Wake Forest Athletics
Demon Deacons Battle No. 1 North Carolina Tuesday Night
2/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2001
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No. 19 Wake Forest (15-6/4-5) vs.
No.1 N. Carolina (19-2/9-0)
Feb. 6, 2001 - 9:00 p.m.
Joel Coliseum (14,407)
Winston-Salem, NC
Tip Time: 9:05 p.m.
Television: Raycom/Jefferson-Pilot. Steve Martin (play-by-play) and Billy Packer (color analysis) call the action. Rob Reichley produces.
Radio: The Deacon Radio Network. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
The Records: Wake Forest is 15-6 overall and 4-5 in the ACC after losing at No. 11 Virginia, 82-71, Saturday night. North Carolina is 19-2 and 9-0 following an 82-69 win over visiting Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon.
The Rankings: The Deacons are ranked 19th in the Associated Press poll and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today poll this week. North Carolina is ranked No. 1 in both major polls this week.
WFU Coach Dave Odom: Odom (Guilford '65) is in his 12th season at Wake Forest with a record of 236-127. In 15 years overall, he is 274-169. 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.
North Carolina Coach Matt Doherty: Doherty (North Carolina '84) is 19-2 in his first season at his alma mater, 41-17 in two years overall.
The Series History: North Carolina leads 145-57.
The Officials: Announced on game day.
Deacons Set To Host ACC Leader North Carolina Tuesday Night
Wake Forest and North Carolina, two teams that battled to the final buzzer in a 70-69 Tar Heel victory back on Jan. 6, meet again Tuesday night at Lawrence Joel Coliseum (9:00 p.m./Raycom-Jefferson Pilot TV). The Demon Deacons, 15-6 overall and 4-5 in the ACC, have lost three of their last four games including an 82-71 setback at No. 11 Virginia Saturday night. Josh Howard and Craig Dawson led Wake Forest with 14 points each against the Cavaliers.
The No. 1-ranked Tar Heels, 19-2 and 9-0, have won 16 straight games including an 85-83 win at No. 2 Duke last week and an 82-69 victory over Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill. UNC hasn't lost since Dec. 2 against Kentucky.
Wake Forest owns a 14-game homecourt winning streak dating back to last season. North Carolina leads the all-time series, 145-57. The two teams have split the last four meetings.
Demon Deacon Streaks & Notes
North Carolina will be the first No. 1-ranked team to play Wake Forest in Lawrence Joel Coliseum since the Deacons beat No. 1 Duke, 72-68 on Feb. 23, 1992. Wake has played on the road against the No. 1-ranked team twice since then -- March 3, 1993 at North Carolina (83-65 WFU loss) and Feb. 13, 1999 at Duke (102-71 loss).
Wake Forest will play its seventh nationally-ranked opponent of the season. The Deacons are 2-4 against ranked teams with both wins coming at home -- Dec. 7 vs. No. 3 Kansas (84-53) and Jan. 2 vs. No. 8 Virginia (96-73).
Wake's 14-game homecourt winning streak is the longest current streak in the ACC and one of the longest streaks nationally.
The Deacons have held 30 straight opponents to less than 50 percent shooting.
After utilizing just two different starting lineups over the first 17 games of the season, the Deacons have tried four different starting fives over the last five games.
Wake Forest-North Carolina Series History
- North Carolina leads the all-time series, 145-57. Tuesday's game will be the 203rd meeting between the two schools.
- At home, Wake Forest trails in the series, 50-26. At Lawrence Joel Coliseum, North Carolina holds a 6-5 series advantage. The two teams have split the last four meetings. North Carolina beat the Deacons, 70-69 in Chapel Hill on Jan. 6. Last season, Wake won two of the three meetings including a win over the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament.
- Wake Forest won last year's meeting in Joel Coliseum, 66-57. Wake Forest has played only Duke (215 meetings) and NC State (209) more frequently than it has played North Carolina (202 meetings).
- Wake coach Dave Odom is 8-20 all-time versus North Carolina.
- UNC coach Matt Doherty is 1-1 all-time against Wake Forest. Last season his Notre Dame team fell to Wake Forest, 71-61, in the NIT title game.
Deacon-Tar Heel Connections
Wake's Craig Dawson is the nephew of former Tar Heel Jerry Stackhouse. Dawson spent part of his Christmas holiday at Stackhouse's wedding in Michigan.
North Carolina coach Matt Doherty coached against Wake Forest last season when his Notre Dame team fell to the Deacs, 71-61, in the NIT game.
