Wake Forest Athletics
No. 11 Deacons Host Big Battle Against No. 3 Kansas
12/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2000
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Game #7
(11) Wake Forest (6-0) vs. (3) Kansas (7-0)
Dec. 7, 2000 - 7:00 p.m.
Joel Coliseum (14,407)
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Tip Time:
7:05 p.m.
Television:
ESPN. Matt Devlin (play-by-play) and Brad Daugherty (color analysis) call the action. Jeff Kibler produces and Ken Dennis directs.
Radio:
The Deacon Radio Network. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
The Records:
Wake Forest is 6-0 after beating visiting South Carolina State, 66-55, Saturday night. Kansas is 7-0 following an 80-61 home win over Illinois State Thursday night.
The Rankings:
The Deacons are ranked 11th in the Associated Press poll (WFU's highest AP ranking since 1997) and 11th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Kansas is No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 4 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 227-121. In 15 years overall, he is 265-163. 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.
Kansas coach Roy Williams:
Williams (North Carolina '72) is 336-82 in 13 seasons in Lawrence, 13 seasons overall.
The Series History:
Series tied, 1-1.
The Officials:
Announced on game day.
No. 11 Deacons, No. 3 Jayhawks Take Center Stage Thursday Night
Undefeated and 11th-ranked Wake Forest faces its biggest challenge of the young season Thursday night when it hosts No. 3-ranked Kansas in Lawrence Joel Coliseum (ESPN/7:00 p.m.).
Both teams are coming off sluggish home victories.
The Deacons, 6-0, are coming off a 66-55 win over South Carolina State Saturday night in Winston-Salem. The Jayhawks, 7-0, earned an 80-61 victory over Illinois State Thursday in Lawrence. Kansas will represent the highest-ranked team to visit Lawrence Joel Coliseum since then-No. 2 Duke on Jan. 13, 1999.
For Wake Forest, a win Thursday would give the Deacons their best start since the Tim Duncan era (1994-97) and would likely catapult the Deacs into the top 10 for the first time since March of 1997. Thursday's game marks the third meeting between the two teams (the series is tied, 1-1) and the first time the Jayhawks and Deacons have met outside of NCAA Tournament play.
Things To Know About Thursday's Game
Wake Forest eyes its first win over a ranked team since beating No. 4 Maryland on Jan. 31, 1999. The Deacs also hope for their first win over a team ranked as high as No. 3 since topping No. 2 Clemson on Jan. 23, 1997.
The Deacons enter Thursday's game with an 11-game winning streak -- the second-longest streak nationally -- dating back to last season. Only Michigan State (16 straight wins) owns a longer current streak. The Spartans host Florida Wednesday night.
The Deacons enter the Kansas game with their highest Associated Press ranking (12th) since finishing ninth in the final 1997 poll. Wake is also ranked 12th this week in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
The Deacons are looking to begin the season 7-0 for the first tme since going 13-0 in Tim Duncan's senior year (1996-97).
Wake owns a six-game homecourt winning streak.
The Deacs are 7-3 all-time against teams from the Big 12.
WFU has won 44 of its last 47 non-ACC home games.
Wake Forest-Kansas Series History
The series is tied, 1-1. Thursday's game marks the first meeting between the two teams since March 19, 1994.
Both previous meetings have come in NCAA Tournament play. Kansas defeated Wake Forest, 69-59, in the second round of the 1994 NCAA Tourney in Lexington, KY. Wake beat Kansas, 69-58, in the second round of the 1984 NCAA Tournament in Lincoln, NE.
Wake's Dave Odom is 0-1 all-time versus Kansas and KU's Roy Williams is 1-0 all-time vs. Wake.
The Deacons are 7-3 all-time against teams from the Big 12 Conference. Wake last played a Big 12 team on Jan. 25, 1998 when the Deacs beat Missouri, 74-65, in Joel Coliseum.
Kansas is the only Division I team from the Sunflower State Wake Forest has played.
More WFU-KU Series Notes
Wake Forest's Dave Odom and Kansas' Roy Williams have just one previous meeting as head coaches (the 1994 NCAA Tournament), but they have been on opposite coaching sidelines many times. From 1982-83 through 1988-89, Odom was an assistant coach at Virginia. From 1978-79 through 1987-88, Williams was an assistant at North Carolina.
