Wake Forest Faces Butler

March 12, 2001

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2001 NCAA

Midwest Regional
[23] Wake Forest (19-10) vs. Butler (23-7)

March 16, 2001 n 11:30 am
Kemper Arena (18,646)
Kansas City, MO

Tip Time:
11:35 a.m.

Television: CBS. Vern Lundquist (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (color analysis) and Armen Keteyian (sidelines) call the action. Bob Mansbach produces.

Radio: The Deacon Radio Network. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.

The Records: Wake Forest is 19-10 overall after losing to 11th-ranked Maryland, 71-53, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament Friday night in Atlanta. Butler, champion of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, won the league tournament by beating Detroit, 53-38, in the championship game March 6.

The Rankings: The Deacons are ranked 23rd in the Associated Press poll and 22nd 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 240-131. In 15 years overall, he is 278-173. 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. He owns a career NCAA Tournament record of 10-7.

Butler Coach Thad Matta: Matta (Butler ?90) is 23-7 in his first season at the Indianapolis school, 23-7 in one season overall.

The Series History: Friday's game will be the first meeting between the two schools.

The Officials: Announced on game day.

Wake Forest And The 2001 NCAA Tournament

Current Record: 19-10 overall, 8-8 in the ACC (tie for 5th place).

Tournament Seed: Seventh.

Tournament Appearances: 16th. Wake Forest will appear in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 and for the eighth time over the last 11 seasons.

Postseason Appearances: The Deacons are making their 11th consecutive postseason appearance, which is the second-longest current streak in the ACC. Wake Forest won the NIT championship in 2000.

All-Time Tournament Record: 22-15 (.595).

Tournament Record Under Dave Odom: 10-7 (.588). Odom has the 20th-highest NCAA Tournament winning percentage among active coaches.

Final Fours: One (1962). Wake lost in the semifinals of the 1962 NCAA Tournament to Ohio State.

Regional Finals: Five (1961, 1962, 1977, 1984, 1996).

Record In First-Round Games: 11-4. Wake Forest has won five consecutive first-round games.

Record In Second-Round Games: 7-4.

Last Year's Postseason Results: Wake Forest won the NIT by beating Vanderbilt, New Mexico, California, NC State and Notre Dame. Last Midwest Regional Appearance: 1996 (Wake Forest advanced to the regional championship game before losing to No. 1 seed Kentucky).

Team Hotel: Marriott Downtown. 200 West 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 65105. Phone: 816.855.4492. Fax: 816.471.5631.

Media Hotel: The Fairmount (previously the Ritz-Carlton). 401 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64112. Phone: 816.756.1500. Fax: 816.531.1483.

Contacts: Assistant athletic director Dean Buchan and assistant media relations director Bill Newton will be in Kansas City at the team hotel.

Interview Opportunities: Wake Forest coach Dave Odom and Demon Deacon players will be available Thursday from 1:30-2 p.m. at Kemper Arena. Other than postgame interviews, this will be the only time that the players will be available prior to Friday's game. All other interview requests for Dave Odom should be made through Buchan.

Deacons' 16th NCAA Tournament Appearance Begins Friday In Kansas City
Wake Forest, 19-10, will make its 16th NCAA Tournament appearance and its first appearance since 1997 when the seventh-seeded Demon Deacons take on 10th-seeded Butler Friday at Kansas City's Kemper Arena (11:30 a.m. Central/CBS).

The Deacons, who have been ranked in the top 25 every week this season, received an at-large bid after facing one of the nation's strongest schedules and earning a No. 30 RPI rating.

Wake enters the NCAA Tournament following a 71-53 loss to 11th-ranked Maryland in the quarterfinals of last week's ACC Tournament in Atlanta. Eight of Wake's 10 losses came against teams ranked 17th or higher. Butler, 23-7, won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference championship by beating Detroit, 53-38, in the March 6 title game. The Bulldogs have won 12 of their last 13 games. Headlining their list of impressive victories this season was a 58-44 win on the road against Wisconsin.

Friday's game will mark the first meeting ever between the two schools. The winner of Friday's game will meet the winner of No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 15 seed Eastern Illinois Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The winner of that game advances to the Sweet 16 in San Antonio.

A Quick Look At The Deacons
Wake Forest posted a 19-10 overall record and an 8-8 mark in the ACC while facing one of the nation's most difficult schedules. The Deacons beat two top 10 teams -- No. 3 Kansas and No. 8 Virginia -- and also earned wins over Georgia Tech, Temple and Richmond.

Eight of Wake's 10 losses came against teams ranked 17th or higher. The other two losses -- at Georgia Tech and at Cincinnati -- came in overtime. Two losses -- at North Carolina (Jan. 6) and at home against Duke (Feb. 24) came on last-second buzzer-beaters.