Nine players from the state of North Carolina are on the two rosters -- Wake's Dawson (Kinston), Josh Howard (Winston-Salem), Ervin Murray (Wallace) and Antwan Scott (New Bern), Carolina's Brendan Haywood (Greensboro), Jim Everett (Charlotte), Kris Lang (Gastonia), Will Johnson (Hickory) and Julius Peppers (Bailey).
Former Deacon Muggsy Bogues and former Tar Heel Vince Carter both play for the Toronto Raptors.
A Quick Look At The Last Wake Forest-UNC Meeting
Jan. 6, 2001 -- North Carolina's Brendan Haywood had 24 points, including the game-winning lay-up with 3.3 seconds left, as Wake Forest dropped its first game of the season, 70-69, in Chapel Hill. The loss ended the Deacons' 17-game winning streak. Junior Craig Dawson appeared to give Wake the game-winner on a lay-up with 17.7 seconds left, giving the Deacs a 69-68 lead, but Wake Forest was unable to hold the Tar Heels on the final possession.
A Closer Look At The Deacon Numbers
Wake Forest leads the ACC in two statistical categories -- scoring defense and three-point field goal percentage defense -- and the Deacons are among the national leaders in field goal percentage defense. More Deacon statistical notes:
- Through Jan. 29 (the NCAA's last update in this category), Wake ranked seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense (currently at .387). The Deacons have held 30 straight opponents to less than 50 percent shooting. Wake's field goal percentage defense ranks second in the ACC and is its second-best mark since the 1959-60 season.
- Wake Forest's field goal percentage (.476) is its highest since the 1992-93 season (.491).
- Wake is averaging more points per game (78.5) than any Deacon team since 1990-91 (80.5).
- The Deacs rank first in the ACC in scoring defense (limiting opponents to just 64.9 points per game). Wake hasn't allowed fewer points since the 1996-97 team allowed just 58.3 points per contest.
- WFU's scoring margin (+13.6) ranks 18th nationally.
- Wake Forest leads the ACC in three-point field goal percentage defense (.282) -- the lowest percentage in school history.
- The Deacons rank third in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.35). Before this season, Wake went six consecutive seasons with more turnovers than assists. This year the Deacs have 357 assists and just 264 turnovers.
- Wake Forest is averaging 17.0 assists per game -- the second-most assists per game in school history.
- The Deacs are averaging more steals per game (7.1) than any team since the 1990-91 season.
- Individually, junior Ervin Murray leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (67 assists, 20 turnovers), junior teammate Craig Dawson ranks fifth (2.53 ratio) and Broderick Hicks ranks sixth (2.21).
- Josh Shoemaker ranks third in the ACC in rebounds per game (8.0).
- Josh Howard ranks among the ACC leaders in field goal percentage, steals and blocked shots.
Wake Has Held 30 Straight To Under 50 Percent Shooting
- Wake Forest has not allowed an opponent to shoot better than 47 percent in a game since Feb. 22, 2000 (Duke) -- a streak of 30 consecutive games.
- The Deacons rank second in the ACC and rank seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense (currently .387). Recently, however, four straight Deacon opponents have shot better than 42 percent from the field.
- The Deacs lead the ACC in three-point field goal percentage defense (.282).
More From Saturday's 82-71 Loss At No. 11 Virginia
Foul-plagued Wake Forest sent 11th-ranked Virginia to the free throw line 39 times and the Deacons shot just 39.1 percent in an 82-71 loss Saturday in Charlottesville. More from that game:
- Virginia's 31 free throws made and 39 free throws attempted were the most by a Wake Forest opponent this season.
- Wake's first-half field goal percentage (.294) was its lowest in any half this season.
- Craig Dawson matched a career-high with four three-point field goals.
- Josh Shoemaker grabbed 10 rebounds.
Wake Forest To Play No. 1 For First Time Since 1999
Wake Forest will play the nation's No. 1-ranked team for the first time since Feb. 13, 1999 when the Deacons lost to Duke in Durham. Tuesday's game will mark the first time the No. 1 team has played Wake Forest in Winston-Salem since Feb. 23, 1992 when the unranked Deacons beat No. 1 Duke, 72-68. While Wake has hosted the No. 1 prior to 1992, Tuesday's game will mark just the second time the No. 1 team has played Wake Forest in Lawrence Joel Coliseum (opened in 1989-90). Various notes about Wake and ranked opponents:
- Wake Forest has won two of its last five meetings with No. 1-ranked teams and on both occasions the Deacons were not ranked in the top 25. Wake beat No. 1 Duke in Winston-Salem on Feb. 23, 1992 (72-68) and the Deacons beat the No. 1 Blue Devils on Jan. 21, 1989 in the Greensboro Coliseum (75-71).
