason play for the eighth consecutive year under head coach DAVE ODOM. The Demon Deacons have been in the NCAA Tournament the past seven years. Prior to Odoms arrival at Wake Forest for the 1989-90 season, the Deacons had gone four years without a postseason invitation to either the NCAA or NIT.
WAKE A WINNER (7-1) IN FIRST ROUND - Last weeks win over UNC Wilmington continued Wake Forests recent history of success in the first round of postseason play. Only once in its current eight-year string of postseason appearances have the Demon Deacons been eliminated in their first game. That opening round loss came in 1992 to Louisville in the NCAAs.
ODOM A WINNER IN POSTSEASON PLAY - Demon Deacon head coach DAVE ODOM has compiled a very good 11-7 record at Wake Forest in postseason competition. Odom has guided his Deacons into regional play with two NCAA wins in 1993, 1995 and 1996. That 96 squad also advanced to the Midwest Regional finals before losing to eventual national champion Kentucky.
Odom, of course, is undefeated (1-0) in the NIT.
WAKE A WINNER VS POSTSEASON FIELD - Wake Forest has a winning record against the teams selected for the 1998 NCAA and NIT tournaments. The Demon Deacons were 8-9 versus the NCAA field, and 4-2 in competition with four other NIT participants, leaving them with an overall ledger of 12-11.
Six of those 11 losses came to Top Ten teams--two to both #1 North Carolina and #3 Duke, and one each to #7 Utah and #8 Princeton.
Deacs vs NIT Teams (4-2) Deacs vs NCAA Teams (8-9) Georgetown (1-0) Clemson (1-2) North Carolina (0-2) Georgia Tech (0-2) Davidson (1-0) Princeton (0-1) Missouri (1-0) Duke (0-2) Radford (1-0) N.C.State (2-0) Florida State (1-1) Richmond (1-0) Maryland (2-0) Utah (0-1) Navy (1-0)
NATIONS SECOND-TOUGHEST SCHEDULE - The RPI Index (as compiled by Collegiate Basketball News) credited Wake Forest with having played the 2nd-most difficult schedule in America this season. Only Marylands 97-98 schedule was considered tougher in that ranking prior to the start of the NCAA and NIT tournaments.
NON-ACC SLATE DEMANDING, TOO - The Demon Deacons have faced a difficult array of non-ACC opponents as well this season. In addition to Top Ten teams Utah and Princeton, Wake Forest played (and defeated) four teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament by winning their respective league titles--Davidson (Southern), Navy (Patriot), Radford (Big South) and Richmond (Colonial).
The RPI Index ranked Wakes non-conference schedule as the 18th-most difficult in the country.
DEACS IN THE NATIONAL POLLS - After being nationally ranked for four consecutive weeks, Wake Forest dropped out of both major polls following losses to Marshall (December 17) and Princeton (December 19). The Demon Deacons had appeared in 54 consecutive Associated Press polls prior to being unranked at the beginning of the 97-98 campaign.
Wake Forest in the National Rankings
Pre Nov.16 23 Dec.1 8 15 22
Associated Press nr nr nr 24 25 23 nr
USA Today/CNN nr nr 24 24 24 22 nr
ACC WIN STREAK ENDS AT FIVE STRAIGHT YEARS - Wake Forest had enjoyed five straight winning seasons in ACC play before finishing 7-9 against league opponents this year. The last time that the Demon Deacons did not have a winning record in the league was 1992 (also 7-9).
The Deacs still finished 4th in the conference regular season race (actually, tied for 4th with Clemson). They are only the second ACC team to be that high in the league standings and not be invited to the NCAA Tournament since the NCAA expanded its field to 64 teams in 1985 (Virginia was the other in 1992).
NCAA STREAK ENDS, TOO - Wake Forest had appeared in seven straight NCAA Tournaments, the seventh-longest active streak in the nation and second-longest (to North Carolina) in the ACC, until not being selected for that event this season.
Consecutive NCAA Appearances (prior to 1998) North Carolina 23 Indiana 12 Kansas 8 Arizona 13 UCLA 9 Temple 8 WAKE FOREST 7
ACC SUCCESS - Since dropping its 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 ACC foes, with only North Carolina holding an advantage over the Deacs the past eight years.
