Wake Forest Men's Basketball Weekly Release
12/31/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2000
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(4) Wake Forest (11-0/0-0)
vs.
(8) Virginia (10-0/0-0)
Jan. 2, 2001 - 7:00 p.m.
Joel Coliseum (14,407)
Winston-Salem, NC
Tip Time:
7:05 p.m.
Television:
Regional Sports Network (Fox Sports South, Home Team Sports, Sunshine Network). Paul Kennedy (play-by-play) and Mike Gminski (color analysis) call the acton.
Radio:
The Deacon Radio Network. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
The Records:
Wake Forest is 11-0 (16 consecutive victories overall) after whipping visiting Navy, 90-58, Friday night. Virginia is 10-0 following a 102-56 win at Dartmouth Saturday afternoon.
The Rankings:
The Deacons are ranked 4th in the Associated Press poll (WFU's highest AP ranking since being ranked No. 4 on Feb. 17, 1997) and 4th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Virginia is ranked 8th in the AP poll, 9th in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
WFU Coach Dave Odom:
Odom (Guilford '65) is in his 12th season at Wake Forest with a record of 232-121. In 15 years overall, he is 270-163. Odom, a three-time ACC Coach of the Year, owns the second-most wins in WFU history and the eighth-most wins in ACC history.
Virginia Coach Pete Gillen:
Gillen (Fairfield '68) is 43-28 in three seasons in Charlottesville, 317-156 in 16 seasons overall.
The Series History:
Wake Forest leads, 57-53.
The Officials:
Announced on game day.
ACC Opener Pits Undefeated, Top 10-Ranked Wake Forest And Virginia
Wake Forest and Virginia, two undefeated teams ranked in the top 10, square off Tuesday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams at Lawrence Joel Coliseum (7:00 p.m./Regional Sports Network).
Fourth-ranked Wake Forest, 11-0, won its 16th straight game and held its 18th consecutive opponent to less than 40 percent shooting with a 90-58 tune-up victory over visiting Navy Friday night. Sophomore Josh Howard led the Deacons with 17 points and junior Antwan Scott came off the bench for 15 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. Wake held Navy to 31.7 percent shooting.
Eighth-ranked Virginia (ranked ninth in the ESPN/USA Today poll), 10-0, beat Dartmouth on the road Saturday afternoon, 102-56. Roger Mason had 17 points and Travis Watson added 13 points and nine rebounds to lead the Cavaliers.
Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 57-53, including an 80-75 win over the Cavaliers in the 1999-00 regular season finale.
Things To Know About Tuesday's Wake Forest-Virginia Game
- The Deacons own a 16-game winning streak dating back to last year's NIT title run. The streak is the school's longest since a 20-game win streak that ended in 1927. The win streak is also the second-longest current streak nationally. Only Michigan State (22 straight wins) owns a longer current streak. The Spartans host Penn State Wednesday night.
- Remarkably, Wake Forest has held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting in 18 consecutive games. Virginia, on March 2, 2000, was the last team to shoot 40 percent or better against Wake (.419).
- Wake Forest will face its second top 10-ranked opponent of the season (the Deacs beat then No. 3 Kansas, 84-53, on Dec. 7).
- The last time Wake played in a game between two top 10-ranked teams was an 86-73 loss to North Carolina in the 1997 ACC Tournament. Wake was ranked 8th, while Carolina was ranked 5th.
- The Deacons are looking to begin the season 12-0 for the first time since going 13-0 in Tim Duncan's senior year (1996-97).
Wake Forest-Virginia Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 57-53.
- The two teams have split the regular season series in each of the previous three seasons.
- Wake won the last meeting, 80-75, on March 2 (2000) in Charlottesville. Virginia won the last game played in Winston-Salem, 76-67, on Jan. 30, 2000.
- The Deacons are 32-16 versus Virginia when playing at home.
- The first meeting between the two teams came in 1911 at the old Wake Forest campus (Virginia won, 22-12). The two teams have met at least twice each season since 1955.