Kansas played in Lawrence Joel Coliseum last March in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks beat DePaul before losing to Duke in The Joel.
Deacon-Jayhawk Connections
Wake's Dave Odom was an assistant coach on the 1999 USA Basketball Junior World Championship team which featured current Kansas sophomore Nick Collison and Deacon guard Steve Lepore, who is sitting out this season after transferring from Northwestern. That USA team went 7-1, winning the silver medal is Lisbon, Portugal. Rob Evans (Arizona State) served as the head coach and Jerry Dunn (Penn State) joined Odom as an assistant coach.
Kansas senior woman administrator Amy Perko was a basketball All-American at Wake Forest. Last year she was inducted into WFU's Sports Hall of Fame. n Deacon Radio Network color analyst Mark Freidinger was an assistant coach at Kansas under Larry Brown in 1986 and 1987. A sandwich called "The Dinger," named after Mark, is a featured menu item at The Wheel in Lawrence.
Lane Odom, son of the Wake Forest head coach, will battle Kansas at least twice this season as an assistant coach at Missouri.
Both trainers are Kansas natives -- Wake's Greg Collins (Lincoln), a Kansas State graduate, and KU's Mark Cairns (Salina).
Three members of the WFU media relations staff -- Bill Newton, Mike Vest and Dean Buchan -- all worked previously at Kansas. Newton and Vest are KU graduates. Newton is the son of Kansas Radio Network producer/engineer Bob Newton.
More From Wake's 66-55 Victory Versus S.C. State
Wake Forest overcame a sloppy performance Saturday night in Winston-Salem to beat South Carolina State, 66-55. More from that game:
Wake Forest committed a season-high 24 turnovers, shot a season-low 57.7 percent from the free throw line and scored a season-low 66 points.
Darius Songaila matched a career-high with 12 rebounds and had his eighth career double-double.
Josh Shoemaker recorded double-digit rebounds (11) for the third time this season.
Thursday's Game Intriguing Statistical Match-Up
Something must give when undefeated and nationally-ranked Wake Forest hosts unbeaten and nationally-ranked Kansas Thursday night:
Both teams are among the nation's leaders in field goal percentage -- Kansas is fifth nationally (55.4 percent), Wake Forest ranks seventh nationally (54.9).
Meanwhile, both the Deacons and Jayhawks are holding opponents to less than 37 percent shooting -- Wake Forest (34.7 percent), Kansas (36.7).
The teams own two of the highest victory margins in the nation -- Wake Forest ranks ninth nationally (+26.0), Kansas is 13th in the nation (+24.0). The Jayhawks rank fourth nationally in scoring offense (92.1 ppg.).
A key for Wake Forest could be in the rebounding department, where it has out-rebounded five of six opponents this season. Kansas, however, owns one of the nation's best rebound margins (+16.2).
Another key could be turnovers. Not including Saturday's game against S.C. State (when Wake committed a season-high 24 turnovers), the Deacons have turned the ball over just 10 times per game.
Deacons Posting Impressive Numbers
Through the first six games of the season, Wake Forest has put up numbers worthy of its No. 11 national ranking:
Wake Forest is shooting a sizzling 54.9 percent (ranking seventh nationally) from the field despite shooting under 50 percent in each of its last two games.
Meanwhile, the Deacons are holding opponents to just 34.7 percent shooting. None of Wake's six opponents this season shot better than 39.3 percent against the Deacs.
While Wake is averaging 80.7 points per game, it is limiting opponents to just 54.7 points per contest to rank seventh nationally in scoring defense. No Deacon opponent has scored more than 61 points.
Wake's scoring margin (+26.0) ranks ninth nationally.
WFU is shooting 73.5 percent from the free throw line despite shooting just 57.7 percent against S.C. State.
Five different Deacons are averaging double-figure points per game.
The Deacs own a solid assist-to-turnover ratio with 118 assists and 74 turnovers.
Nine different Deacon players are averaging more than 10 minutes per game.
Wake is blocking six shots per game.
Good Shooting A Team Thing
Wake Forest's field goal percentage (.549), the best percentage in the ACC and the seventh-best field goal percentage in college basketball, is truly a team effort. Seven of Wake's top nine scorers are shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
Four Deacons are shooting 60 percent or better from the field. The Deacs are solid from the free throw line as well. Wake's top three scorers -- Craig Dawson (.818), Robert O'Kelley (.818) and Darius Songaila (.895) -- are all shooting better than 80 percent from the stripe.
