Deacons Open ACC Play Saturday At #4 North Carolina
12/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2003
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Game #7
#14/9 Wake Forest Deacons (6-0) at #4/4 North Carolina (6-0)
Saturday, Dec. 20 / 4:08 p.m. / Dean Smith Center (21,750) / Chapel Hill, NC n Fox Sports Net
Tip-Off: 4:08 p.m.
Television: Fox Sports Net. Thom Brennaman (play-by-play), Mike Gminski (color analysis), Dwayne Ballen (sidelines) call the action. Bob Steinfeld produces.
Radio: Deacon Radio Network (ISP). Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
Records: Wake Forest is 6-0 after winning on the road at SMU, 78-66, Monday night. North Carolina is 6-0 after beating visiting Akron, 64-53, on Sunday.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 14th in the Associated Press poll and 9th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. North Carolina is ranked 4th in both polls.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 52-19 in three seasons with the Deacons, 217-97 in 11 seasons overall. North Carolina coach Roy Williams (North Carolina '72) is 6-0 in his first season at his alma mater, 424-101 in 16 seasons overall.
SID Contacts: Wake Forest assistant athletic director/media relations Dean Buchan; North Carolina assistant athletic director Steve Kirschner.
Websites: Wake Forest -- WakeForestSports.com; North Carolina -- tarheelblue.com.
The Series: North Carolina leads, 146-61.
Officials: Announced on game day.
On Deck: Wake Forest returns to action Dec. 30 at home against North Carolina A&T. North Carolina plays UNC-Wilmington Dec. 28 in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Deacons Open ACC Play At #4 UNC
Nationally-ranked Wake Forest and North Carolina kick off the 51st year of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball with an early league game in Chapel Hill on Saturday (4:08 p.m./Fox Sports Net).
The Deacons, 6-0, are coming off a 78-66 win at SMU Monday. Sophomores Justin Gray and Eric Williams scored 22 points each and freshman Chris Paul had nine assists and six steals to lead Wake.
The Tar Heels, 6-0, moved into the top five in the national rankings after beating visiting Akron, 64-53, Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill.
Wake Forest is ranked 14th in the AP poll and 9th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. North Carolina is ranked 4th in both polls and the Tar Heels are one of three ACC teams ranked in the top five.
Noteworthy
- Wake Forest is 21-29 in ACC openers including a loss at No. 1-ranked Duke last season. The Deacons went on to win 13 of their next 15 league games to capture the ACC regular season title.
- The Deacons are closer to full strength. Kyle Visser (ankle), Vytas Danelius (ankle) and Todd Hendley (stomach virus) have all missed one game each, but are healthy now. Chris Ellis, who broke a bone in his foot on the first day of practice, dressed out but did not play in Monday's win at SMU.
- The Deacons have won their last five road games dating back to last season.
- North Carolina leads the all-time series, 146-61, but Wake Forest has won the last four meetings.
- There are 21 remaining unbeaten D-1 teams.
Deacs Go To 6-0 With Win At SMU
Wake Forest made 8-of-8 free throws in the final 49 seconds to hold off SMU, 78-66, Monday night in Dallas.
The Deacons, who won on the road for the fifth straight time, led by 17 points early in the second half before the Mustangs cut the lead all the way down to four points late in the game.
Sophomore Justin Gray scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half, including a career-high six three-point field goals (all in the first half), and sophomore Eric Williams added 22 points and 10 rebounds, to lead the Deacons.
More From Monday's Win At SMU
- Wake Forest failed to score 80 points for the first time this season, scoring a season-low 78 points.
- The Deacons tied a season-high with 16 steals.
- Wake recorded a season-high 22 turnovers.
- The Deacs shot 50 percent or better (.510) for the fourth time in their last five games.
- Wake Forest out-rebounded the Mustangs, 39-31, marking the fourth time in its last five games that the Deacons have pulled down more rebounds than their opponent.
- Wake's bench outscored its opponents bench (24-16) for the fifth time in six games.
Deacons Closer To Being Healthy
Wake Forest has seen four key members of the roster miss games this year with a variety of injuries and illnesses. However, all but sophomore Chris Ellis appear to be healthy now. And Ellis dressed out Monday night for the first time this season.
Ellis broke a bone in his right foot during Wake's first practice of the season on Nov. 18. He has not played in a game this season, although he did dress out Monday night at SMU for the first time this season.
Previous injuries that sidelined Deacon players:
Freshman Kyle Visser (twisted his left ankle) did not play against Indiana.
Junior Vytas Danelius (sprained left ankle and foot) did not play against Elon.
Freshman Todd Hendley (stomach virus) did not play in the Nov. 29 game at Yale.
