Wake Forest Athletics
Demon Deacons Visit Georgia Tech Thursday
1/25/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 25, 2000
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest looks to snap a season-long three-game losing streak this evening at Georgia Tech. The Deacs, who tonight start a stretch of three road games in the next four dates, have dropped consecutive games on the road (at NC State and Maryland) and a home contest to #5 Duke. Tonight's game is being televised regionally by the ACC-TV Network.
WAKE FOREST (11-7, 2-4 in ACC)
at GEORGIA TECH (9-8, 2-3)
January 27, 2000 -- 8:00 pm -- Alexander Memorial Coliseum
PROBABLE DEMON DEACON LINEUP
| No. Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | PPG | RPG |
| 4 Robert O'Kelley | G | 6'1 | Jr. | 14.6 | 1.8 |
| 42 Craig Dawson | G | 6'5 | So. | 8.3 | 2.3 |
| 41 Rafael Vidaurreta | C | 6'9 | Jr. | 3.9 | 6.6 |
| 33 Niki Arinze | F | 6'5 | So. | 6.1 | 3.4 |
| 25 Darius Songaila | F | 6'9 | So. | 12.2 | 5.0 |
TOP RESERVES
| No. Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | PPG | RPG |
| 5 Josh Howard | G | 6'6 | Fr. | 6.8 | 3.3 |
| 44 Josh Shoemaker | C | 6'9 | Jr. | 6.0 | 5.8 |
| 3 Broderick Hicks | G | 6'1 | So. | 5.3 | 1.7 |
| 31 Ervin Murray | G | 6'5 | So. | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| 34 Antwan Scott | F | 6'8 | So. | 4.2 | 2.8 |
| 52 Tate Decker | F | 6'11 | Jr. | 3.2 | 2.5 |
HEAD COACH - Dave Odom (11th year at Wake Forest) / Won 210, Lost 114
(14th year Overall) / Won 248, Lost 156
THE LINEUP - The Demon Deacons used the same starting lineup listed in 11 of the first 15 games this season (O'KELLEY, HOWARD, VIDAURRETA, ARINZE, SONGAILA) before using three different lineups in the last three games. Wake Forest used the lineup listed above last Saturday against Duke. Nine different Deacons have starting at least one game this season, while RAFAEL VIDAURRETA is the only individual to start all 18 games. Wake Forest has used six different lineups this season.
In all, 11 different Deacons have started at least one game in their career while eight different players have started 10 or more games. Wake Forest used 15 different starting lineups during the 1998-99 season as twelve different players started at least one game.
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 and most consistent. 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.
UPCOMING - Wake Forest returns to Joel Coliseum to face Virginia on Super Bowl Sunday (1:00 / RJ) and close out the first half of the ACC schedule. The Demon Deacons then face a pair of road games on Feb. 2 at Davidson (7:00) and Feb. 5 at Florida State (1:00 / RJ).
Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech
THE SERIES - Georgia Tech has won three of the last four meetings with Wake Forest to take a slim 23-22 lead in the overall series as the two schools meet for the 46th time this evening. Their first ever encounter came in the 1949 Dixie Classic in Raleigh, with Tech capturing a 64-57 verdict. Wake won twice in a pair of 1960s meetings before the rivalry was resumed when the Jackets joined the ACC in 1980.
LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS - In the first meeting of the year the Demon Deacons lost in Atlanta, 74-61, falling behind by 11 points (36-25) at halftime, then seeing a second-half comeback fall short. Wake trailed by as many as 13 early in the second half but fought back to within three (57-54) at the 4:46 mark behind Darius Songaila's 15 second half points. At that point Songaila was whistled for his 5th personal foul and WFU head coach Dave Odom was assessed a technical foul for protesting the call. Tech immediately pushed the lead to nine points (63-54) and the Deacons never got any closer. Jason Collier led Georgia Tech with 18 points and 8 rebounds while Songaila paced the Deacs with 17 points.
