Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Hosts Maryland
2/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2000
WAKE FOREST (14-11, 5-7 in ACC)
vs MARYLAND (18-7, 7-4)
February 19, 2000 -- 4:00 pm
Lawrence Joel Coliseum
Wake Forest begins the stretch run of the final four games of the 1999-2000 season this afternoon against Maryland, with every game remaining on the schedule critical to standings within the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Demon Deacons are looking to avenge a 73-51 loss to the Terrapins earlier this season in College Park while also attempting to finish in the top half (4th place or higher) of the ACC for the eighth consecutive year. Today's game will be televised regionally on the ACC/JP Network and nationally on ESPN2.
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 five different lineups over the next 10 games. Sophomore ERVIN MURRAY was inserted into the starting lineup on Tuesday against NC State, replacing senior JIM FITZPATRICK who had started the previous four contests. Wake Forest has used eight different lineups this season while 10 different players have started at least one game. Center RAFAEL VIDAURRETA is the only individual to start all 25 games, and Vidaurreta and DARIUS SONGAILA have started all 12 ACC contests.
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.
PROBABLE DEMON DEACON LINEUP
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Class | PPG | RPG |
| 4 | Robert O'Kelley | G | 6'1 | Jr. | 14.7 | 2.0 |
| 31 | Ervin Murray | G | 6'5 | So. | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| 41 | Rafael Vidaurreta | C | 6'9 | Jr. | 4.0 | 6.8 |
| 5 | Josh Howard | F | 6'6 | Fr. | 8.0 | 4.4 |
| 25 | Darius Songaila | F | 6'9 | So. | 12.4 | 4.8 |
TOP RESERVES | ||||||
| 42 | Craig Dawson | G/F | 6'5 | So. | 7.9 | 2.2 |
| 44 | Josh Shoemaker | F/C | 6'9 | Jr. | 5.3 | 5.0 |
| 34 | Antwan Scott | F | 6'8 | So. | 5.0 | 3.0 |
| 3 | Broderick Hicks | G | 6'1 | So. | 4.4 | 1.4 |
| 10 | Jim Fitzpatrick | G | 6'0 | Sr. | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| 52 | Tate Decker | F | 6'11 | Jr. | 2.8 | 2.2 |
HEAD COACH - Dave Odom (11th year at Wake Forest) / Won 213, Lost 118
(14th year Overall) / Won 251, Lost 160
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 the road on Tuesday to visit Duke (8:00 / RJ) before returning to Joel Coliseum next Sunday to host Georgia Tech (2:00 / CBS). The Demon Deacons close out the regular season on Thurs., Mar. 2 at Virginia (7:00 / ESPN2).
Wake Forest vs. Maryland
THE SERIES - Just one win separate these two rivals in a series that began in the semifinals of the 1953 Southern Conference Tournament in Raleigh. Wake Forest won on that occasion, 61-59, and went on to capture the tourney title the following night -- a noteworthy event because it was the last Southern Conference Tournament prior to the formation of the ACC. The Demon Deacons currently hold a narrow 50-49 edge over the Terrapins in their overall competition.
Wake Forest has won seven of 11 meetings with Maryland over the past five seasons, but the Terrapins took the first meeting of the year (73-51) in College Park. Demon Deacon head coach Dave Odom is 12-9 against Maryland.
THIS YEAR'S FIRST MEETING - Maryland took a 73-51 decision on January 19th in College Park, thanks to stifling defense that held Wake Forest to 29.0% shooting from the floor and forced 20 turnovers. The Terrapins jumped out to leads of 18-2 and 24-4, but the Demon Deacons clawed back to cut the lead to 10-points (37-27) at halftime. Wake Forest cut the lead to eight points with a layup from DARIUS SONGAILA to open the second half, but Maryland quickly went on a 9-0 run over the next four minutes to put the game away.
Lonny Baxter and Juan Dixon led the Terps with 18 points apiece, while Songaila (14 pts) and CRAIG DAWSON (10 pts) were the only Demon Deacons to reach double figures.
INDIVIDUALLY - Junior ROBERT O'KELLEY has topped the 30-point plateau twice in five career games against Maryland. As a freshman, O'Kelley scored a season-best 31 points in College Park on 11-of-20 shooting from the floor, including 6-of-10 from three-point range. Last year, he scored 32 points (including 14 of 17 from the free throw line) in the Deacs' win in Winston-Salem. In five games against the Terrapins, O'Kelley is averaging 18.4 points.
IN JOEL COLISEUM - Wake Forest holds a 7-3 advantage over Maryland on the Joel parquet, including a 85-72 upset of the 4th-ranked Terrapins here a year ago. Wake Forest also upset a nationally-ranked Maryland squad two years ago, 72-60, led by 52 points from freshmen (including 17 from O'Kelley).
The Terrapins won here in 1997, defeating an unbeaten (13-0) and nationally 2nd-ranked Demon Deacon squad, 54-51, on a three-pointer by Laron Profit at the buzzer. That loss ended a 25-game homecourt winning streak for Wake Forest.