- Wake Forest has won 11 of the last 16 meetings.
- Eight of the last nine meetings have been decided by 10 points or less.
- Wake coach Dave Odom is 16-10 all-time versus Virginia.
- Virginia coach Tom Gillen is 2-2 all-time against Wake Forest.
A Quick Look At The Last Wake Forest-Virginia Meeting
Then sophomore Darius Songaila scored 22 points, including 14-of-14 from the free throw line, to lead Wake Forest past Virginia, 80-75 in Charlottesville on March 2, 2000. The game marked the regular season finale for Wake Forest (Virginia played Maryland two days later to close the regular season).
Songaila also chipped in nine rebounds and two blocked shots for the Deacons. Then freshman Josh Howard added 14 points and Craig Dawson and Josh Shoemaker added 11 points each.
Virginia was led by Chris Williams' 23 points and Adam Hall added 16 points.
Wake Forest shot 52.9 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Cavaliers, 38-31. Virginia shot 41.9 percent from the floor and forced 20 Deacon turnovers.
Deacon-Cavalier Connections
- Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom was an assistant coach at Virginia under Terry Holland from 1982-83 through 1988-89. The Cavaliers produced a 142-83 record and made six postseason appearances, including the 1984 Final Four, during Odom's tenure.
- While at Virginia, Odom helped coach Cavalier guard Ricky Stokes, who later served as an assistant coach under Odom at Wake Forest. Stokes is now the head coach at Virginia Tech.
- Cavalier assistant coach Scott Shepherd was the head coach at Hargrave Academy from 1994-99, where he coached current Deac Josh Howard.
- New Virginia football coach Al Groh was the head coach at Wake Forest from 1981-86. New Wake football coach Jim Grobe is a 1973 Virginia graduate.
Deacons Putting Up Impressive Numbers
Through the first 11 games of the season, Wake Forest has put up numbers worthy of its No. 4 national ranking. The Deacons rank in the top 10 nationally in five different statistical categories.
- Wake Forest ranks fifth nationally and first in the ACC in field goal percentage (.514) despite shooting under 50 percent in six of its last seven games.
- Meanwhile, Wake ranks sixth nationally in field goal percentage defense (.354). The Deacons have held 18 straight opponents to less than 40 percent shooting.
- While it's very early in the season, Wake is averaging more more than 80 points per game (81.6 ppg.) for the first time since 1990-91.
- Defensively, the Deacs rank third nationally in scoring defense (limiting opponents to just 55.7 points per game).
- WFU's scoring margin (+25.9) ranks 3rd nationally.
- With 204 assists and just 131 turnovers, the Deacons lead the ACC in assist-turnover ratio.
- Individually, senior Josh Shoemaker leads the ACC in rebounds (9.5 rpg.) and junior Ervin Murray leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Tuesday's Game Offers Interesting Statistical Battle
Virginia enters Tuesday's game as the nation's second-highest scoring team (93.9 points per game) behind only TCU (98.0 ppg.). Wake Forest, meanwhile, is allowing just 55.7 points per game, which ranks the Deacs third nationally in scoring defense. And while there is a definite contrast in styles, don't expect Wake Forest to slow the game down to a crawl. The Deacons are averaging more points per game (81.6 ppg.) than any Wake Forest team since 1977-78. Virginia is shooting better than 40 percent from three-point range (.409), while Wake Forest is holding opponents to just 22.7 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Streak Continues: Deacons Hold 18 Straight Opponents To Less Than 40 Percent Shooting
The one constant in Wake Forest's 16-game winning streak has been defense. The Deacons have held their last 18 opponents to less than 40 percent shooting.
The last time a team shot 40 percent or better against Wake Forest came March 2, 2000 when Virginia shot 41.9 percent from the floor against the Deacs in the regular season finale.
Wake has held 20 consecutive opponents to less than 50 percent shooting. The last time a team shot 50 percent or better versus Wake came on Feb. 22, 2000 when Duke shot 55.4 percent in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
This season, the Deacons lead the ACC and rank sixth nationally in field goal percentage defense (35.4 percent).