Wake Forest in the ACC
CLEM DUKE FSU GATECH MD UNC NCST UVA
Last Five Years 8-4 8-3 8-3 7-5 6-4 5-8 8-2 9-3
Last Eight Years 13-5 11-6 8-7 10-8 0-6 6-14 13-3 13-7
A WINNING CLASS - Wake Forests three seniors--guards TONY RUTLAND and JERRY BRASWELL and forward STEVEN GOOLSBY--have helped the Demon Deacons compile an excellent 90-32 record the past four years. They have taken part in two ACC Championships (1995 & 1996) and were active members of last years squad that was ranked 2nd in the nation--the highest ranking ever attained by a Wake Forest team.
The current senior class is the third-winningest class in Wake Forest history with its 90 victories. Last years class, headed by Tim Duncan, won 97 games over four years (1994-1997). The previous four-year period (1993-1996) brought 94 wins to Wake Forest.
RUTLAND RANKS #2 IN WINS - Deacon senior TONY RUTLAND has participated in all 90 of the Wake Forest wins the past four years, placing him second on the schools all-time victory list. The only player who appeared in more wins as a Demon Deacon is Tim Duncan, who took part in 97 Ws during his four seasons.
Prior to Duncan, former guard Danny Young had held the school record, playing in 85 WFU wins during his career (1981-84).
(NOTE: Last years other two scholarship seniors--Ricky Peral and Sean Allen--did not approach Duncans win total because Peral did not play as a freshman and Allen was a junior college transfer.)
RUTLAND ON THE WFU CAREER CHARTS - Demon Deacon senior TONY RUTLAND became the 37th player in Wake Forest history to score 1,000 points earlier this season, surpassing that figure against Princeton, and now has 1,239 points in his career to rank 21st on the all-time WFU chart.
Rutland is now a member of the WFU all-time Top Twenty in scoring, ranking 19th in school history with 1,259 career points. He passed Kenny Green (1,252 pts) with his 20-point performance against UNC Wilmington. The 18th-leading scorer at Wake Forest is Billy Packer with 1,316 points.
Rutland also is only the 7th player in school history to total more than 300 assists. He ranks 7th in that department with 350, while also standing 9th in career steals with 130.
Rutland has also performed well in the classroom in his senior year, earning Dean's List honors for the fall semester. He and fellow-seniors JERRY BRASWELL and STEVEN GOOLSBY are on schedule to graduate this May after four years at WFU.
SENIOR SIXTH MAN - Wakes other senior, forward STEVEN GOOLSBY, has done his most damage coming off the Deacon bench this year.
Goolsby has 12 double-figure scoring games this season--nine of those coming when he did not start. His career-high of 19 points came in a reserve role versus North Carolina on January 31st. Prior to the regular season finale here against N.C.State on March 1st, he had reached double figures in three straight outings as a reserve--13 points in a win at Maryland; 15 in a victory over Florida State; and a team-high 11 at North Carolina.
Goolsby has struggled offensively in his last three outings, however, hitting just 1-of-12 shots from the floor (0-7 on 3s), and scoring a total of four points in those games.
WOODS MISSES SEVEN-GAMES - Sophomore center LOREN WOODS started the first 14 games this season and ranked among ACC leaders in blocked shots (2nd) and rebounding (4th), but was given an indefinite leave of absence from the team on January 16th by head coach Dave Odom. After missing seven games, he returned against Georgia Tech on February 11th and has appeared in all five games since then in a reserve role.
"Loren needs some time away from basketball," Odom said in January. "The amount of pressure that he places on himself regarding his own performance and our team's performance is, I believe, unhealthy. The best way to relieve that pressure is to give him some time away from the game in the hope that he will understand that basketball is not an all-or-nothing proposition."
Woods averaged 11.6 ppg and 8.5 ppg in this years first 14 contests. In eight games since returning, he has scored 32 points (4.0 ppg) and grabbed 38 rebounds (4.8 rpg) while playing just 131 minutes (16.4 mpg).
FRESHMAN FACTS - For the season, Wake Forest's freshman class has accounted for 51% of the Demon Deacon points and 60% of the squad's rebounds while participating in 53% of the total minutes played.
A freshman has been the leading scorer (or tied for the lead in points) for the Demon Deacons 19 times. ROBERT O'KELLEY has been the Deacs' leading scorer 18 times, including 11 of the last 15 contests. NIKI ARINZE topped the Deacon point total with 15 against Princeton.
A first-year player has also been the leading rebounder (or tied for that distinction) in 21 dates. RAFAEL VIDAURRETA has led the team in rebounding 10 times, including 14 vs UNC Wilmington. NIKI ARINZE has topped the WFU rebounding chart on eight occasions, while JOSH SHOEMAKER was the Deacs' leading rebounder in both wins over Maryland and in the regular season finale victory against N.C.State.