- The Deacons will play a No. 1-ranked North Carolina team for the first time since March 3, 1993 when the Tar Heels beat 14th-ranked Wake Forest, 83-65 in Chapel Hill.
- Over the last 20 seasons, Wake Forest has played the No. 1 team 14 times, posting a 3-11 record. Six of those 20 games have come against North Carolina.
- The last time the Deacons beat a No. 1-ranked UNC team came in Chapel Hill on Jan. 21, 1982 when unranked Wake Forest stunned the Tar Heels, 55-48. That season (1981-82), North Carolina went on to lose just one other game (at Virginia) that season on the way to winning the national championship. Current Tar Heel coach Matt Doherty was a sophomore on that team.
- North Carolina has won the last five meetings with Wake Forest when the Tar Heels were ranked No. 1.
- Wake Forest has played six nationally-ranked opponents this season, posting a 2-4 record. Both wins came at home against teams ranked in the top 10 -- No. 3 Kansas (84-53 on Dec. 7) and No. 8 Virginia (96-73 on Jan. 2).
- The Deacons have won more games against ranked teams this season (2) than they did all of last season (1). Wake went 1-5 against ranked teams last year.
- WFU's win over No. 3 Kansas (Dec. 7) marked the highest-ranked 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 nine teams ranked in the top five over the last seven seasons.
- Over the last seven seasons, Wake Forest has defeated 13 opponents ranked 10th or better.
- In Dave Odom's 12 seasons at Wake Forest, his teams are 23-21 against nationally-ranked teams when his team is also ranked.
- Wake Forest has won 22 of its last 24 games against unranked teams.
- The Deacs have played 34 teams ranked in the top 10 over the last eight seasons.
- Wake Forest has seven regular season games remaining and three of those will come against teams ranked in the top 15 -- UNC, Maryland and Duke.
Wake Using A Variety Of Starting Lineups
Over the last five games, Wake Forest has used four different starting lineups. For the season, the Deacons have employed five different starting fives.
Darius Songaila is the only Deacon to start all 21 games this season. In Wake's last game, at Virginia, Songaila was joined in the lineup by Broderick Hicks, Craig Dawson, Josh Howard and Josh Shoemaker.
Steady Songaila One Of The ACC's Best
Darius Songaila may not be the flashiest player in the ACC, but the junior forward is one of the league's best. A consistent performer, Songaila ranks among the ACC leaders in five different statistical categories. Songaila already ranks among Wake Forest's all-time leaders in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and free throw percentage. More on Songaila:
- Songaila ranks second on the team in scoring (13.5 ppg.) and he has scored at least eight points in every game this season.
- He ranks second on the team and ninth in the ACC in rebounding (6.6 rpg.).
- Songaila ranks eighth in the ACC in free throw percentage (.806).
- He already ranks 28th in Wake Forest career scoring history with 1,140 points.
- With six more rebounds, Songaila will become the 20th player in Wake Forest history with 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds.
- His career free throw percentage (.822) is the sixth-best in Wake Forest history.
- Songaila ranks 13th in the ACC for blocked shots. He ranks 10th in Wake Forest history for career blocked shots.
- Songaila earned a bronze medal last summer playing for the Lithuanian national team, which nearly beat the United States team twice.
- His parents have never been to the United States although they have plans to attend Songaila's graduation next year. Songaila sends video tapes of his games back home to Lithuania.
O'Kelley Moves Up To Eighth In Wake Scoring History
Senior Robert O'Kelley passed former Deacon standout Frank Johnson (1,749 career points from 1977-81) for eighth place on Wake's all-time career scoring chart last Wednesday. He enters the North Carolina game with 1,758 career points.
Versatile Josh Howard Quickly Emerging As A Star
Sophomore Josh Howard is no longer one of the best-kept secrets in the ACC. In a conference loaded with talented sophomores, Howard is emerging as one of the stars.
After a recent bout with the flu, Howard returned strong in two games last week. Last Wednesday against NC State, Howard recorded his second double-double in three games with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Plagued with foul trouble Saturday at No. 11 Virginia, Howard scored 14 points in just 22 minutes.