More From Wake's 90-58 Win Over Navy Friday Night
Junior Antwan Scott came off the bench to score 15 points, grab a career-high 12 rebounds and match a career-high with five blocked shots in Friday's 90-58 rout of Navy. More from that game:
- Junior Darius Songaila was held to nine points, but managed his 1,000th career point.
- Ervin Murray made his first start of the season at point guard, replacing Broderick Hicks.
- Wake blocked a season-high 12 shots.
Wake Forest In ACC Openers
Winning the ACC opener doesn't always mean a successful season, but it sure doesn't hurt.
Wake Forest has not won an ACC opener since 1997, which coincidentally is the last time the Deacons earned an NCAA Tournament bid. Last season the Deacs were stunned at home by Florida State in the ACC opener and ultimately finished 7-9 in league play.
Wake won four consecutive league openers from 1994 to 1997.
More on Wake in ACC openers:
- Wake Forest is 18-29 all-time in ACC openers.
- The Deacons are 2-9 in ACC openers when Virginia is the opponent, including a 2-3 record against the Cavaliers in Winston-Salem.
- The last time Wake Forest opened an ACC season with Virginia was a 73-64 overtime loss to the Wahoos in Charlottesville in 1997-98.
- The last time Wake and Virginia opened the ACC season in Winston-Salem came in 1976-77 when the Deacons beat the Cavaliers, 67-63.
- Three of Wake's last eight ACC openers have gone into overtime, including the 1998 contest with UVa.
- Wake and Virginia opened the ACC schedule nine straight years from 1970-71 through 1979-80.
- Tuesday's game marks the third time since 1993 that Wake Forest has opened ACC play against a nationally-ranked opponent. In 1998-99, the Deacons had the tough task of opening league play at No. 2 Maryland (a 92-69 loss). In 1992-93, Wake opened league action with a 74-72 overtime home loss to No. 23 Florida State.
Deacons Welcome Another Top 10 Foe To Lawrence Joel
Eighth-ranked Virginia will be the second top 10-ranked team to visit Lawrence Joel Coliseum this season. Wake Forest beat then No. 3 Kansas, 84-53, on Dec. 7.
More on Wake Forest versus ranked teams:
- Tuesday's game will be the first time Wake Forest has played in a game involving two top 10-ranked teams since No. 8 Wake Forest lost to No. 5 North Carolina in the second round of the 1997 ACC Tournament.
- The last time two top 10-ranked teams met in Lawrence Joel Coliseum came on Feb. 12, 1997 when No. 2 Wake Forest beat No. 7 Clemson, 55-49.
- The last time Wake Forest and Virginia met when both teams were nationally-ranked came on March 11, 1995 when No. 7 Wake beat No. 11 Virginia, 77-68, in the second round of the ACC Tournament.
- Wake Forest and Virginia have met just once previously when both teams were ranked in the top 10. That came on Jan. 28, 1981 in Charlottesville when No. 1 Virginia beat No. 6 Wake Forest, 83-73.
- WFU's win over Kansas marked the highest-ranking opponent that Wake has beaten since defeating No. 2 Clemson on the road on Jan. 23, 1997. It was also the highest-ranked opponent the Deacs have defeated in Lawrence Joel Coliseum since beating No. 2 Duke in 1994.
- Wake Forest has defeated eight teams ranked in the top five over the last seven seasons.
- Over the last seven seasons (including this season), Wake Forest has defeated 12 opponents ranked 10th or better.
- In Dave Odom's 12 seasons at Wake Forest, his teams are 22-19 against nationally-ranked teams when his team is also ranked.