DEACON FROSH MAKE ACC HISTORY - Wake Forest became the first team in ACC history to start five freshman when Coach Dave Odom went with that lineup on February 4th at N.C.State (and again at Clemson three days later).
Records indicate that prior to the current Demon Deacon squad, three ACC teams started four freshmen. The first was another Wake Forest team in 1979. Those four rookies were guard Mike Helms, center Jim Johnstone, and forwards Alvis Rogers and Guy Morgan, who joined veteran guard Frank Johnson in the lineup for much of the season. Johnstone and Rogers each started 24 games that year; Morgan started 16 and Helms 12.
The 1983 Duke squad started four freshmen (Mark Alarie, Jay Bilas, Johnny Dawkins, David Henderson), as did Clemson two years ago--a group that included current Tigers Terrell McIntyre, Tom Wideman, Harold Jamison and Tony Christie.
Four Freshman Starters in the ACC
School (Year) ACC Record/Finish Overall Record Postseason Play
Wake Forest (1979) 3-9/tied for 6th 12-15 none
Duke (1983) 3-11/7th 11-17 none
Clemson (1996) 7-9/6th 18-11 lost in NCAA 1st round
WAKE FOREST (1997) 7-9/tied for 4th 16-13 NIT 2nd round
MORE ACC FRESHMAN FACTS - The highest scoring freshman class ever in the ACC was that '83 Duke crew, which along with a couple of lesser known classmates scored 1,481 points. Overall, five freshman classes have scored at least 1,000 points--including Wake Forest's 1979 group (1,029 pts) and the outstanding Deacon freshmen of 1991 (1,040), a class that featured Rodney Rogers and Randolph Childress.
Clemson's 1996 frosh had more rebounds (647) than any other freshman class in the ACC recordbook.
How do the 1998 Wake Forest freshmen compare? They have presently scored 979 points and grabbed 571 rebounds, so they likely wont reach those impressive numbers, but could still surpass both the 1,000-point and 500-rebound marks. Four previous freshman classes have reached that 1,000/500 level ('79 Wake, '83 GaTech, '83 Duke, '96 Clemson). (Thanks to Clemson SID Tim Bourret for his research assistance.)
OKelley Named ACC Rookie of the Year & Freshman All-America
Wake Forest freshman guard ROBERT OKELLEY was named ACC Rookie of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association. He is only the second freshman in school history to receive this honor. The first was Rodney Rogers in 1991.
OKelley was also named to the first-team Freshman All-America squad selected by Basketball Times magazine.
OKELLEY LEADS WITH FOUR WEEKLY AWARDS - Wake Forest freshman guard ROBERT O'KELLEY was named ACC Rookie of the Week a league-high four times this season, including three times during the ACC portion of the 1997-98 schedule (since January 6th).
The Deacon standout first was named the Rookie of the Week in November after a 25-point outing which included the game-winning basket in a win over Georgetown, then again following a January 4th meeting with Virginia when he netted 29 points. His third weekly award came after he scored 20 points in a win over Virginia and 25 in a the Deacs first meeting with North Carolina. He added a fourth after leading the Deacs to wins at Maryland (with 31 points) and against Florida State (26 points).
NIKI ARINZE also received one "Rookie of the Week" honor on January 19th after recording his first career "double-double" (16 pts/10 rebs) in a win over Maryland.
OKELLEY NAMED FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN - As noted above, Demon Deacon ROBERT OKELLEY was named to the 1998 Freshman All-America 1st team selected by Basketball Times magazine.
OKelley joined Khalid El-Amin (UConn), Baron Davis (UCLA), Larry Hughes (Saint Louis) and Marcus Fizer (Iowa State) on the the top five. Dukes Shane Battier and Georgia Techs Dion Glover were 2nd-team picks, while Blue Devil Elton Brand was named to the 3rd team.
FIRST AMONG FRESHMEN - ROBERT O'KELLEY is averaging 16.8 points per game--the highest by a Wake Forest freshman in 45 seasons (since the formation of the ACC). Rodney Rogers has the top freshman scoring mark of modern times at 16.3 ppg in 1990-91. Rogers is also the last Wake freshman to lead the team in scoring. Dick Hemric owns the overall school record for scoring as a freshman at 22.4 ppg in 1952.