Noting the Demon Deacons
ARINZE OUT FOR THE SEASON - Sophomore forward Niki Arinze, a starter in 18 games this year, will miss the remainder of the 1999-2000 season after being diagnosed with a dislocating tendon near his right ankle. School medical officials confirmed the diagnosis of a subluxing peroneal tendon on Monday evening with a MRI. The injury limits Arinze's ability to make sharp cuts or jump off his right ankle. The Wake Forest medical staff will use an initial conservative treatment of placing Arinze in a walking boot for the next four to six weeks. At that point his condition will be reevaluated to determine if other medical procedures will be necessary.
Arinze, who missed all but five games last year with a dislocated left shoulder, played in each of the team's first 21 games this season before suffering the injury. The 6'5 forward was averaging 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
"CRUNCH TIME" AS THE SEASON WINDS DOWN - Wake Forest opened a critical five-game, season-ending stretch on Tuesday night with a 71-53 win over NC State in Joel Coliseum. The Demon Deacons (5-7 in ACC play) are currently tied for 5th place in the league standings, with home games remaining against second place Maryland (7-4) and 8th place Georgia Tech (3-8), and road dates at first place Duke (11-1) and 4th place Virginia (7-5). With three games left against teams currently ahead of them in the league standings, the Deacs have an outstanding opportunity to move up in the ACC standings.
LINEUP ADJUSTMENT - Wake Forest made a lineup adjustment prior to the game at Davidson on Feb. 2, moving junior ROBERT O'KELLEY off the point and to the shooting guard position in an attempt to get him better looks at the basket and jump-start his offense. Senior JIM FITZPATRICK had stepped into the starting lineup at the point guard position in four straight games before being replaced by sophomore ERVIN MURRAY, who has averaged 24.0 mins, 4.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.7 apg in the last three games. O'Kelley has responded with 73 points in the last five games while totaling 14 assists and just 4 turnovers in 186 minutes.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL - Wake Forest has done a solid job of protecting the basketball this season, and the Deacs lead the ACC with an average of 13.7 turnovers per game. Wake Forest's ball handling will be a key to Saturday's game, however, as Maryland forces an ACC-high 19.8 turnovers per game while leading the league with 11.0 steals per contest.
DEACS HIT MAGIC NUMBER OF "70" - Wake Forest is a perfect 10-0 when the Deacons score 70 or more points this season. The Deacs had not topped 70 points for 12 straight games (since Dec. 29 vs Ohio) before in two of the last three games (Clemson & NC State). Wake is just 4-11 when scoring under 70 points, including a 0-4 mark when failing to break the 60-point plateau.
DEACONS BEGIN WITH "D" - Wake Forest under head coach Dave Odom has always been known for its solid defensive play, and this year is no exception. The Demon Deacons lead the ACC in scoring defense, allowing just 62.8 points per game.
DEFENSE DOES THE JOB - Fourteen of 25 opponents have shot under 43% from the floor against Wake Forest this year -- the Demon Deacons are 13-1 in those games. Florida State became the first team to shoot under 43% (38.8%) and win the game on Feb. 5 in Tallahassee. When the opposition has shot over 43%, the Deacs are just 1-10.
CLOSE CALLS - Three of Wake Forest's 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 lost to Florida State, 66-64, on Jan. 4. Wake Forest is now 1-5 in games decided by five points or less. In contrast, the Deacs are 13-6 in games decided by more than five points.
AT THE HALF - Wake Forest has held a halftime lead in 16 of 25 games, and the Deacons are 12-4 in those contests. However, since building a halftime lead in 12 of the first 14 games, Wake has trailed at the half in seven of the last 11 contests.
GETTING TO THE LINE IMPORTANT - The old adage that whomever attempts more free throws will usually win the game certainly holds true this season. The team that has shot more free throws is 19-5 this year -- including a 12-5 mark by Wake Forest. [Temple and Wake Forest each shot 23 free throws].
INCONSISTENT AT THE LINE - While the Deacons have been successful in getting to the free throw line this season (22.5 attempts per game), they have struggled to capitalize on that advantage for much of the season. As a team, Wake Forest is shooting just 64.9%. from the line (the second lowest figure in the ACC). The Deacs had just 51.7% (30-58) from the stripe in three previous games before hitting 44-of-57 attempts (77.2%) in the last two games.
THREE-POINT ACCURACY DOWN - Wake Forest has struggled with their long range accuracy this season. The Deacons are shooting 31.1% 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 -- the Deacs are hitting just 29.4% on long range attempts in 12 ACC games. In fact, the Deacs have failed to shoot at least 30% from 3-point territory in seven of the last 10 games.
THREE-POINT STREAK CONTINUES - Wake Forest enters the Maryland game having made at least one three-point field goal in 255 consecutive games. The last time that the Deacs did not make a three-pointer was a 1992 homecourt victory over Tulane.
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 1,409 points, good for 16th place on the Wake Forest all-time scoring list. O'Kelley needs 33 points to pass No. 15 Alvis Rogers (1979-83).