If you listen to his head coach, Howard may 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 26 blocked shots this season (ranking second on the team and ninth 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 28.2 percent from behind the arc -- the best three-point field goal percentage defense in the ACC. Howard is making an impact in every facet of the game:
- He leads the Deacons in scoring (13.9 ppg.).
- Howard ranks sixth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.529).
- With 59 career blocks, Howard already ranks 11th in Wake Forest blocked shots history.
- Howard leads the team and ranks seventh in the ACC in steals (38).
- In ACC games, he leads the team in scoring (15.1 ppg.), blocked shots (1.3 bspg.) and steals (2.1 spg.).
- He is shooting 72.7 percent from the free throw line in ACC games.
- Howard has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 15 games.
- He has registered double-doubles in two of his last four games.
- By the end of his sophomore season, Howard should have more than 700 career points. He currently has 612 points.
Shoemaker Among ACC Board Leaders
When Rafael Vidaurreta underwent surgery in late September, Wake coach Dave Odom expected senior Josh Shoemaker to step up. Shoemaker has exceeded all expectations. While Shoemaker's numbers have declined slightly since the return of Rafael Vidaurreta, he currently leads the team and ranks third in the ACC in rebounds (8.0 rpg.). Shoemaker has seven double-figure rebound games this season.
Deacon Homecourt Win Streak Stands At 14...
Wake Forest has won 14 consecutive games at Lawrence Joel Coliseum including a 12-0 mark within the friendly confines this season.
The streak is the longest in the ACC and is the second-longest in Dave Odom's 12 seasons at WFU. The Deacons' last loss at home came against Maryland on Feb. 19, 2000 (73-67).
The 14-game streak ties for the 12th-longest current streak in Division I. The Deacs have a long way to go to approach the Joel Coliseum record of 25 straight wins from January of 1995 to January of 1997.
... Road Losing Streak Reaches Six
Wake Forest has three solid road wins this season -- at Richmond, at Michigan and at Temple. Since Jan. 6, however, the Deacons have lost six straight away from home.
The statistics below are somewhat skewed because of the difficulty of Wake's road schedule. Four of Wake's six road losses have come against nationally-ranked teams -- North Carolina, Duke, Maryland and Virginia.
Below is a statistical comparison between the Deacons at home and away in ACC games. At home, the Deacons are allowing just 64.5 points per game in ACC contests compared to 82.6 points on the road. In Joel Coliseum, the Deacons are shooting better than 40 percent (.406) from three-point range compared to just .277 on the road.
Hicks Has Turned Game Up A Notch
Since Jan. 21, junior point guard Broderick Hicks has turned his game up a notch. After scoring between 16 and 18 points in three games from Jan. 21-27, Hicks moved into the starting lineup last Wednesday against NC State.
Hicks cooled off some Saturday at Virginia (6 points), but his scoring average over the last five games is 13.8 points per game -- nearly double his season scoring average.
Last Wednesday night against NC State, Hicks scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists against the Wolfpack. More importantly, his three-pointer with five seconds left sent the game into overtime.
Over the last four games, Hicks has 69 points including 11 three-point field goals. The Houston junior has scored in double figures in four of his last five games. In his previous 43 games, Hicks scored in double figures just two times.
Wake's Point Guards Combine For 120 Assists, 44 Turnovers
Two veteran point guards -- juniors Ervin Murray and Broderick Hicks -- give Wake Forest a one-two backcourt punch that takes care of the basketball.
Murray and Hicks, who both play just under 20 minutes per game, have combined for 120 assists and just 44 turnovers this season. Murray leads the ACC in assists-to-turnovers ratio (3.35) with 67 assists and 20 turnovers. Murray has had more games this season with zero turnovers (10) than games with more than one turnover (5). He averages just one turnover every 20.2 minutes.
Hicks (53 assists, 24 turnovers) ranks sixth in the ACC in assists-to-turnovers ratio (2.21).
As a team, the Deacons rank third in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.35). Junior big guard Craig Dawson (2.53) ranks fifth in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio. In addition, all of Wake's post players are very good passers.
Dawson Among WFU's Most Prolific Three-Point Shooters
Junior Craig Dawson enters the North Carolina game with 143 career three-point field goals, ranking fifth in WFU history. He needs nine treys to pass Rusty LaRue (151 three-pointers from 1993-96) for fourth place. Dawson ranks fourth at Wake Forest for career three-point field goal attempts (377).