ACC's Highest-Scoring Teams To Meet
Saturday's match-up between Wake Forest and North Carolina offers some intriguing statistical match-ups. For example:
- North Carolina (88.3 points per game) and Wake Forest (87.8) are the ACC's two highest-scoring teams. The Tar Heels (6th) and Deacons (8th) rank among the national leaders in scoring offense.
- The Deacons (72.6 percent) and Tar Heels (69.1) have been two of the ACC's best free-throw shooting teams.
- North Carolina leads the ACC in assists while Wake Forest is on top of the league statistics in steals.
- Wake Forest and UNC rank 1-2 in the ACC in turnover margin. Carolina and Wake rank 1-2 in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Wake's History Of ACC Openers
In 50 previous years of ACC openers, Wake Forest is a pedestrian 21-29 all-time. Then again, ACC openers don't always predict long-term success.
Last year Wake Forest was drubbed in its first league game -- 74-55 at Duke. The Deacons responded by winning 13 of their next 15 conference contests to capture the ACC regular season title.
More on Wake and ACC lid-lifters:
- The Deacons have won just won just two of their last eight ACC openers.
- Wake Forest is 10-16 when opening ACC play on the road. The last time the Demon Deacons opened league play with a win on the road was a 53-45 win at NC State on Dec. 7, 1996.
- The Deacs are just 2-15 when opening ACC play against nationally-ranked teams. The last time Wake beat a ranked team in an ACC opener was a 96-73 thumping of then-No. 8 Virginia on Jan. 2, 2001 in Winston-Salem.
- North Carolina will be Wake's opponent in an ACC opener for just the second time. The only other previous time that happened came on Dec. 15, 1984 in the Greensboro Coliseum (a home game for Wake Forest). Then 13th-ranked Carolina beat the Deacs, 79-73.
- The Dec. 20th game is early in the schedule, but Wake has opened ACC play even earlier. The Deacons played Florida State on Dec. 16, 2001. On Dec. 3, 1998, the Deacs opened ACC play at Maryland.
Deacons Are A Balanced Bunch So Far
- Six Deacons average at least 8.0 points per game including four averaging in double figures.
- Eight different players have scored in double figures at least once and three different Deacs have scored 20 or more points in a game.
- Ten different Deacons have made at least one three-point field goal.
Deacon-Tar Heel Series History
- North Carolina leads the all-time series, 146-61.
- The 207 meetings between the two teams is the fifth-longest series in the ACC.
- Wake Forest has won the last four meetings -- the Deacons' longest streak in the series since winning six straight from 1961-62 to 1963-64.
- The Deacons have won six out of the last 10 meetings.
- North Carolina has dominated the series in Chapel Hill, 68-17. The Tar Heels are 15-3 against the Deacons in the Dean Smith Center.
- Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser is 4-0 all-time against North Carolina.
- North Carolina coach Roy Williams is 2-1 all-time against Wake Forest, with all three games coming while coaching at Kansas.
- Prosser is 0-1 when coaching against Williams. In 1999-00, Prosser's Xavier team lost to Williams' Kansas team, 111-70, in the second round of the Great Alaska Shootout.
Wake Forest-North Carolina Connections
- Wake Forest freshman Chris Paul was a high school rival of North Carolina's Reyshawn Terry in Winston-Salem. Paul, however, considers Terry his best friend from another Division I team. Paul and Terry were AAU teammates.
- UNC has two players on its roster from Winston-Salem -- Terry and freshman Justin Bohlander.
- Wake sophomore Eric Williams played on the same team in the 2002 McDonald's High School All-American game with North Carolina's McCants, Raymond Felton and Sean May.
- Former Deacon All-American Josh Howard and former Tar Heel All-American Antwan Jamison are teammates on the Dallas Mavericks.
- Carolina head coach Roy Williams and assistants Joe Holladay, Steve Robinson, Jerod Haase and C.B. McGrath all previously worked at Kansas. Wake Forest assistant AD/media relations Dean Buchan and Deacon media relations assistant Mike Vest previously worked at Kansas.
- Wake Forest media relations intern Jeremy Hoffman is a 2003 North Carolina graduate.
- Deacon sophomore Justin Gray and North Carolina sophomore Rashad McCants played on the same AAU team.
- Gray and UNC's Phillip McLamb and Wes Miller all hail from Charlotte.
Deacs vs. Heels, Rankings, Etc.
- Saturday's game marks the first Wake Forest-North Carolina game that both teams are nationally-ranked since Feb. 6, 2001 when No. 1 UNC beat No. 19 Wake in Winston-Salem
- Wake Forest will take its highest ranking into a game against UNC in Chapel Hill since Jan. 6, 2001 when No. 13 North Carolina beat No. 4 Wake, 70-69.