Recent Wake Forest Victories Vs.Top 10 Teams
Opponent Site Date Result
No. 3 Kansas H Dec. 7, 2000 W, 84-53
No. 4 Maryland H Jan. 31, 1999 W, 85-72
No. 7 Clemson H Feb. 12, 1997 W, 55-49
No. 2 Clemson A Jan. 23, 1997 W, 65-62
No. 10 Duke A Jan. 11, 1997 W, 81-69
No. 7 Utah A Dec. 31, 1996 W, 70-59
No. 4 N. Carolina N March 12, 1995 W, 82-80ot
No. 2 N. Carolina A Feb. 28, 1995 W, 79-70
No. 7 Maryland H Feb. 15, 1995 W, 63-54
No. 5 N. Carolina H March 2, 1994 W, 68-61
No. 2 Duke H Feb. 13, 1994 W, 78-69
No. 2 Duke A Jan. 13, 1994 W, 69-68
Good Shooting A Team Thing
Wake Forest's field goal percentage (.514), the best percentage in the ACC and the fifth-best field goal percentage in college basketball, is truly a team effort. Consider:
- Wake's top three scorers -- Crag Dawson (.546), Josh Howard (.600) and Darius Songaila (.509) -- are all shooting better than 50 percent from the field.
- Four of Wake's five frontcourt players are shooting better than 50 percent.
- Howard ranks among the ACC leaders in field goal percentage (.600).
- Craig Dawson, who leads the team with 26 three-point field goals, ranks fourth in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage (.448).
No. 4 Deacons Earn Highest National Ranking Since 1997
Wake Forest's win at Temple, coupled with losses by Tennessee and Illinois last week, helped the Deacons climb to fourth in both major polls this week. Wake is in the top five for the first time since Feb. 24, 1997 and the Deacs are in the top four since Feb. 17, 1997.
The latest polls demonstrate just how difficult the Wake Forest schedule is this season. Six different Deacon opponents are ranked in the Associated Press poll, including three opponents ranked in the top 10: (3) Duke, (7) Kansas, (8) Virginia, (14) North Carolina, (18) Maryland and (19) Cincinnati.
Three other Deacon opponents received votes for one or both major polls this week -- Richmond, Georgia Tech and NC State.
More Poll Stuff
Wake Forest actually dropped from No. 10 to No. 11 this week in The Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
The Deacons are ranked No. 1 in the latest Sagarin computer poll.
The Last Time The Deacons Were Ranked As High As...
No. 1 -- none
No. 2 -- February 10, 1997 (2nd)
No. 3 -- February 10, 1997 (2nd)
No. 4 -- December 25, 2000 (4th)
No. 5 -- December 25, 2000 (4th)
Songaila Earns 1,000th Career Point
Junior Darius Songaila became the 39th player in Wake Forest history to score 1,000 career points when he chipped in nine points Friday night against Navy.
Songaila enters the Virginia game with an even 1,000 points. He is currently tied with Frank Christie for 38th place on Wake's all-time scoring chart. He needs 15 points to pass Dave Budd for 37th place.
Howard Sparks Defense
If you listen to his head coach, Josh Howard would lead the nation in blocking shots on the perimeter -- if the NCAA tracked such a statistic. Dave Odom is only guessing, of course, but he does help illustrate the havoc that the 6-6 Howard causes away from the basket.
Howard has 16 blocked shots this season (ranking second on the team behind Antwan Scott and seventh in the ACC) and almost all of those have come near or beyond the three-point line. He's a big reason opponents are shooting just 22.7 percent from behind the arc. Over the last five games he has blocked nine shots.
Howard leads Wake and ranks and ranks 11th in the ACC in steals (19).
Vidaurreta Back In Action, Deacs Near Full Strength
Wake Forest senior center Rafael Vidaurreta, who underwent knee surgery in late September, returned to action Dec. 16 against Georgia and has seen limited action in each of Wake's last four games.
Vidaurreta is averaging 10.8 minutes per game and his playing time is expected to go up steadily as the year unfolds. He played 18 minutes against Navy Friday, scoring four points, grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots.
As Vidaurreta's health improves, Wake Forest nears full strength for the first time this year. Ervin Murray has recovered from mononucleosis, which kept him out of practice the entire preseason.