Songaila's career free throw percentage (.825) is the 16th-best in ACC history.
Wake Likely To Redshirt Schoetz
Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom said that he would like to redshirt 7-0 freshman Dshamal Schoetz. Schoetz has been impressive in the preseason, but could benefit greatly from a redshirt year, Odom said. The German native did not begin playing basketball until the age of 15.
Deacons Inch Way Up To No. 11 In National Polls
For the fifth consecutive week, Wake Forest continued to edge closer to a top 10 national ranking. The Deacons are ranked No. 11 this week in both major polls.
Wake's No. 11 ranking in the Associated Press poll is its highest ranking since finishing ninth in the 1997 AP poll. The Deacons have been ranked in all five AP polls this season. Wake is also ranked No. 11 this week in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
The latest polls demonstrate just how difficult the Wake Forest schedule is this season. Seven different Deacon opponents are ranked in one or both major polls, including two of the nation's three highest-ranked teams: (1) Duke, (3) Kansas, (14) North Carolina, (16) Virginia, (18) Cincinnati and (19) Maryland.
Four other Wake Forest opponents -- Temple, Georgia, N.C. State and Richmond -- received votes in one or both major polls this seek.
More Poll Stuff
The Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) saw Wake drop to 77th this week despite remaining undefeated. The top five-rated RPI teams this week are: Duke, Charlotte, Toledo, Tennessee and Cincinnati.
The Deacons are ranked 15th in the latest Sagarin computer poll.
Deacons Healthier, But Still Missing Vidaurreta
Wake Forest senior center Rafael Vidaurreta is out of action after undergoing knee surgery in late September. No date has been set for Vidaurreta's return, although he began weight-bearing exercises in mid-November. Vidaurreta led the Deacons in rebounding (6.9 rpg.) last season and was the only Deac to start all 36 games.
Two other Deacons missed significant practice time in the preseason. Ervin Murray (mononucleosis) missed most of preseason drills before returning for the season opener. He is averaging 15.7 minutes of action per game in the early going while still recovering from the mono.
Junior forward Darius Songaila (ankle) missed one week of practice, including WFU's second exhibition game Nov. 8. Songaila, who was named to the BCA Classic all-tournament team, has fully recovered.
O'Kelley One Of ACC's Most Prolific 3-Point Shooters
Two of the eight most prolific three-point shooters in Wake Forest history are current Deacs. Senior Robert O'Kelley (242 career three-pointers) ranks third in WFU history and junior Craig Dawson (112) ranks eighth.
O'Kelley needs seven more treys to pass Tony Rutland (248) for second place in WFU history and for ninth place in ACC history. Dawson needs five three-pointers to pass Cal Boyd (116) for seventh place.
O'Kelley ranks second at WFU for career three-point field goal attempts (666). Dawson ranks seventh (295) in three-point attempts and needs three attempts to take over sixth place.
The Deacons On ESPN
Wake Forest will make its second of six regular season appearances on ESPN Thursday night.
O'Kelley Closing In On 1,600 Points
Senior guard Robert O'Kelley enters the Kansas game with 1,590 career points, ranking 13th in Wake Forest history.
O'Kelley needs five points to pass Lowell "Lefty" Davis for 12th place. Davis played for WFU from 1953-56. He is 48 points away from passing Bob Leonard for 11th place.
O'Kelley is 10 points shy of his 1,600th point.
Darius Songaila Chasing 1,000 Points
Junior forward Darius Songaila enters Thursday's game with 935 career points. He will soon become the 39th player in Wake Forest history to score 1,000 career points.
Scott Will Climb List Of Shot Blockers
Antwan Scott, who has 15 blocked shots (2.6 bspg.) this season, is climbing Wake's list of all-time shot blockers. Scott, just a junior, ranks ninth on WFU's all-time blocked shots list with 70. He needs five blocks to pass Rodney Rogers for eighth place.
Shoemaker Grabs 500th Career Board
Senior center Josh Shoemaker became the 25th player in Wake Forest history to garner 500 career rebounds when he pulled down 13 boards last Tuesday against Michigan.
With 511 career boards, Shoemaker now ranks 24th in Wake Forest history after passing Bob Woollard Saturday night. He needs four rebounds to pass Bob Leonard for 23rd place.