In the second meeting in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest built an 11-point lead (29-18) at halftime and held on during the second half for a 67-58 victory. A stingy Deacon defense held the Yellow Jackets to just 26% from the floor in the first half while Robert O'Kelley led all players with 25 points and Rafael Vidaurreta registered a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Collier scored 23 points for the Yellow Jackets.
IN ATLANTA - Alexander Memorial Coliseum has been tough on the Demon Deacons in recent years. Wake Forest lost here in 1994 (71-69), 1995 (67-65) and 1996 (64-63) -- each time after having a shot to tie or win the game in the closing seconds. The Deacs finally broke through with a 73-63 victory on this floor in 1997 behind 24-point performances from Tim Duncan and Tony Rutland. The Yellow Jackets won in 1998 (70-63) and 1999 (74-61), however, and Wake Forest's record in this facility now stands at 6-15.
Noting the Demon Deacons
"70" IS THE MAGIC NUMBER - Wake Forest is a perfect 8-0 when the Deacons score 70 or more points this season. The Deacs are just 2-6 when scoring under 70 points. However, Wake Forest has not topped 70 points since defeating Ohio eight games ago.
DEFENSE DOES THE JOB - Eleven of 16 opponents have shot under 44% from the floor against Wake Forest this year -- the Demon Deacons are 10-1 in those games. When the opposition has shot over 44%, the Deacs are just 1-6.
NO SENIOR CITIZENS - Wake Forest is one of only two teams in the ACC that have not had a senior in the starting lineup at any point this season (Maryland is the other). The other seven conference schools have had one or more seniors start games this season.
Wake Forest gained attention two years ago when the Deacs became the first team in ACC history to start five freshman in a league game. Those freshman are now juniors and last year's freshman are now sophomores, but the Deacs are still a team with no four-year scholarship seniors (former walk-ons Time Fuller and Jim Fitzpatrick were both awarded scholarships for their final season this winter).
AT THE HALF - Wake Forest has held a halftime lead in 11 of 17 games, and the Deacons are 8-3 in those contests. However, since building a halftime lead in 12 of the first 14 games, Wake has trailed at the half in each of the last four contests. The Deacs rallied from seven points down to defeat North Carolina, but could not overcome double-digit deficits in road losses at NC State and Maryland and a 2-point margin vs Duke.
CLOSE CALLS - Three of Wake Forest's seven losses this season have come by two points or less. Two defeats came with the opponents hitting a very difficult shot within the final five seconds of the game -- Georgia's Adrian Jones hit a three-pointer at the buzzer and Oregon's Alex Scales hit a fade-away 16-footer with four seconds left. Wake Forest lost to Florida State, 66-64. Wake Forest is now 0-3 in games decided by less than five points. In contrast, the Deacs are 11-4 in games decided by five or more points.
GETTING TO THE LINE IMPORTANT - The old adage that whoever attempts more free throws will usually win the game certainly holds true this season. The team that has shot more free throws is 14-3 this year -- including a 8-1 mark by Wake Forest. [Temple and Wake Forest each shot 23 free throws].
IMPROVEMENT AT THE LINE - While the Deacons have been successful in getting to the free throw line this season (22.2 attempts per game), they struggled to capitalize on that advantage for much of the season. As a team, Wake Forest is shooting just 65.0% from the line (the second lowest figure in the ACC). However, the Deacs have shown improvement in that department of late and have hit 77.3% (34-44) from the line in the last three games.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL - Wake Forest has done a solid job of protecting the basketball this season, as the Deacs lead the ACC with an average of 14.2 turnovers per game. Over the last seven games, Wake Forest is averaging just 12.7 giveaways per contest.
DEACON SHOT TALK - Since opening the season by shooting better than 50% from the floor during the first 10 games, Wake Forest has struggled from the field in the last month. The Deacs are shooting just 37.3% (180-483) from the field in the last eight games, including a 34.6% mark in the last four contests.
THREE-POINT ACCURACY DOWN, TOO - Wake Forest has struggled with their long range accuracy this season. The Deacons are shooting 31.8% behind the arc, the lowest team mark since the three-point shot was instituted in 1986-87.