Deacons 14th In AP, 9th In Coaches Poll
Wake Forest continued its slow move up the national rankings this week, moving to 14th (from 15th) in the Associated Press poll and to 9th (from 12th) in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
The Deacons have been ranked in the AP poll for 19 consecutive weeks dating back to last season. Wake has been ranked in the AP poll 33 times in 40 weeks under Skip Prosser.
At this point last year, Wake Forest was not ranked. The Deacons debuted in the polls on Dec. 23 last year and stayed in the top 25 the rest of the season.
In other polls, Wake is third in the Sagarin Ratings, 5th by CollegeRPI.com and 11th by CBS Sportsline.
Schedule Loaded With Top 10 Teams
It appears that Saturday's game at North Carolina will mark the first of several that Wake Forest will play this season against nationally-ranked opponents.
Three ACC opponents -- (3) Duke, (4) North Carolina and (5) Georgia Tech -- are ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll. Three other Deacon opponents -- (12) Texas, (16) Cincinnati and (25) Maryland -- are also in the top 25. And four more opponents -- Florida State, NC State, Virginia and Memphis -- are receiving votes for the poll.
This means that 10 of Wake's 21 remaining regular season games will come against opponents that are currently in the AP top 25. It also means that 16 of the Deacons' 21 remaining games come against teams that are either ranked, or are receiving votes for the poll.
Wake Vs. Nationally-Ranked Opponents
- Wake Forest has not played a nationally-ranked team this season.
- The Deacons are 3-3 in their last six games against ranked teams.
- Wake's last win on the road against a ranked team was a 90-80 win at No. 23 Wisconsin on Dec. 4, 2002.
- The Deacs' last win over a team ranked in the top 10 was a double-overtime win at home against No. 8 Duke on Feb. 13, 2003.
- Wake Forest last beat a top 10 team on the road on Feb. 1, 1997 when No. 2 Wake beat No. 7 Maryland, 74-69 in College Park.
- The last time Wake beat a top 5 team on the road came on Jan. 23, 1997 when No. 4 Wake Forest won at No. 2 Clemson, 65-62.
- Wake Forest has its highest AP ranking in mid-December since being ranked No. 6 on Dec. 20, 2000.
Homecourt Streak At 20
Wake Forest has not lost a home game since Feb. 21, 2002 -- a streak of 20 consecutive wins. The Deacons went 16-0 at home last season and are 3-0 this year.
The 20-game streak is the sixth-longest current streak in Division I. The Wake Forest school record for consecutive home court wins is 25 from 1995-97.
Gray Is Streaking Guard Justin Gray may be a sophomore, but remember, he has played in just 29 career games.
After missing 10 games last season with a broken jaw, Gray has made at least one three-point field goal in every game (18 consecutive games). Over his last seven games, dating back to last season, Gray has made 21 three-point field goals. Only Florida State's Tim Pickett is averaging more three-point field goals per game in the ACC than Gray (2.67).
Gray also ranks among the ACC leaders with 14 consecutive games scoring in double figures. He ranks 12th in the ACC in scoring
Paul One Of Nation's Top Rookies
Chris Paul is quickly establishing himself as one of the nation's top freshmen and one of the top point guards in a conference loaded with talented players at that position. Consider:
- Paul leads the nation in steals per game (4.2).
- He ranks third in the ACC and 19th nationally in assists per game (6.33).
- He ranks second in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio (3.45) and is the only freshman in the league to rank in the top 10. He has 38 assists and just 11 turnovers in 186 minutes.
- He is coming off career highs for assists (9) and steals (6) in the Dec. 15 win at SMU.
- His six steals tied a Wake Forest freshman record held by Rodney Rogers. The six steals tied for the ninth-most every by a Deacon, regardless of class.
- His nine assists were one short of tying Wake Forest freshman single-game records.
- Paul was named ACC Rookie of the Week Dec. 8 for his performances against Indiana and Richmond.
- Over his last three games, Paul has averaged 16.3 points, 8.3 assists and 5.3 steals per game.
- After making the first 14 free throw attempts of his career, Paul is now shooting 84.8 percent from the line, ranking fourth in the ACC. That percentage would be the highest ever by a Deacon freshman.
- He has started every game and leads the team in minutes played (31.0 mpg.).
- Paul is shooting a solid 51.3 percent from the floor.
- He has made five three-point field goals over the last four games (on 10 attempts).
- The Wake Forest freshmen records for assists (147) and steals (53) are in jeopardy. Paul already has 38 assists and 25 steals.
- The shortest player on the roster, Paul is tied for the team lead in blocked shots (4).