Shoemaker has recorded three double-figure rebound games this season, including two on the road (at Michigan and at Richmond). He had a career-best 14 rebounds at Richmond and grabbed 13 key boards at Michigan. He has led Wake in rebounding in all but one game this season, pulling down at least nine boards in all six contests. The Gate City (VA) product is averaging 10.8 rebounds per game, which ranks 21st nationally.
Shoemaker, O'Kelley Reach 100 Games
Seniors Robert O'Kelley (103 career games played) and Josh Shoemaker (102) recently became the 15th and 16th players in Wake Forest history to reach the 100-games played plateau. Injured senior Rafael Vidaurreta has played in 97 career games.
Deacon Olympians Will Be Honored At Kansas Game
Three former Wake Forest athletes and one current athlete who participated in the Sydney Olympic Games will be recognized and honored at Thursday's Kansas game.
Andy Bloom, the former WFU track athlete, finished fourth in the shot put in Sydney, representing the United States. Hunter Kemper, a former Deacon long distance runner, participated in the inaugural Olympic triathlon.
Steve Brown, a former two-sport standout at Wake Forest, ran the 110-meter hurdles for Trinidad and Tobago.
The fourth Olympian in attendance will be Deacon junior forward Darius Songaila, who played for the bronze medal-winning Lithuanian basketball team.
Miscellaneous Notes
Sporting News.com calls Thursday's game college basketball's "Matchup of the Week."
Craig Dawson is the nephew of NBA standout Jerry Stackhouse. "Uncle Jerry" was in attendance at the Nov. 28 game against Michigan.
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.
Through Sunday, Wake Forest was one of just six teams in the nation with a record of 6-0 or better. The Deacs are just one of 39 undefeated Division I teams overall.
Wake's 29 assists in the season opener against Mount St. Mary's are the most assists in a game by an ACC team this season.
Wake Forest's Nov. 16 season opener marked the third-earliest season opener in school history.
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. Kansas Will Be Highest-Ranked Team To Visit Joel Coliseum Since Jan. 13, 1999
Kansas will bring a lofty No. 3 national ranking (Associated Press) to Lawrence Joel Coliseum Thursday night. The Jayhawks will be the highest-ranked team to play at The Joel since then No. 2-ranked Duke on Jan. 13, 1999.
Wake Forest has a history of knocking off Top 10-ranked teams in Lawrence Joel. The Deacons beat No. 4-ranked Maryland in 1999, No. 7 Clemson in 1997, No. 7 Maryland in 1995, No. 5 North Carolina and No. 2 Duke in 1994.
Overall (regardless of site), Wake last beat a team ranked No. 3 or higher on Jan. 23, 1997 when it knocked off No. 2 Clemson on the road. Wake also beat No. 2 North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1995 and No. 2 Duke twice in 1994.
Over the last seven seasons (including this season), Wake Forest has defeated 11 opponents ranked 10th or better.
The last time Wake faced a team ranked No. 3 or higher, regardless of site, came against Duke last March in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
Wake will play its first nationally-ranked non-conference opponent since playing host to No. 19 Arkansas on Dec. 23, 1998. The last time the Deacs beat a nationally-ranked non-conference team came on Dec. 31, 1996 when Wake won at No. 7 Utah, 70-59.
Thursday's game will mark the first time since Dec. 19, 1997 (vs. No. 19 Princeton) that Wake Forest played in a game when both teams were ranked. The Deacons, ranked 23rd in that game, lost to the Tigers in East Rutherford (NJ), 69-64.
The last time Wake Forest was involved in a game with both teams this highly-ranked came on March 8, 1997 versus North Carolina in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. No. 5 North Carolina beat No. 8 Wake Forest, 86-73.
The last time Wake Forest was involved in a home game between two teams ranked this high came on Feb. 12, 1997 when No. 2 Wake Forest beat No. 7 Clemson, 55-49.
In Dave Odom's 12 seasons at Wake Forest, his teams are 21-19 against nationally-raked teams when his team is also ranked.
What's Wrong With Odom?
Wake Forest coach Dave Odom is pacing the sidelines with his hand and wrist heavily wrapped. He recently had thumb reconstruction surgery.
Wake Forest Head Coach Dave Odom
Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom (Guilford '65) owns a career record of 227-121 in 12 seasons with the Deacons, 265-163 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 44 Assists, 6 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 44 assists and just six turnovers between them, the duo has dished out more than seven assists to go with every turnover. Hicks and Murray rank one-two, respectively, in the ACC for assist/turnover ratio.