Top Wake Forest Freshman Scorers (double figures since 1953) ROBERT O'KELLEY (1998) 16.8 ppg Alvis Rogers (1979) 13.5 ppg Rodney Rogers* (1991) 16.3 ppg Rod Watson* (1986) 13.5 Chris King* (1989) 14.4 Skip Brown (1974) 13.2 Randolph Childress 14.0 Sam Ivy (1987) 13.2 Rod Griffin (1975) 13.9 Frank Johnson (1977) 11.6 *team leader in scoringOKELLEY IN IMPRESSIVE COMPANY - Deacon first-year player ROBERT OKELLEY is only the 12th freshman in ACC history to lead his team in scoring. The most recent rookie to gain that distinction was Georgia Techs Stephon Marbury in 1996. The first was Clemsons Skip Wise in 1975. Other freshmen in this group include Johnny Dawkins (Duke, 1983), Mark Price (GaTech, 1983), Rodney Rogers (Wake, 1991), Joe Smith (Maryland, 1994) and Greg Buckner (Clemson, 1996). DEACONS SHUT OUT ON ALL-ACC SELECTIONS - Wake Forest did not have any individuals receive All-ACC recognition when the three all-conference teams were announced. This marks the first time since 1990 that the Demon Deacons have not had an All-ACC representative. Freshman ROBERT OKELLEY came close to being chosen for the all-league 3rd team, collecting the 16th-most votes. OKelley totaled 74 points in voting by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association membership. Marylands Rodney Elliott totaled 80 points, the lowest figure for a 3rd-team member. OKelley was, however, selected to the ACC All-Freshman team. ACC LEADERS - Freshman ROBERT O'KELLEY ranks among the ACC's top eight individuals in four categories. He is 2nd three-point production (2.6 per game), 4th in three-point accuracy (42.4%) and free throw accuracy (81.0%), and 8th in scoring (16.8 ppg). In addition to O'Kelley, two other Deacs are among the conference's most productive three-point shooters--TONY RUTLAND is 5th (2.4 per game) and STEVEN GOOLSBY is 9th (1.8 per game). Rutland also is 5th in free throw shooting (80.0%) and 8th in three-point percentage (39.8%). LOREN WOODS is ranked 2nd in the ACC in blocks (2.3 per game) and 7th in rebounding (7.1 rpg), but as noted earlier, he built those figures for the most part during the first half of the season. QUITE A COMBINATION - The Wake Forest backcourt of ROBERT O'KELLEY and TONY RUTLAND is shooting a combined 80.6% at the free throw line (179 of 222). With those two individuals ranks 4th and 5th respectively in the ACC in free throw shooting, the Deacons are the only team to have two players listed among the leagues top ten free throw marksmen. DEACS IN DOUBLE FIGURES - Ten Deacons have scored in double figures at least once this season and six have done so at least three times. Freshman ROBERT O'KELLEY tops the team with 26 double-digit scoring outings, including 23 of the last 24 games. OKelleys streak of 21 consecutive games in double figures was ended when he totaled only 5 points in the regular season finale versus N.C.State.
Double Digit Deacons
Scoring Rebounding
Joseph AMONETT once (Richmond)
Niki ARINZE seven times; none in last eight games three times
Jerry BRASWELL four times (first three games & NCState on 3/1)
Steven GOOLSBY 12 times; none in last three games
James GRIFFIN once (Radford)
Robert O'KELLEY 26 times; 23 of last 24
Tony RUTLAND 17 times; four of last six games
Josh SHOEMAKER once (Radford) once (Maryland)
Rafael VIDAURRETA three times four times
Loren WOODS seven times (in first 12 games) four times (first nine games)
HERE IN THE "O-DOME" - Now in its ninth year in Lawrence Joel Coliseum, Wake Forest has compiled an excellent 108-25 record (81% winning pct) in this building. That mark includes a 60-3 record against non-ACC foes, as well as a solid record of success the past seven years versus conference opponents.
The only non-conference losses suffered by the Demon Deacons in their nine years in Joel Coliseum came to Colorado in January of 1991, California in December of 1993, and Utah earlier this year.
After winning just one league game here in Joel in its inaugural campaign (1989-90), Wake Forest has gone 47-16 in the ACC on its homecourt since 1990, including 25 wins in its last 32 league games beginning in 1995.
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 7-1 5-3 12-4
Overall 60-3 48-22 108-25
THIS YEAR'S HOME LOSSES - Wake Forest has lost on its homecourt this season to #1 North Carolina (79-73 on January 31), #3 Duke (88-52 on January 14), and #7 Utah (62-53 on December 6). The Deacs only home loss to a non-ranked opponent came on February 11th versus Georgia Tech, a game that saw Wake Forest make only 11 of 25 free throws in a one-point (77-76) defeat.