The Deacons began the season 12-0 and were ranked as high as fourth nationally (on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1). Wake lost seven of its next 10 games and has closed out the season with a 4-3 record with losses to Maryland (twice) and Duke.

Wake will be without junior guard Craig Dawson (12.5 points per game), who suffered a dislocated shoulder in last Friday's loss to Maryland. Dawson, who has 55 three-point field goals and ranks fifth in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio, is doubtful for Kansas City but could return if the Deacons advance.

The Deacons have a balanced attack with four players averaging at least 12.3 points per game. Leading the way is sophomore forward Josh Howard, a second team All-ACC selection, who averages 13.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Junior forward Darius Songaila (13.2 ppg. and 6.0 rpg.), who helped lead Lithuania to the bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics, was honorable mention All-ACC.

Seniors Rafael Vidaurreta (3.1 ppg. and 3.8 rpg.) and Josh Shoemaker (6.2 ppg. and 7.4 rpg.) generally split time at center. Juniors Broderick Hicks (6.8 ppg.) and Ervin Murray (2.3 ppg.) split time at point guard.

Senior guard Robert O'Kelley (12.3 ppg. and 57 three-point field goals) has more career points (1,865) than any active player in the ACC. Junior Antwan Scott (6.8 ppg. and 3.6 rpg.) comes off the bench to lead the team in blocked shots. Freshman A.W. Hamilton (1.6 ppg.) has seen action in 18 of 29 games.

Craig Dawson Suffers Dislocated Shoulder
Junior guard Craig Dawson, one of the most prolific perimeter shooters in Wake Forest history, is doubtful for Kansas City after suffering a dislocated left shoulder in last Friday's ACC Tournament loss to Maryland.

Dawson (12.5 points per game, 55 three-point field goals) injured the shoulder when he collided with Maryland's Byron Mouton. The injury occurred less than 60 seconds after Dawson entered the game. Dawson has played in all 29 games this season, averaging 24.8 minutes per contest.

Other injury news... Junior guard Ervin Murray has been plagued with tendinitis the last one-third of the season, although he appeared healthy while playing 30 minutes in last Friday's loss to 11th-ranked Maryland... Murray, who suffered from mononucleosis back in October, did not play in Wake's final home game on Feb. 24 because of the tendinitis... Senior center Rafael Vidaurreta missed the first seven games of the season after undergoing September knee surgery.

A Quick Look At The Butler Bulldogs
Butler, 23-7, earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the Midwestern Collegiate Conference championship. The Bulldogs, who posted impressive victories this season over Wisconsin, Santa Clara and TCU, would have likely earned an at-large bid even if they would have lost in the MCC Tournament title game to Detroit.

The Bulldogs enter the NCAA Tournament riding a wave of momentum. Butler has won 12 of its last 13 games including a 58-44 win at Wisconsin on Jan. 30.

Butler has used the same starting lineup -- which consists of two juniors, two sophomores and one senior -- in all 30 games this season. The Bulldogs have a balanced attack with six players averaging at least 8.0 points per game. On the perimeter, Butler is averaging nearly eight three-point field goals per game and is shooting 41.1 percent from behind the arc.

Junior guard Thomas Jackson (13.2 ppg.), 5-9, leads the Bulldogs in scoring. Senior guard LaVall Jordan contributes 12.2 points per contest, followed by sophomore guard Brandon Miller (11.7 ppg.) and junior forward Rylan Hainje (10.9 ppg.).

Butler is under the direction of first-year coach Thad Matta, who was an assistant coach last season when the Bulldogs nearly upset Final Four-bound Florida in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Wake Has Finished Fifth Or Better In ACC Final Standings Every Year Since 1993
Wake Forest's 76-58 win at NC State March 4 gave the Deacons a share of fifth place in the final ACC standings.

The win also kept an important streak alive for the Deacons. Wake has finished fifth or higher in the final ACC standings every season since 1993. Wake and North Carolina are the only two teams that have achieved that feat.

Over the last 11 seasons, Wake has finished lower than fifth just once (1992).

Wake Forest's NCAA Tournament History
Wake Forest, making its 16th NCAA Tournament appearance, has enjoyed success in the event since its origin in 1939:

The Deacons are 22-15 (.595) all-time in 15 previous NCAA Tournament appearances.
Wake Forest made seven consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1991 to 1997, all under current head coach Dave Odom. The Deacons have made 11 consecutive postseason appearances including the NIT in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Odom owns a career NCAA Tournament record of 10-7. His .588 winning percentage is the 20th-best among active coaches.
Odom is one of four Wake Forest coaches to take a team to the NCAA Tournament. Including this year, Odom has led the Deacons to eight of their 16 appearances.
The Deacons have advanced to the Final Four once -- in 1962 when they lost to Ohio State in the semifinals.
Wake has advanced to the regional championship game five times -- 1961, 1962, 1977, 1984 and 1996.
The Deacons are 11-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament first-round games including a streak of five straight wins. Wake hasn't lost a first-round game since a 1992 setback to Louisville in Tempe, Ariz.
Wake Forest was one of eight teams to participate in the very first NCAA Tournament in 1939.
Ten Deacons have earned NCAA All-Regional honors including East MVP Len Chappell in 1962.