The three-point shooting percentage has taken a downturn in recent weeks -- the Deacs are just 38-146 (26.0%) on long range attempts in the last 10 games.
ON THE GLASS - The Demon Deacons have been solid on the boards this season, ranking second in the ACC with a +4.9 rebound margin. Wake Forest is 8-4 when grabbing more rebounds than its opponent.
However that trend has begun to reverse itself in recent games. After outrebounding nine of their first 10 opponents, the Deacs have been outrebounded in five of the last eight games.
VS. THE TOP 10 - Wake Forest defeated #9 Temple (77-72) in December, which stands as the ACC's only win over a non-conference Top-10 ranked team this season. The ACC is just a combined 1-8 against Top 10 teams, but 7-13 overall against non-conference ranked opponents.
O'KELLEY CLIMBS THE CHARTS - Last season, guard ROBERT O'KELLEY became just the third player in Wake Forest history to reach the 1,000 point plateau by the end of his sophomore year (Dickie Hemric and Rodney Rogers are the others). O'Kelley currently has 1,287 points, good for 19th place on the Wake Forest all-time scoring list. O'Kelley needs 13 points to pass former Deacon great Billy Packer (1960-62), who is in attendance tonight as one of the television announcers.
Wake Forest Career Scoring
| 1. Dickie Hemric (52-55) | 2,587 |
| 2. Randolph Childress (91-95) | 2,208 |
| 3. Len Chappell (60-62) | 2,165 |
| 4. Tim Duncan (94-97) | 2,117 |
| ........ | |
| 17. Delaney Rudd (82-85) | 1,329 |
| 18. Billy Packer (60-62) | 1,316 |
| 19. Robert O'Kelley (98- ) | 1,304 |
SONGAILA MAKES HIS MARK - Since returning to the lineup on a full time basis from a knee injury on Jan. 4 against Florida State, sophomore forward DARIUS SONGAILA has raised his level of play and is making a strong push for All-ACC honors. Songaila leads the team in scoring in ACC games only (15.0 ppg), he currently ranks 2nd in the conference in free throw percentage (88.9%), 5th in field goal percentage (54.1%), 10th in scoring (15.0 ppg), and 10th in steals (1.8 pg) in league games only.
"EL TORO" ANCHORS THE MIDDLE - While junior center RAFAEL VIDAURRETA has struggled at times offensively this season, head coach DAVE ODOM praises him as one of the top defensive post players in the ACC. Vidaurreta leads the Demon Deacons with 6.6 rebounds per game, including 7.3 rpg in six ACC games. Defensively, Vidaurreta anchors a post defense that has held opponent starting centers to 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
VIDAURRETA & THE GLASS - Junior RAFAEL VIDAURRETA became the 24th member of the 500 rebound club at Wake Forest against North Carolina on Jan. 12. He is currently 22nd on the Wake Forest career rebounding chart with 511 boards.
Wake Forest Career Rebounding
| 1. Dickie Hemric (52-55) | 1,802 |
| 2. Tim Duncan (94-97) | 1,570 |
| 3. Len Chappell (60-62) | 1,213 |
| ........ | |
| 20. Kenny Green (83-85) | 554 |
| 21. Jim Gilley (55-57) | 543 |
| 22. Rafael Vidaurreta (98- ) | 519 |
ODOM CRACKS ACC'S TOP 10 - 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 in 10th place on the ACC's all-time victory list (210-114). Wake Forest's win over North Carolina moved Odom into sole possession of 10th place on the ACC's all-time victory list past NC State legend Jim Valvano. Odom's overall record as a head coach is now 248-156 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 88 ACC victories (he's 88-74), however, are the most for any Demon Deacon coach.
THREE-POINT STREAK CONTINUES - Wake Forest enters the game at Georgia Tech having made at least one three-point field goal in 248 consecutive games. The last time that the Demon Deacons did not make a three-pointer was in a 1992 homecourt victory over Tulane.