O'Kelley Eyes Top 10 For Career Scoring
Senior Robert O'Kelley ranks 11th on Wake Forest's all-time career scoring chart and he is closing in on 1,700 career points. O'Kelley enters the Virginia game with 1,648 career points. Rodney Rogers ranks 10th with 1,720 points.
Winning Streak Longest In The Modern Era
Dave Odom has had many good teams and numerous talented players. But until now, he's never had a team that has won 16 games in a row.
Wake's 16-game winning streak is a modern day Deacon record. You have to go back to 1926 and 1927 to find a longer winning streak in WFU history (20 games). Wake won its final five games of the 1925-26 season and began the 1926-27 season by winning 15 straight.
Wake's 11-0 start ties for the fourth-best start in school history and the best since the 1996-97 team started 13-0.
O'Kelley Ranks 9th In ACC History With 251 Three-Pointers
Robert O'Kelley, with 251 career three-point field goals, ranks second in Wake Forest history and ninth in ACC history for three-pointers made.
O'Kelley may not be able to catch Wake's all-time leader Randolph
Childress (329 career three-pointers), but he will move up the ACC's all-time list. He needs five more three-pointers to pass former Florida State guard James Collins (255 three-point field goals) for eighth place on the all-time ACC list. Former Georgia Tech star Travis Best (258 treys) is within striking distance as well.
O'Kelley also ranks second at Wake for career three-point field goal attempts (694).
Dawson Among WFU's Most Prolific Three-Point Shooters
Junior Craig Dawson, who has 10 three-point field goals over the last three games, enters the Virginia game with 126 career three-point field goals, ranking sixth in WFU history.
Dawson needs just two treys to pass Steven Goolsby for fifth place.
Dawson ranks fifth at Wake Forest for career three-point field goal attempts (326).
Scott, Songaila Climb Blocked Shots List
Antwan Scott, who matched a career high with five blocked shots Friday against Navy, has passed Rodney Rogers for eighth place on Wake's all-time blocked shots list. Scott, a junior, has 77 career blocks including 22 rejections this season.
Scott is 13 blocked shots shy of passing Kenny Green for seventh place on the Wake list.
Junior Darius Songaila (59 career blocks) is now ranked 10th in WFU history for career blocked shots.
Shoemaker Leads ACC In Rebounding
When senior center Rafael Vidaurreta underwent surgery in late September, Wake Forest coach Dave Odom expected senior Josh Shoemaker to step up. Shoemaker has exceeded almost everyone's expectations. While Shoemaker's numbers may decline slightly with the return of Rafael Vidaurreta, he is currently leads the ACC in rebounds (9.5 rpg.) and he has five double-figure rebound games this season.
Vidaurreta, Shoemaker Moving Up Rebounds List
Senior Rafael Vidaurreta, with 660 career rebounds, ranks 14th in Wake Forest career rebounding history. On Friday he passed Alvis Rogers on that list and he needs 23 boards to pass Dave Budd for 13th place. He is also 40 rebounds shy of becoming the 11th player in Wake Forest history to garner 700 career rebounds.
Senior Josh Shoemaker (550 career rebounds) is ranked 22nd on Wake's all-time rebounds chart. He needs five boards to pass Kenny Green for 21st place.
Junior Darius Songaila (426 career rebounds) should soon become the 26th Wake Forest player to grab 500 career boards.
Senior Trio Has Combined For 316 Career Games Played
With much of his senior season remaining, only 10 players in Wake Forest history have played in more games than Robert O'Kelley (108 games played). O'Kelley ranks 11th in WFU history for games played. Josh Shoemaker is hot on O'Kelley's trail with 107 games played, tying for 14th in school history. Rafael Vidaurreta ranks 16th with 101 games played.
Wake Likely To Redshirt Schoetz
Wake Forest coach Dave Odom would like to redshirt 7-0 freshman Dshamal Schoetz. Schoetz has been impressive, but could benefit greatly from a redshirt year, Odom said. The German native did not begin playing basketball until the age of 15.