WFU's History As A No. 7 Seed
Wake Forest enters the NCAA Tournament with a No. 7 seed for just the second time since the seeding process began in 1979. More on Wake's NCAA Tourn-ament seed:

The only previous time Wake Forest has been a No. 7 seed came in 1982, when the NCAA Tournament field included 48 teams. Wake went 1-1 that year, beating No. 10 Old Dominion before losing to No. 2 seed Memphis in Charlotte.
The No. 7 seed is Wake Forest's lowest since earning a No. 9 seed in 1992.
The Deacons' highest seed was No. 1 in 1995.
Wake is 2-0 all-time against No. 10 seeds including a win over Texas in 1996 and a victory over Old Dominion in 1982.
Wake Forest is 11-2 in NCAA Tournament play when the Deacons are the higher seed. The only times Wake has lost to a lower-seeded team came in 1997 when the No. 3 seeded Deacons lost to No. 6 seed Stanford in the second round and in 1981 when No. 4 seed Wake lost to No. 5 seed Boston College in the first round.
The Deacons are 0-2 all-time against No. 2 seeds and 1-0 versus No. 15 seeds.
Wake is 1-2 all-time versus No. 1 seeds. Wake's Series History With Butler, Midwest Regional Field
Wake Forest and Butler have no previous meetings.
The Deacons have played just one game all-time against a team from the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. Wake beat Wisconsin-Green Bay in overtime, 61-58, on Nov. 27, 1993.
Of the seven other teams in Kansas City this week, Wake Forest has played only Notre Dame (1-0, last year in the NIT finals) and Xavier (0-1, 1999 NIT second round).
Wake played just one of the 15 other teams in the Midwest Regional this season -- an 84-53 win over Kansas on Dec. 7.

Wake Forest, Butler Have Similarities

Wake Forest (enrollment of 3,850) and Butler (4,000) are similar in size.
Both teams have four players averaging double figures in scoring and both use a 9-10 man rotation.
Both schools' best NCAA Tournament performances came in 1962 when Wake went to the Final Four and Butler finished third in the Mideast Regional.
Both teams won on the road this season against Big Ten teams. Wake beat Michigan and Butler won at Wisconsin.
Both teams went 6-6 on the road.
Both teams have a hometown, 6-6 forward averaging in double figures -- Wake's Josh Howard (13.9 ppg., Winston-Salem) and Butler's Rylan Hainje (10.9 ppg., Indianapolis). There are differences, of course.
Butler has nine freshmen and sophomores. Wake has just two active freshmen and sophomores.
Butler coach Thad Matta is in his first season. Wake's Dave Odom is in his 12th year at WFU.

Midwest Regional Has Been Good To Deacons
Wake Forest will play in the Midwest Regional for the fourth time. In each of the three previous appearances (1977, 1984, 1996), Wake has advanced to the regional championship game.

The Deacons' last appearance in the Midwest came in 1996 when they knocked off, in order, Northeast Louisiana, Texas and Louisville before falling to No. 1 seed Kentucky in the finals. Wake is 7-3 all-time in Midwest Regional play.

Nine Deacon Opponents, Five ACC Teams Receive Bids
Wake Forest played 20 different teams in 2000-01. Nine of them will join the Deacons in the NCAA Tournament.

Non-conference opponents Cincinnati, Georgia, Kansas and Temple are in the NCAA Tournament. South Carolina State, Radford and Navy, also Deac opponents, lost in the finals of their respective conference tournaments.

The ACC received six bids, ranking second only to the Big Ten.

A Look Back At Wake's Last Tournament Appearance In 1997
Wake Forest opened its seventh straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament with high hopes and expectations, as the appearance marked the final NCAA berth of the Tim Duncan era.

The Deacons were seeded third in the tournament and sent to the West Regional in Tucson, AZ. Wake took on the 14th-seeded Saint Mary's Gaels, who boasted a 7-3, 245 pound center Brad Millard, widely known as "Big Continent."

The first half of the contest between the Deacs and Saint Mary's was fairly even, with neither team gaining a decisive edge. In the second half, however, Wake outscored the Gaels 41-22 and held on for a 68-46 win. Duncan recorded 22 points and 22 rebounds, including five blocks. It marked the fourth time Duncan eclipsed the 20 point/20 rebound mark in his career.