Hicks leads the Deacs with 23 assists to go with three turnovers. Murray has 21 assists and just three turnovers. Hicks has started all six games and is averaging 19.0 minutes per game.
Murray, who emerged as the starter late last season, is averaging 15.7 minutes per game while recovering from mononucleosis.
Senior Robert O'Kelley, the starter at big guard, and freshman A.W. Hamilton, also see action periodically at point guard.
Deacs Win Second Straight ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Wake Forest won on the road at Michigan Nov. 28, 71-60, kicking off the second annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. For Wake, it marked the second straight year it has enjoyed a victory in the Challenge. Last season the Deacons beat Final Four-bound Wisconsin.
The ACC has come out on top in both events. This year the ACC finished with a 5-4 record, just as it did the previous season. Wake Forest is one of five teams that are 2-0 in the brief history of the Challenge.
Remembering The Previous Wake-Kansas Meetings
March 19, 1994 / Kansas 69, Wake Forest 58 / NCAA Tournament 2nd Round / Lexington, KY
Wake Forest saw a 30-26 halftime lead disappear in the second half as the Deacons made just 10-of-31 shots from the floor over the final 20 minutes. Then-freshman Tim Duncan did all he could to keep the Deacons close as he finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds in his head-to-head battle with Greg Ostertag (8 points). Randolph Childress added 12 points for Wake, which defeated College of Charleston in the opening round. Kansas was led by Steve Woodberry's 18 points.
March 18, 1984 / Wake Forest 69, Kansas 59 / NCAA Tournament 2nd Round / Lincoln, NE
After earning a first-round bye in the 53-team NCAA Tournament field, Wake Forest beat Big Eight champion Kansas, 69-59, before a partisan Jayhawk crowd at Nebraska's Devaney Center. Kenny Green scored 20 points and Anthony Teachey added 13 points and 15 rebounds to lead the way for coach Carl Tacy's team.
Deacons In Middle Of Four-Game Homestand
Thursday's game against Kansas marks the second of four consecutive contests Wake Forest will play within the friendly confines of Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
Wake Forest hosted South Carolina State Saturday night (66-55 win). Following the Kansas game, Wake will host Georgia (Dec. 16) and Radford (Dec. 18). The Deacons will not go on the road again until Dec. 21 at nationally-ranked Temple.
The Deacons have won six consecutive home games.
On This Date In Wake Forest History
Wake Forest has won seven of its last eight games played on December 7th and the Deacons are 7-4 all-time on this date. Interestingly, three of the 11 games played on December 7th have come against NC State, including Wake's 53-45 win in 1996. In 1957, Wake Forest played Auburn on this date (78-66 loss). Oddly, that game was played in Columbus, GA.
Deacs Picked Fourth In ACC Poll
Wake Forest was predicted to finish fourth in the annual preseason ACC poll. In a panel of 93 voters, Duke finished first (83 first-place votes), followed by Maryland (6), North Carolina (4) and Wake Forest.
O'Kelley, Songaila On Wooden List
Wake Forest senior guard Robert O'Kelley and junior forward Darius Songaila are both on the preseason list of 50 players for the prestigious John R. Wooden Award. The award goes annually to the nation's top college player. WFU's Tim Duncan won the award in 1997.
The News & Observer Ranks 'Em
The Raleigh News & Observer ranked the top 100 players representing the nine ACC schools. Three of the ACC's top 17 players, according to the N&O, hail from Wake Forest. Here's how it ranked the Deacon players: (6) Darius Songaila, (14) Robert O'Kelley, (17) Josh Howard, (35) Rafael Vidaurreta, (37) Ervin Murray, (39) Craig Dawson, (53) Antwan Scott, (55) Josh Shoemaker.
Quotebook
"Darius Songaila (is) one of the most underrated players in the country. I think the world saw how good he is by the way he played in Sydney."
-- Shane Battier, Duke senior forward
"Wake Forest is a terrific team. A lot of teams might be big and strong, but these guys have skill."
-- Joe Scott, Air Force head coach
"He has that smile all the time and you wonder what's so special about the guy, he's so happy. He just draws you into all that happiness. He's crazy in his own way."
-- Darius Songaila on teammate Antwan Scott