Wake's Bench A Key To Success
One of Wake Forest's biggest strengths is its bench. The Deacon bench, which includes four veterans as part of the regular rotation, has outscored the opponent's bench in 20 of 21 games this season. The Deacon bench accounts for 38 percent of the team scoring. The Wake bench has contributed less than 20 points in a game just twice this season.
Deacons Slide To 19th In AP Poll, 15th In ESPN Poll
Wake Forest, ranked in both major national polls every week this season, dropped to its lowest ranking since since the preseason this week. The Demon Deacons are ranked 19th in the Associated Press poll and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
The Deacons were ranked 16th in the AP poll and 12th in the coaches poll last week.
The latest national polls demonstrate how difficult the Wake Forest schedule is this season. Four of the nation's six highest-ranked teams and five teams ranked among the top 13 are on the Deacon schedule -- (1) North Carolina, (3) Duke, (5) Kansas, (6) Virginia and (13) Maryland. Cincinnati, Georgia and Georgia Tech -- all Wake opponents this season -- received votes for one or both major polls this week.
More Poll Stuff
- The Deacons are rated 21st in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
- Wake is ranked No. 9 in the latest Sagarin computer poll.
- The Deacons are ranked No. 17 in The Sporting News' Power Poll.
- Wake is ranked No. 8 in the ESPN.com fan poll.
Wake Forest Head Coach Dave Odom
Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom (Guilford '65) owns a career record of 236-127 in 12 seasons with the Deacons, 274-169 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 three more ACC victories this season to become just the ninth person to win 100 ACC conference games.
Scott, Songaila, Howard On Blocked Shots List
Three of the 11 most-prolific shot blockers in Wake Forest history are on this Deacon team.
Antwan Scott, a key junior reserve, ranks eighth on Wake Forest's all-time blocked shots list. Scott has 84 career blocks including a team-high 29 rejections this season. Scott is eight blocked shots shy of passing Kenny Green for seventh place on the Wake list.
Junior Darius Songaila (64 career blocks) is ranked 10th in WFU history for career blocked shots.
Rising quickly is sophomore Josh Howard, who has 59 blocks in just one and one-half seasons and is ranked 11th on WFU's all-time blocked shots list.
O'Kelley Tied For 6th In ACC History With 266 Treys
Robert O'Kelley, with 266 career three-point field goals, ranks second in Wake Forest history and sixth 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 recently passed some of the ACC's best three-point shooters -- Duke's Bobby Hurley and Georgia Tech's Travis Best, for example.
O'Kelley has made 37-of-111 three-point field goal attempts this season.
O'Kelley also ranks second at Wake for career three-point field goal attempts (744).
Vidaurreta, Shoemaker Move Up Rebounds List
Senior teammates Rafael Vidaurreta and Josh Shoemaker are both among the 18 most prolific rebounders in Wake Forest history.
Vidaurreta, with 689 career rebounds, ranks 13th in Wake Forest career rebounding history and he needs two rebounds to pass Chris King (690 rebounds from 1989-92) for 12th place and seven boards to pass Sam Ivy (695 rebounds from 1987-90) for 11th place.
Vidaurreta is also 11 rebounds shy of becoming the 11th player in Wake Forest history to garner 700 career rebounds.
Shoemaker (613 career rebounds) is ranked 18th on Wake's all-time rebounds. He needs six boards to pass Lefty Davis (618 rebounds from 1953-56) for 17th place.
Overtime Games Now Routine For The Deacons
Wake Forest has played three overtime games this season including two consecutive OT games last week.
The Deacons have played in six overtime games over the last two seasons and in eight OT contests over the last three seasons. Last Wednesday's game marked the first time since Jan. 28 and Jan. 31, 1987 that Wake has played in consecutive overtime games.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Eight of Wake Forest's non-conference opponents this season are currently in first or second place in their respective conference. These teams are in first place -- Kansas (Big 12), Navy (Patriot), S.C. State (MEAC) and Radford (Big South).
- Craig Dawson enters the Virginia game with 829 career points. The junior is well on track to become the 40th Deacon to score 1,000 points.
- 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.
- Dawson will celebrate a birthday on Wednesday -- one day after Wake Forest hosts North Carolina.
- In January, Frank Burlison of FoxSports.com recently gave his national midseason awards out. He named Wake's Dave Odom the coach of the year. Dick Vitale, on his website, made Odom and Stanford's Mike Montgomery co-winners of a similar award.
- Deacon assistant coach Barry Sanderson is the son of legendary and former Alabama coach, Wimp Sanderson.