The Deacons faced the sixth-seeded Stanford Cardinal in the second round. Wake scored 27 points in the final eight and a half minutes of the game, but was unable to overcome a 13-point deficit to the Cardinal, falling 72-66 in Duncan's final game as a Deacon. Duncan scored 18 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in the loss.

Wake/NCAA Tournament Notebook

While coach Dave Odom's Deacons were sent to Missouri, Lane Odom (Dave's son), a Missouri assistant coach, was sent to North Carolina. The Missouri Tigers play Georgia in Greensboro while the Deacons play Friday in Kansas City.
Arizona center Loren Woods is a Wake Forest transfer and could potentially play against his old team if the higher seeds win on Friday.

Wake Forest and Butler have no common opponents, but the Deacons could receive some tips from UNC-Wilmington coach Jerry Wainwright. When Butler began the season 3-3, one of those Bulldog losses came against the Seahawks (53-48 on Dec. 16). Wainwright is a former Wake Forest assistant coach.
While Butler has never played Wake Forest, the Bulldogs have played on Wake's home floor. Last year's heartbreaking tournament loss to Florida came in WFU's Lawrence Joel Coliseum. n Indianapolis is the home of Butler and also the home of Wake Forest signee Vytas Danelius, a senior forward at Indianapolis' Park Tudor School.
Butler assistant coach John Groce is familiar with Wake Forest. He previously worked as an assistant coach at NC State.
Wake Forest and Notre Dame will reside at the same hotel (the downtown Marriott). The Deacons beat the Irish in the championship game of the 2000 NIT.
Five teams from the state of North Carolina are in the NCAA Tournament -- Charlotte, Duke, North Carolina, UNC Greensboro and Wake Forest. That ties the state record for the most teams in the tournament.
According to the record books, Wake Forest has never previously played a game in Kansas City or Kemper Arena. The Deacons have played in the state of Missouri three times, most recently in 1997 in Columbia against Missouri.
One of the Wake's most memorable NCAA Tournament games came in the Show-Me State in 1984. At the Midwest Regional in St. Louis, the Deacons stunned No. 1 seed DePaul in the semifinals, concluding the career of legendary Blue Demon coach Ray Meyer. Wake lost to Houston in the finals, 68-63.
Next season Wake Forest will play 40 miles west of Kansas City in Lawrence (Kan.) against Kansas.
Eight of the 17 teams in the Midwest Regional (including the play-in game) won their conference tournament.
Wake enters the NCAA Tournament after losing in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament for the first time since 1993. That year, the Deacons went 2-1 in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 round of the Southeast Regional.
Deacon assistant coach Frank Haith has been to the NCAA Tournament with two teams. In 1996 he helped lead Penn State to its first tournament berth in 31 years and he was on the Wake staff in 1997 when the Deacons earned a No. 3 seed.
Wake assistant Ernie Nestor was head coach at George Mason in 1989 when the Patriots earned their first ever NCAA Tournament berth. In his two different stints at Wake Forest, he has been a part of 10 NCAA Tournaments with the Deacons.
The late Bones McKinney, a former coach at Wake Forest and player at North Carolina, is one of just six men who have played and coached in a Final Four game.
Kemper Arena was host of the 1988 Final Four. Kemper last hosted an NCAA Tournament game in 1997.
Municipal Arena in Kansas City, located across the street from Wake's team hotel, has hosted more NCAA Tournament games (83) than any other facility.
The Midwest Regional has produced the NCAA champion 13 of the 46 years that the tournament has been in a four-regional format.
The only time the No. 7 seed has advanced to the Final Four was by Virginia in 1984. Wake's Dave Odom was an assistant coach on that Cavalier team.
While the No. 7 seed has gone to the Final Four just once since the seeding process began in 1979, two No. 8 seeds (North Carolina and Wisconsin) were in the 2000 Final Four. In fact, teams seeded 8th or higher have advanced to the Final Four six times including No. 11 seed LSU in 1986.
Tulsa was a No. 7 seed last year when it advanced all the way to the regional championship game.
Deacons Have Been Ranked From Wire-To-Wire
Wake Forest has been ranked in both major national polls every week of the 2000-01 season. The Deacons are currently ranked 23rd in the Associated Press poll and 22nd in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Wake was ranked as high as fourth nationally in the Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 polls.
The polls show the difficulty of Wake's schedule. Five of the nation's 16 highest-ranked teams are on the Deacon schedule -- (1) Duke, (6) North Carolina, (11) Maryland, (12) Kansas and (16) Virginia. Butler, Georgia, Temple, Georgia Tech, Richmond and Cincinnati, also WFU opponents, are receiving votes for one or both polls.
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 rank second in two other categories. More Deacon statistical notes:
- The Deacs rank first in the ACC in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 66.1 points per game.
- Wake Forest leads the ACC in three-point field goal percentage defense (.305) -- the lowest percentage in school history.
- WFU's scoring margin (+10.9) ranks 20th nationally.
- Wake is holding opponents to just 40.6 percent shooting, ranking second in the ACC.
- Wake Forest's field goal percentage (.464) is its highest since the 1994-95 season.
- Wake is averaging more points per game (77.0) than any Deacon team since 1990-91 (80.5).
- The Deacons own an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.25 with nearly 100 more assists than turnovers. Prior to this season, Wake went six consecutive seasons with more turnovers than assists.
- The Deacs are averaging more steals per game (7.3) than any Wake team since the 1990-91 season.
- Individually, junior Ervin Murray leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (82 assists, 26 turnovers) and junior teammate Broderick Hicks ranks fifth (2.08 ratio).
- Josh Shoemaker ranks sixth in the ACC in rebounds per game (7.4), fourth in defensive rebounds per game (5.48).
- Shoemaker's rebound average (7.4) and field goal percentage (.537) are the highest numbers in those categories since Tim Duncan in 1996-97.
- Josh Howard ranks among the ACC leaders in field goal percentage, steals, rebounding, scoring and blocked shots.
- Howard has more steals (57) than any Deacon since Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues in 1987.