A BALANCED ATTACK - The Demon Deacons are averaging 70.8 points, but no player is scoring more than 15 points per game. ROBERT O'KELLEY leads the Deacs with a 14.6 ppg average while DARIUS SONGAILA (12.2 ppg) is the only other player in double figures. A closer examination of the statistics reveals that seven different players are scoring over five points per game and nine different players are averaging at least four points per contest.
POINTS OFF THE BENCH - Given Wake Forest's balanced offensive production, it comes as no surprise that the Demon Deacons have received solid contributions off the bench this season. Through 18 games, the Wake Forest bench is averaging nearly 29 points per game while the starting five has totaled nearly 42 ppg. The bench has actually outscored the starters on three occasions this season (Arkansas, High Point and MD-Eastern Shore) while the starting five has topped 50 points just three times.
DOUBLE DIGIT DEACONS - Eight different Deacons have score in double figures at least once this season. Only two Deacs (ROBERT O'KELLEY and DARIUS SONGAILA), though, are averaging more than 10 points per contest. O'KELLEY has reached double digits in 15 games (including 14 of the last 15) while SONGAILA has scored in double figures on 13 occasions (including 8 in a row).
Double Digit Deacons
| Scoring | Rebounding | |
| Niki ARINZE | 3 times | |
| Craig DAWSON | 6 times | |
| Broderick HICKS | 2 tines | |
| Josh HOWARD | 4 times | |
| Robert O'KELLEY | 15 times (14 of last 15) | |
| Antwan SCOTT | 2 times | once |
| Josh SHOEMAKER | once (UMES) | |
| Darius SONGAILA | 13 times (8 straight) | |
| Rafael VIDAURRETA | 3 times |
TIME SHARING - Through 18 games, the Demon Deacons have operated with a very deep bench. Nine different players are averaging better than 10 minutes per game while only one player is playing more than 30 minutes per contest. ROBERT O'KELLEY, who averaged 35.0 mpg last season, leads the team with 32.8 mpg.
NOT SO NEUTRAL - Wake Forest is 7-2 at home and 3-2 in road games this season, but the Demon Deacons have struggled to a 1-3 mark on neutral courts. The Deacs will not have another neutral site date until the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, however.
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 .500 or better records against seven of their eight ACC foes, with only N. Carolina holding an advantage over the Deacs the past 10 years.
Wake Forest vs the ACC
| CLEM | DUKE | FSU | GT | MD | UNC | NCST | UVA | TOTAL | |
| Last 7 Years* | 11-4 | 8-6 | 9-5 | 8-6 | 7-6 | 6-10 | 9-5 | 10-4 | 68-46 |
| Last 10 Years* | 16-5 | 11-9 | 9-9 | 11-9 | 11-8 | 7-16 | 14-6 | 14-8 | 93-70 |
*includes 1999-2000 season
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.
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 | Duke | 4 |
| WAKE FOREST | 9 | NC State | 3 |
| Clemson | 7 | Georgia Tech | 2 |
| Maryland | 6 |
The Wake Forest Record When....
| At Home | 7-2 |
| On Opponent Court | 3-2 |
| On Neutral Court | 1-3 |
| Leading at Halftime | 8-3 |
| Trailing at Halftime | 2-4 |
| Leading with 10:00 Left | 9-3 |
| Trailing with 10:00 Left | 1-4 |
| Final Margin Fewer than 5 Pts | 0-3 |
| Final Margin 5-to-9 Pts | 5-0 |
| Final Margin in Double Figures | 6-4 |
| WF Scores 80+ Pts | 4-0 |
| WF Scores 70-79 Pts | 4-0 |
| WF Scores 60-69 Pts | 3-4 |
| WF Scores Under 60 Pts | 0-3 |
| WF Shoots 50%+ | 4-1 |
| WF Shoots Under 50% | 7-6 |
| Opponent Shoots 50%+ | 0-2 |
| WF Atts More FTs than Opp | 9-2 |
| WF Out-Rebounds Opp | 8-4 |
| Opp Out-Rebounds WF | 3-3 |
