Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Hosts Virginia Sunday
1/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2000
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest looks to climb back to .500 in conference play as the Demon Deacons wrap up the first half of the 2000 ACC season. Wake Forest is coming off 14-point win at Georgia Tech on Thursday evening while Virginia is currently in second place in the ACC standings after an 86-81 win over Florida State on Wednesday. Today's game is being televised regionally by the ACC-TV Network.
PROBABLE DEMON DEACON LINEUP
| No. Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | PPG | RPG |
| 4 Robert O'Kelley | G | 6'1 | Jr. | 14.7 | 1.8 |
| 5 Josh Howard | G | 6'6 | Fr. | 7.2 | 3.6 |
| 41 Rafael Vidaurreta | C | 6'9 | Jr. | 3.7 | 6.5 |
| 33 Niki Arinze | F | 6'5 | So. | 6.0 | 3.6 |
| 25 Darius Songaila | F | 6'9 | So. | 12.0 | 4.8 |
TOP RESERVES
| No. Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | PPG | RPG |
| 42 Craig Dawson | G | 6'5 | So. | 8.2 | 2.3 |
| 44 Josh Shoemaker | C | 6'9 | Jr. | 6.0 | 5.8 |
| 3 Broderick Hicks | G | 6'1 | So. | 5.1 | 1.6 |
| 31 Ervin Murray | G | 6'5 | So. | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| 34 Antwan Scott | F | 6'8 | So. | 4.3 | 2.8 |
| 52 Tate Decker | F | 6'11 | Jr. | 3.2 | 2.5 |
HEAD COACH - Dave Odom (11th year at Wake Forest) / Won 211, Lost 114
(14th year Overall) / Won 249, 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 next three games. Wake Forest returned to the original lineup (the one listed above) on Thursday at Georgia Tech. Nine different Deacons have starting at least one game this season, while RAFAEL VIDAURRETA is the only individual to start all 19 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 leaves Joel Coliseum for a pair of road games next Wednesday at Davidson (7:00) and Saturday at Florida State (1:00 / RJ).
Wake Forest vs. Virginia
THE SERIES - Wake Forest has won five of the last seven and 10 of the last 13 meetings with Virginia to take a 56-52 lead in the overall series that began in 1911. The schools played only six times through 1921, however, then did not meet again until renewing annual encounters as fellow ACC members when the Cavaliers joined the newly founded conference for the 1954-55 season.
Although the Deacons have held the upper hand in recent years, most of their wins have been down-to-the wire affairs. Seven of those 10 recent victories have come by 10 points or fewer. In 24 contests over the last 10 years, 19 have been decided by single-digit outcomes, including 13 with final margins of five points or fewer.
LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS - In the first meeting of the year, Deacons freshmen Darius Songaila, Ervin Murray and Craig Dawson combined for 45 points in a 69-53 WFU win in Winston-Salem. Wake led by only three at halftime (30-27), and by a 32-39 margin with 17:40 remaining, before going on a 9-0 spurt. All nine points in that run were scored by that aforementioned rookie trio. Songaila finished with a season-high 22 points and 9 rebounds, while Murray added 14 points and Dawson scored 9 points off the bench.
The Cavs rebounded with a 64-54 homecourt win in Charlottesville. The score was tied at halftime (31-31), but Virginia assumed control of the game midway through the second half and built an 18-point lead with 5:50 remaining. Freshman Antwan Scott led the Deacs on a comeback, scoring 13 of Wake's final 19 points in the last 6:00, but UVA's Donald Hand and Chezley Watson converted on 9-10 from the line in the final three minutes to seal the victory.
IN JOEL - Wake Forest has won 8 of 10 games with Virginia in this building, but only two games have not been close (an 81-64 Wake Forest win in 1996 and a 69-53 Deacon victory last year). The Cavaliers won their first visit in 1990 (71-70 in OT) on a last second shot by Bryant Stith, and by two points in 1994 (61-59). The Deacons' list of wins includes a two-pointer in 1993 (58-56), a three-pointer in 1995 (66-63), a four-pointer in 1997 (58-54) and a come-from-behind 73-64 overtime win in 1998.
Noting the Demon Deacons
ITS SUPER BOWL SUNDAY - Today marks the eighth time that Wake Forest has played on Super Bowl Sunday. And although the Demon Deacons are 3-4 overall when their schedule is paired with the NFL finale, they have won their last three times they have played on this occasion. That includes wins here in Joel Coliseum in each of the last two seasons (Missouri in 1998 and Maryland in 1999).
The Deacons & "Super Sunday"
| Date | Site | Wake Forest Result | Super Bowl Result |
| 1/31/99 | H | WF 85, Maryland 72 | Denver 34, Atlanta 19 |
| 1/25/98 | H | WF 74, Missouri 65 | Denver 31, Green Bay 24 |
| 1/29/95 | H | WF 63, Vanderbilt 51 | San Francisco 49, San Diego 26 |
| 1/30/94 | A | N. Carolina 85, WF 61 | Dallas 30, Buffalo 13 |
| 1/28/90 | H | Virginia 71, WF 70 (ot) | San Francisco 55, Denver 10 |
| 1/30/83 | H* | Arkansas 68, WF 65 | Washington 27, Miami 17 |
| 1/15/78 | A | N. Carolina 71, WF 69 | Dallas 27, Denver 10 |
*Greensboro Coliseum
A CONTRAST IN STYLE - Today's game between Virginia and Wake Forest features an interesting matchup of two teams with contrasting styles of play. The Cavs rank 2nd in ACC games only in scoring offense (86.0 ppg) while the Deacs rank 1st in scoring defense (63.7 ppg). Conversely, WFU ranks 8th in scoring offense (60.7 ppg) and UVA ranks 9th in scoring defense (82.7 ppg).