Every Wake Loss Came Against NCAA Tournament Teams, Four Losses Came At Final Buzzer Or In Overtime
Twice this season Wake Forest watched its opponent -- a highly-ranked opponent -- celebrate victories after hitting buzzer-beating shots. On Feb. 24, fourth-ranked Duke beat the Deacons 82-80 after Chris Duhon hit an off-balanced jumper as the final buzzer sounded. At North Carolina on Jan. 6, Brendan Haywood's dunk in the final seconds gave the Tar Heels a 70-69 victory. Two other losses -- at Georgia Tech and at Cincinnati -- came in overtime.

More on Wake's close losses this season:

In both losses to Duke, Wake Forest was missing key players. At Duke, Josh Howard sat out with the flu. At home, Ervin Murray did not play because of tendinitis in his knee.
All 10 losses have come against teams that are in the NCAA Tournament.

Seven losses have come against teams currently ranked in the top 25. The other losses came against Cincinnati and Georgia Tech, which are receiving votes for the top 25.
Five Wake losses have been by six points or less.

About Thursday's Media Interview Session
Thursday at Kemper Arena, Wake players and coach Dave Odom will be available to the media from 1:30-2 p.m. While two selected players will attend the press conference session from 1:30-1:45, all other players will be available in the lockerroom. Odom will be at the press conference from 1:45-2 p.m.

Versatile Josh Howard Has Emerged As A Star
Sophomore Josh Howard's stock, much like the stock of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, has soared over the last two years. But while the Winston-Salem doughnut company's performance has slowed, Howard just continues to get better and better.

And there aren't any holes in Howard's game.

Offensively, the second team All-ACC selection leads the team in scoring (13.9 ppg.) and he has developed into a go-to type player in crunch time. Defensively, the honorable mention ACC All-Defense selection uses his speed and athleticism to cause havoc on the perimeter.

Statistically, Howard ranks among the ACC leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, steals and blocks. The only other player in the ACC who ranks in all the same categories is Duke's Shane Battier.

More on Howard:
n He leads the team in scoring overall (13.9 ppg.) and in ACC games only (14.9 ppg.). Since Dec. 29, he has scored less than 11 points in a game just once.

Against nationally-ranked teams, Howard turns his game up a notch, averaging 15.5 points per game.
He ranks fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.495).
Howard ranks ninth in the ACC in blocked shots with 32. Most of those rejections have come near or beyond the three-point arc -- a big reason Wake is holding opponents to an ACC-best 30.5 percent shooting from three-point range.
He ranks fourth in the ACC in steals (2.04 per game) and is on track to record more career steals than anyone in WFU history, with the exception of all-time leader Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues. He has more steals this season (57) than any Deacon in one season since Bogues in 1987.
Howard continues to develop into an outstanding rebounder. Over his last nine games, he has averaged 7.9 rebounds per contest. In ACC games, he ranks ninth in the league in rebounding.
Howard has made great strides at the free throw line. In conference games, he shot a solid 74.0 percent from the stripe this season (14th in the ACC), compared to just 55.1 percent in league games last season.
He has gone to the free throw line more often (128 attempts) than any Deacon this season.
The three-point field goal has been added to his offensive arsenal. In the first 19 games of the season, Howard made just seven three-point field goals. But over the last 10 games he has racked up 10 three-pointers.
And Howard is accurate from three-point range. In ACC games, he shot 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from beyond the arc.
He leads the team in double-doubles with four, including a 14-point, 11-rebound effort in Wake's final home game Feb. 24 against Duke. All four double-doubles have come since Jan. 21.
Howard is in just his second season, but already ranks 11th on Wake's all-time blocked shots list with 65. He has already eclipsed the 700-point mark (he has 723) and 300 rebounds (he currently has 336).
At Clemson on Feb. 21, Howard held Will Solomon (19.8 ppg.) to just nine points on 3-of-9 shooting. Solomon attempted only three first-half shots. Howard recorded five steals in the game.