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 |
| ........ | |
| 14. Jack Williams (53-57) | 1,453 |
| 15. Alvis Rogers (79-83) | 1,441 |
| 16. Robert O'Kelley (98- ) | 1,409 |
O'KELLEY ENTERS ELITE COMPANY - With 15 last Saturday against North Carolina, ROBERT O'KELLEY became only the sixth junior in Wake Forest history to score 1,400 points. Last year, the Demon Deacon guard completed became only the third Wake Forest player to scored 1,000 points by the end of his sophomore season (joining Rodney Rogers and Dickie Hemric). Below is a list of the school's all-time scoring leaders at the end of their junior season. (Of course, from the mid-50s until the 1972-73 season freshmen did not play on the varsity level.)
Deacon Junior Scoring Leaders (1300+ Points at End of Junior Year)
| Dickie Hemric (1952-55) | 1,841 |
| Rodney Rogers (1991-93) | 1,720 |
| Randolph Childress (1991-95) | 1,564 |
| Skip Brown (1974-77) | 1,476 |
| Tim Duncan (1994-97) | 1,472 |
| ROBERT O'KELLEY (1998- ) | 1,409 |
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 (14.2 ppg), he currently ranks 2nd in the conference in free throw percentage (87.7%), 3rd in field goal percentage (53.1%), and 14th in scoring in league games only.
HOWARD IMPRESSES, TOO - Freshman JOSH HOWARD has made an impact as the only freshman on a team full of veteran players. Howard has started 23 of 25 games, an impressive feat considering that 10 other Demon Deacons had started at least one game in their career entering this season. He is currently 3rd on the team in both scoring (8.0 ppg) and rebounding (4.4 rpg). In the last four games, however, Howard is averaging 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals per contest.
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 20th on the Wake Forest career rebounding chart with 569 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 |
| ........ | |
| 19. Trelonnie Owens (91-94) | 581 |
| 19. Jim Johnstone (79-82) | 573 |
| 20. Rafael Vidaurreta (98- ) | 569 |
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 tied for 9th place on the ACC's all-time victory list (213-118). Wake Forest's win over NC State moved Odom into a tie for 9th place on the ACC's all-time victory list with Duke legend Vic Bubas. Odom's overall record as a head coach is now 251-160 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 91 ACC victories (he's 91-77), however, are the most for any Demon Deacon coach and the 10th highest in ACC history.
DOUBLE DIGIT DEACONS - Nine different Deacons have scored 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 21 games (including 20 of the last 22) while SONGAILA has scored in double figures on 18 occasions (including 29 of the last 41 overall dating to last season).
Double Digit Deacons
| Scoring | Rebounding | |
| Niki ARINZE | 3 times | |
| Craig DAWSON | 7 times | |
| Broderick HICKS | 2 times | |
| Josh HOWARD | 8 times | once |
| Robert O'KELLEY | 21 times | |
| Antwan SCOTT | 3 times | once |
| Josh SHOEMAKER | 2 times | |
| Darius SONGAILA | 18 times | |
| Rafael VIDAURRETA | once | 5 times |
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 25 games, the Wake Forest bench is averaging 26.6 points per game while the starting five has totaled 42.0 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 five times.
TIME SHARING - Through 25 games, the Demon Deacons have operated with a very deep bench. Ten different players are averaging better than nine 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 33.8 mpg.
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 winning records against six of their eight ACC foes, with only North Carolina and Florida State 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* | 12-4 | 8-6 | 9-6 | 9-6 | 7-6 | 6-11 | 10-5 | 10-5 | 71-49 |
| Last 10 Years* | 17-5 | 11-9 | 9-10 | 12-9 | 11-8 | 7-17 | 15-6 | 14-9 | 96-73 |
*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 the past two seasons.
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 130-32 (80% 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 (56-21) 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 | 3-3 | 9-3 |
| Totals | 73-5 | 57-27 | 130-32 |
| (93.6%) | (67.9%) | (80.2%) |
vs. The ACC in Joel Coliseum
| Clemson | 10-1 | Maryland | 7-3 |
| Duke | 5-6 | North Carolina | 5-6 |
| Florida State | 6-3 | NC State | 9-2 |
| Georgia Tech | 7-3 | Virginia | 8-3 |
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 | 9-3 |
| On Opponent Court | 4-5 |
| On Neutral Court | 1-3 |
| Leading at Halftime | 12-4 |
| Trailing at Halftime | 2-7 |
| Leading with 10:00 Left | 13-3 |
| Trailing with 10:00 Left | 1-8 |
| Final Margin Fewer than 5 Pts | 0-3 |
| Final Margin 5-to-9 Pts | 5-3 |
| Final Margin in Double Figures | 9-5 |
| WF Scores 80+ Pts | 4-0 |
| WF Scores 70-79 Pts | 6-0 |
| WF Scores 60-69 Pts | 4-7 |
| WF Scores Under 60 Pts | 0-4 |
| WF Shoots 50%+ | 5-1 |
| WF Shoots Under 50% | 9-10 |
| Opponent Shoots 50%+ | 0-3 |
| WF Atts More FTs than Opp | 12-4 |
| WF Out-Rebounds Opp | 10-6 |
| Opp Out-Rebounds WF | 4-5 |