Contrasting Styles
| Category | WFU (ACC Rank) | UVA (ACC Rank) |
| Scoring Offense | 60.7 ppg (8th) | 86.0 ppg (2nd) |
| Scoring Defense | 63.7 ppg (1st) | 82.7 ppg (9th) |
"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 nine games ago.
DEFENSE DOES THE JOB - Twelve of 19 opponents have shot under 44% from the floor against Wake Forest this year -- the Demon Deacons are 11-1 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 12 of 18 games, and the Deacons are 9-3 in those contests. However, since building a halftime lead in 12 of the first 14 games, Wake has trailed at the half in four of the last five contests.
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 12-4 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 9-1 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 (22.3 attempts per game), they struggled to capitalize on that advantage for much of the season. As a team, Wake Forest is shooting just 65.3% from the line (the second lowest figure in the ACC). However, the Deacs have shown improvement in that department of late and have hit 75.0% (51-68) from the line in the last four 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 14.1 turnovers per game. Over the last eight games, Wake Forest is averaging just 12.6 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% (200-536) from the field in the last nine games, including a 35.1% mark in the last five contests.
THREE-POINT ACCURACY DOWN, TOO - Wake Forest has struggled with their long range accuracy this season. The Deacons are shooting 31.3% 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 41-159 (25.8%) on long range attempts in the last 11 games.
ON THE GLASS - The Demon Deacons have been solid on the boards this season, ranking second in the ACC with a +5.3 rebound margin. Wake Forest is 9-4 when grabbing more rebounds than its opponent.
After outrebounding nine of their first 10 opponents, the Deacs were outrebounded in five of the next six games. However, Wake Forest has grabbed at least 10 more rebounds than its opponents in each of the last three 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 1,320 points, good for 18th place on the Wake Forest all-time scoring list. O'Kelley needs 10 points to pass No. 17 Delaney Rudd (1982-85).
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 |
| ........ | |
| 16. Jerry Schellenberg (74-77) | 1,366 |
| 17. Delaney Rudd (82-85) | 1,329 |
| 18. Robert O'Kelley (98- ) | 1,320 |
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 is second on the team in scoring in ACC games only (14.0 ppg), he currently ranks 1st in the conference in free throw percentage (89.7%) and 5th in field goal percentage (51.4%).
"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 6.5 rebounds per game, including 6.9 rpg in seven ACC games. Defensively, Vidaurreta anchors a post defense that has held opponent starting centers to 6.6 points and 4.3 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 523 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- ) | 523 |
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 (211-114). Wake Forest's win over North Carolina moved Odom into 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 249-156 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 89 ACC victories (he's 89-74), however, are the most for any Demon Deacon coach.
THREE-POINT STREAK CONTINUES - Wake Forest enters the game versus Virginia having made at least one three-point field goal in 249 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 nearly 70 points a game, but no player is scoring more than 15 points per game. ROBERT O'KELLEY leads the Deacs with a 14.76 ppg average while DARIUS SONGAILA (12.0 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 19 games, the Wake Forest bench is averaging 28 points per game while the starting five has totaled nearly 41 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 16 games (including 15 of the last 16) while SONGAILA has scored in double figures on 14 occasions (including 25 of the last 33 overall).
Double Digit Deacons
| Scoring | Rebounding | |
| Niki ARINZE | 3 times | |
| Craig DAWSON | 6 times | |
| Broderick HICKS | 2 tines | |
| Josh HOWARD | 5 times (2 in a row) | |
| Robert O'KELLEY | 16 times (15 of 16) | |
| Antwan SCOTT | 2 times | once (Arkansas) |
| Josh SHOEMAKER | once (UMES) | |
| Darius SONGAILA | 13 times (25 of 32 overall) | |
| Rafael VIDAURRETA | 3 times |
TIME SHARING - Through 19 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 4-2 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 | 9-6 | 7-6 | 6-10 | 9-5 | 10-4 | 69-46 |
| Last 10 Years* | 16-5 | 11-9 | 9-9 | 12-9 | 11-8 | 7-16 | 14-6 | 14-8 | 94-70 |
*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 |
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 128-31 (81% 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 (54-20) on its homecourt since 1990. North Carolina and Duke are the only ACC visitors to post a winning record in Joel Coliseum.
Wake's record in Joel includes an outstanding 73-5 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 | 6-0 | 1-2 | 7-2 |
| Totals | 73-5 | 55-26 | 128-31 |
| (93.6%) | (67.9%) | (80.5%) |
ALL IN THE FAMILY - 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.
"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 | 7-2 |
| On Opponent Court | 4-2 |
| On Neutral Court | 1-3 |
| Leading at Halftime | 9-3 |
| Trailing at Halftime | 2-4 |
| Leading with 10:00 Left | 10-3 |
| 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 | 7-4 |
| WF Scores 80+ Pts | 4-0 |
| WF Scores 70-79 Pts | 4-0 |
| WF Scores 60-69 Pts | 4-4 |
| WF Scores Under 60 Pts | 0-3 |
| WF Shoots 50%+ | 4-1 |
| WF Shoots Under 50% | 8-6 |
| Opponent Shoots 50%+ | 0-2 |
| WF Atts More FTs than Opp | 10-2 |
| WF Out-Rebounds Opp | 9-4 |
| Opp Out-Rebounds WF | 3-3 |