Josh Howard Earns All-ACC 2nd Team Honor, Darius Songaila Is Honorable Mention
Sophomore Josh Howard, one of the ACC's most versatile players, was named second team All-ACC earlier this month. Howard is the third WFU sophomore in three years to win ACC accolades. Robert O'Kelley was a second team selection as a sophomore in 1999 and Darius Songaila was a third team pick in 2000. Howard, who rec-eived eight votes for the first team, is one of four ACC sophomores to earn first or second team honors. Wake's last first team All-ACC selection was Tim Duncan in 1997. Songaila earned honorable mention All-ACC honors.

Steady Songaila One Of The ACC's Best
Darius Songaila rarely makes ESPN's "Plays of the Week." After all, he has just five dunks this season, he has never scored more than 30 points or grabbed more than 12 rebounds.

Regardless, Songaila is one of the ACC's best players and he is certainly one of the league's most consistent performers.

In addition to scoring (13.2 ppg.) and rebounding (6.0 rpg.), Songaila is a good shooter (50.5 percent), one of the league's best free throw shooters (81.5 percent) and he has been called one of the nation's best passing big men.

Just a junior, he already ranks among Wake Forest's all-time leaders in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and free throw percentage.

More on Songaila:

He is one of just 20 players in Wake Forest history with more than 1,000 points (1,239) and 500 rebounds (529).
He ranks second on the team and 13th in the ACC in rebounding (6.0 rpg.).
Songaila ranks fourth in the ACC in free throw percentage (.815) and he ranks first in that category among ACC post players.
He ranks 22nd in Wake Forest career scoring history with 1,239 points.
Songaila is tied with former Deacon guard Billy Packer for the seventh-highest career free throw percentage in Wake Forest history (.819).
He ranks 13th in the ACC this season in blocked shots and with 69 career rejections, Songaila ranks 10th on Wake's all-time list.
Songaila has started more games this season (28) than any Deacon. His only non-start came on Senior Day.
He has scored in double figures 22 times this season.
Songaila's shooting range has increased. Last year he did not make a three-point field goal. This season, he is 4-of-9 from behind the arc.
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.
Songaila was recently engaged to Wake Forest tennis player Jackie Houston.

Wake's Point Guards Combine For 157 Assists, 62 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 close to 20 minutes per game, have combined for 157 assists and just 62 turnovers this season.

Murray leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.15) with 82 assists and 26 turnovers. He has more games this season without a turnover (12) than games with more than one turnover (6). He averages just one turnover every 20.2 minutes.

Hicks (75 assists, 36 turnovers) ranks fifth in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.08).

As a team, the Deacons rank third in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.24). Wake has nearly 100 more assists than turnovers. In each of the previous six seasons the Deacons had more turnovers than assists. Craig Dawson would rank fourth in the ACC in assist-to-turnover margin (2.38), but lacks the minimum in assists to qualify.

O'Kelley Continues To Climb WFU, ACC Record Book
Senior Robert O'Kelley will leave Wake Forest with his name firmly etched in the school and ACC record books:

O'Kelley enters the NCAA Tournament with 1,865 career points, ranking eighth in Wake Forest history. He has more career points to his credit than any active player in the ACC.
O'Kelley has 286 career three-point field goals, which ranks second in Wake Forest history and sixth in the history of the ACC.
With 126 career games played, only Tim Duncan (128 games from 1994-97) has played in more Wake Forest games than O'Kelley.
With four more assists, O'Kelley will be ranked 10th in Wake Forest history for career assists (he has 260 assists).
Only Wake's all-time leading scorer, Dickie Hemric, and Skip Brown had more field goal attempts than O'Kelley (1,547 attempts).
Over the last seven games, O'Kelley has made 20-of-42 three-point field goal attempts (47.6 percent).
In his final home game against Duke (Feb. 24), O'Kelley led the Deacons with 17 points, four three-point field goals and his three-pointer with eight seconds left tied the game at 80-80.
O'Kelley was a bright spot in last Friday's loss to 11th-ranked Maryland. He scored a game-high 20 points and was 4-of-9 from three-point rage.