Deacs-Hoos Kick Off Things For The ACC
Technically, the WFU-Virginia game (7 p.m. start) will be the first of the ACC season. Also Saturday, Clemson plays at Maryland and North Carolina is at Georgia Tech. Those games begin at 8 p.m. Wake, Virginia Hope To Remain In Group Of Unbeatens After Tuesday night, there will be a maximum of six undefeated Division I teams. Wake Forest (11-0) and Virginia (10-0) are one of seven unbeaten teams. The others with unblemished records: Georgetown (10-0), Michigan State (11-0), Stanford (11-0), Baylor (10-0) and Boston College (9-0).
Of Rookie Coaches And ACC Openers
Elsewhere in the ACC on Tuesday, two first-year coaches will meet when North Carolina plays at Georgia Tech. Unofficially, that game will mark just the fourth time in ACC history that two new coaches have met in the conference opener. Two of those previous games involved Wake Forest coaches. In 1967, first-year Wake Forest coach Jack McCloskey opened ACC play against NC State and rookie coach Norm Sloan. In 1990, first-year Wake Forest coach Dave Odom began his ACC career against Maryland and rookie coach Gary Williams. It also happened in 1997 when North Carolina (Bill Guthridge) played Florida State (Steve Robinson).
Miscellaneous Notes
- Craig Dawson is the nephew of NBA standout Jerry Stackhouse. ?Uncle Jerry? was in attendance at the Nov. 28 game against Michigan. Dawson spent part of his Christmas holiday attending Stackhouse's wedding in Michigan.
- Deacon assistant coach Barry Sanderson is the son of legendary and former Alabama coach, Wimp Sanderson.
- Dave Odom's sons -- Ryan (American) and Lane (Missouri) -- are both working as Division I assistant coaches.
- Wake Forest has won 14 consecutive November games. The last time the Deacs lost in November was a 59-48 loss to Temple in 1998. vThe Deacons also finished the month of December undefeated. The last time Wake went undefeated in both November and December came during the 1996-97 season.
- Wake's field goal percentage in the season opener versus Mount St. Mary's (.700) remains the highest by an ACC team this season.
- The Deacons have won seven straight season openers and are now 11-1 in season openers under Dave Odom following a Nov. 16 win over Mount St. Mary's. Wake is 69-28 all-time in season openers.
Wake Forest 8th In Sears Cup Standings
With fall sports competition completed, Wake Forest ranks eighth nationally in the Sears Directors' Cup standings. The Sears Cup is awarded annually to the school with the top overall performance in all sports. Wake Forest earned 162 points in the fall based on advancing to the Final Four in field hockey and with the women's soccer team earning an NCAA Tournament berth.
Wake Forest Head Coach Dave Odom
Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom (Guilford '65) owns a career record of 232-121 in 12 seasons with the Deacons, 270-163 in 15 seasons overall. Odom was the head coach at East Carolina for three seasons before taking over the Deacon program in 1989-90. The three-time ACC Coach of the Year has led Wake to 10 consecutive postseason appearances. Odom has already reached a pair of milestones this season:
- On Nov. 18, Odom won his 223rd game at Wake Forest, passing Carl Tacy as the second-winningest coach in WFU history and the eighth-winningest coach in ACC history.
- Odom needs seven ACC victories this season to become just the ninth person to win 100 ACC conference games.
Deacon Point Guards Combine For 70 Assists, 19 Turnovers
Wake Forest's predominant point guards -- juniors Broderick Hicks and Ervin Murray -- have an assist-to-turnover ratio that any coach would love.
With a combined 70 assists and just 19 turnovers between them, the duo has dished out more than four assists to go with every turnover. Murray and Hicks rank one-two in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio. Murray leads the Deacons with 37 assists and just nine turnovers. Hicks has 33 assists and 10 turnovers.
Senior Robert O'Kelley, the starter at big guard, and freshman A.W. Hamilton, also see action periodically at point guard.
The Latest They've Trailed
The latest in a game Wake Forest has trailed this year is with 10:09 remaining in the second half of the Michigan game Nov. 28. The Deacons trailed by as much as 11 points with 15:53 remaining in that game.