Songaila Second Team All-District
Junior forward Darius Songaila was named second team All-District 5 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Songaila was joined on the second team by Clemson's Will Solomon, Maryland's Terence Morris, Georgia Tech's Alvin Jones and Charleston's Jody Lumpkin.

The first team includes Duke's Jason Williams and Shane Battier, North Carolina's Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood and Maryland's Juan Dixon.

Dawson Excels As Sixth Man And Starter
Whether junior Craig Dawson starts or plays the role of one of the nation's best sixth men, he is one of the most dangerous perimeter shooters in the ACC.

Dawson is striving for consistency, but he seems to play his best in "big" games. For example, he poured in a career-high 29 points Feb. 6 against No. 1-ranked North Carolina. He scored 23 points in a key road win at Temple and he scored 20 points in a win over then No. 3 Kansas. More on Dawson:

He enters the NCAA Tournament with 155 career three-point field goals, which ranks fourth in Wake Forest history.
Dawson has 921 career points to his credit, which puts him on track to be the next 1,000-point scorer in Wake Forest history.
An underrated ballhandler, Dawson owns an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.38.
Dawson has good bloodlines. His uncles include NBA star Jerry Stackhouse and former Florida State standout Tony Dawson.

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 his numbers have declined slightly since the return of Rafael Vidaurreta, he currently leads the team and ranks sixth in the ACC in rebounds (7.4 rpg.). He has seven double-figure rebound games this year.

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Shoemaker's rebound average is the highest by a Deacon since Tim Duncan pulled down a remarkable 14.7 boards per game in 1996-97.
Shoemaker is shooting a team-best 53.7 percent from the field. That's the highest percentage by a Deacon since Duncan shot 60.8 percent in 1996-97.

Wake Has Used Eight Different Starting Lineups
Want to guess at a Wake Forest starting lineup? Better use pencil. The Deacons have used eight different starting fives this season including a different lineup in each of the last three games of the regular season. In each of the last two games, the Deacons started Broderick Hicks and Robert O'Kelley at guards, Rafael Vidaurreta at center and Josh Howard and Darius Songaila at forwards.

Eight different players have started at least three times this season. Songaila leads the way with 28 starts (he did not start on Senior Day). Howard, who missed two starts because of the flu, has 27 starts. Injuries and illness have caused the variety in lineups. Junior Ervin Murray began the season with mononucleosis and recently has been plagued with knee tendinitis.

Dave Odom In 12th Season With The Deacons
Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom, in his 12th season in Winston-Salem, will lead his Deacons into NCAA Tournament play for the eighth time. Odom joined elite company Feb. 21 at Clemson when he became just the ninth coach to win 100 ACC league games. Odom (now with 101 league wins) and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski are the only active coaches to have reached that mark.

Odom (Guilford ?65) owns a career record of 240-131 in 12 seasons with the Deacons, 278-173 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 11 consecutive postseason appearances.

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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.
With a career record of 10-7 in the NCAA Tournament, Odom has the 20th-best tournament winning percentage (.588) among active coaches. Quoting Coach Dave Odom

On receiving an NCAA Tournament bid:
"I am really excited for our team, particularly our seniors - Robert (O'Kelley), Rafael (Vidaurreta) and Josh Shoemaker - those guys have worked so hard. This is their fourth year - they've just completed their fourth regular season - and this will be their first trip to the NCAA Tournament. Though I'm happy for our underclassmen as well, I've got a particular place in my heart for those three guys. I just can't wait to see them on the court for the first time out in Kansas City in the NCAA Tournament."

On pre-selection anxiety:
"I choose not to worry too much about something I can't control. I worried for two or three years there and it didn't do a lot of good. I really wasn't worried. I think just judging by the seed we got, there was really never any doubt. We're the seventh seed, and that means you're in the top 28 in the tournament, selection-wise. So there was never any question as it relates to the committee whether Wake Forest was going to get in or not. Still, until you see your name flash up there on the board, there's a sense of anxiety, particularly when you go through two or three regions. Unless you really know what you're looking at - you see two or three ACC teams go up there - you get a sense of 'well, is it possible we're not going to make it?' I really do not feel like anybody in the room felt like we would not make it. It's just one of those things that you have to wait it out until we actually did."

On playing in Kansas City:
"I always think it's good to get away, particularly this time of year. We don't have class this week, so we have nothing but basketball to concentrate on. We can do as much practicing as we want and focus on mistakes we've been making. We've got a lot of work to do. Craig Dawson is not going to be available, so we've got to shore that position up and get some other guys ready in the rotation. It's good that we don't have class this week so we can concentrate on basketball and get ourselves ready for a really good Butler team."

On Butler:
"They've got a really good team. As you look at the non-power conferences, I think Butler, who won the regular season and ended up winning the tournament as well, is one of those mid-major kind of teams that would have gotten an at-large bid even if they had not won the tournament. I really believe that. I think that shows you a lot about their strength and the respect people have for them in college basketball. We'll never know that, but I really think they would have gotten an at-large regardless of whether they won the tournament or not."

Vidaurreta, Shoemaker Among Wake's Rebound Leaders
Both Wake Forest senior centers -- Rafael Vidaurreta and Josh Shoemaker -- are among the 15 most prolific rebounders in school history. Vidaurreta, with 727 career rebounds, ranks ninth in Wake Forest career rebounding history. He has a shot at catching Jack Williams (751 rebounds from 1953-57) for eighth place.

Senior Josh Shoemaker (661 career rebounds) is ranked 15th on Wake's all-time rebounds list. He passed Alvis Rogers (656 rebounds from 1979-83) for 15th place last Friday.

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 seventh on Wake Forest's all-time blocked shots list with 91 career blocks including a team-high 35 rejections this season.
Junior Darius Songaila (69 career blocks) is ranked 10th in WFU history for career blocked shots.
Rising quickly is sophomore Josh Howard, who has 65 blocks in just one and one-half seasons and is ranked 11th on WFU's all-time blocked shots list.
Scott, Songaila, Howard and Josh Shoemaker are all ranked among the top 15 in the ACC.

Senior Trio Ready For 4th Straight Postseason Appearance
Wake Forest's three seniors -- Robert O'Kelley, Josh Shoemaker and Rafael Vidaurreta -- have enjoyed success during their respective four-year careers. This week, the trio will head into postseason play for the fourth straight year. Over the last four years, the Wake seniors have earned:

Seventy-four Deacon wins (74-52).
Four consecutive postseason appearances.
A record of 49-15 in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
Twenty-nine ACC victories.
An NIT title in 2000 and a record of 7-2 overall in NIT play.
O'Kelley will leave WFU ranked among Wake's all-time leaders in scoring and three-point field goals.
Shoemaker and Vidaurreta are both listed among Wake's all-time leading rebounders.
The senior trio has combined to play in 371 career games.

Deacons Have Played 10 Nationally-Ranked Opponents
Wake Forest has played 10 nationally-ranked teams this season including six teams ranked 11th or higher.

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The Deacons are 2-8 this season against ranked teams including a 2-3 record against teams ranked in the top 10.
The 10 games against nationally-ranked teams are the most by a Deacon team since playing 10 ranked teams in 1996-97. Wake played 13 ranked opponents in 1994-95.
Wake's two wins against ranked teams came against squads ranked 8th or higher. The Deacs beat third-ranked Kansas (84-53 on Dec. 7) and No. 8 Virginia (96-73 on Jan. 2).
WFU's win over No. 3 Kansas (Dec. 7) marked the highest-ranked opponent that Wake has beaten since winning at No. 2 Clemson 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.
Wake has won 25 of its last 27 games against unranked teams.
The Deacs have played 36 teams ranked in the top 10 over the last eight seasons.

Miscellaneous Notes

Wake Forest (19-10) is one win shy of its second straight 20-win season and its seventh 20-win season over the last nine years. The Deacons are vying to become the fifth ACC team to reach the 20-win mark this season.
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 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.
The 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.
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.

Overtime Games Routine For The Deacons
Wake Forest has played three overtime games this season including two consecutive OT games during one January stretch.

The Deacons have played in six overtime games over the last two seasons and in eight OT contests over the last three seasons. The Jan. 31 game against NC State marked the first time since Jan. 28 and Jan. 31, 1987 that Wake has played in consecutive overtime games.

Dshamal Schoetz To Redshirt
Wake Forest coach Dave Odom will redshirt 7-0 freshman Dshamal Schoetz this season. Schoetz has been impressive, but could benefit greatly from a redshirt year, Odom said. The Germany native did not begin playing basketball until the age of 15.

Wake Forest 10th In Sears Cup Standings
With fall sports competition completed, Wake Forest ranks 10th 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, the women's soccer team and men's and women's cross country teams earning NCAA Tournament berths.

Deacons Sign Four To Letters Of Intent
Wake Forest has signed four high school seniors to letters of intent for next season: Vytas Danelius (6-8/Park Tudor School/Indianapolis, Ind.), John Chappell (6-8/Fork Union Academy/Chatham, Va.), Taron Downey(6-2/Fork Union Academy/Chatham, Va.), Jamal Levy (6-9/Berkshire Academy/Homestead, Fla.).

Wake Forest Athletics

2001 NCAA

Wake Forest And The 2001 NCAA Tournament

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