Most Steals By A Deacon Freshman 6, Chris Paul Dec. 15, 2002 at SMU 6, Rodney Rogers Feb. 24, 1991 vs. Clemson 5, Chris Paul Dec. 6, 2003 vs. Richmond 5, Chris Paul Dec. 2, 2003 vs. Indiana 5, Taron Downey Feb. 6, 2002 vs. North Carolina 5, Six other times
Most Assists By A Wake Forest Freshman 10, Derrick McQueen Dec. 28, 1988 vs. New Mexico 9, Chris Paul Dec. 15, 2002 at SMU 9, Randolph Childress Feb. 4, 1991 vs. William & Mary 9, Derrick McQueen Jan. 2, 1989 vs. UNCW 8, Chris Paul Dec. 6, 2003 vs. Richmond 8, Chris Paul Dec. 6, 2003 vs. Indiana 8, Justin Gray March 21, 2003 vs. ETSU 8, Derrick McQueen Feb. 25, 1989 vs. Maryland
Deacons Rank 8th Nationally In Scoring
n Wake Forest ranks eighth in the nation in scoring offense (87.8).
n The Deacons rank fourth nationally in scoring margin (+22.6).
n Wake Forest had scored at least 80 points in every game this season until being held to 78 Dec. 15 at SMU.
n Wake's scoring average (87.8 ppg.) is identical to the school record set by the 1976 Deacon team.
n Wake Forest's 100 points earlier this year against Indiana marked the 60th 100-point game in school history, the sixth time under coach Skip Prosser, and it broke an ACC/Big Ten Challenge single-game record.
n Wake Forest leads the ACC in two statistical categories -- steals (12.5) and turnover margin (+6.17). The Deacs rank second in the ACC in four categories.
n Wake is one of 21 remaining unbeaten Division I teams.
Downey Climbs In Record Books
Junior guard Taron Downey, at his current pace, will have his name in the Wake Forest record books.
Downey's career free throw percentage (.843) is the fourth-highest in Wake Forest history. He is shooting 90.0 percent from the stripe this season.
He is 12 three-point field goals away from becoming the 11th player in school history to make 100 career three-pointers.
With 213 career assists, Downey will eventually become just the eighth player in Wake Forest history to record 300 career assists.
Big E Making Some Noise
Sophomore center Eric Williams, at least in the early going, is one of the ACC's most improved players.
- The 6-9, 275-pound Williams has nearly doubled his scoring average from last season (from 8.7 ppg. to a team-high 17.2 ppg.).
- Williams ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring.
- He ranks fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.589).
- Williams ranks 15th in the ACC in steals per game.
- He ranks among the league leaders in rebounding and offensive rebounds.
- Williams has started all 37 games of his career.
1,300 In Sight
With 1,289 all-time victories, Wake Forest is 12 wins shy of reaching the 1,300-win milestone. The Deacons are 1,289-991 all-time.
Comparing This Season To Last Season
The biggest question surrounding this year's edition of the Wake Forest basketball team was: How will the Deacons be without Josh Howard?
Certainly, Wake Forest has a different look without the 2003 unanimous ACC Player of the Year. The biggest differences:
Balance -- six players average scoring between 8.0 and 17.2 points per game and the Deacons no longer have one person to look to during crunch time.
Turnovers -- this year's team takes better care of the basketball, ranking first in the ACC in turnover margin. Last year's team ranked eighth in turnover margin.
Rebounding -- last year's team led the nation, and while this year's team has a +4.8 rebound margin, it hasn't dominated the boards like the 2002-03 squad.
Accuracy -- so far the Deacons are shooting their highest field goal percentage (.492) since 1992.
Defense -- Wake Forest is blocking fewer shots since last season, but is recording nearly five more steals per game.
Not Used To Trailing
Wake Forest has not faced a second half deficit all season. Three times this season -- wins over Elon, Yale and Indiana -- the Deacons led wire-to-wire. The Deacons have trailed briefly in the first half of wins against Memphis, Richmond and SMU.
Wake Forest's biggest deficit of the season was six points -- 24-18 against Richmond in the first half. The latest in a game the Deacons trailed was 28-26 with 3:39 left in the first half of the Richmond game.
If They Play Like Dad...
On Dec. 20, Wake Forest will play North Carolina and sophomore center Sean May, the son of former Indiana All-American and Olympian Scott May.
On Dec. 2, Wake Forest hosted Indiana and Hoosier freshman Patrick Ewing, Jr. Ewing, of course, is the son of the former Georgetown and New York Knicks great. The younger Ewing was a teammate of Wake Forest's Chris Ellis back in Marietta, Ga.
On Nov. 29, Wake Forest played Yale and Bulldog guard John Shumate. Shumate is the son of the former Notre Dame and NBA standout by the same name. The elder Shumate is now head coach of the WNBA Phoenix Mercury.
Wake Forest's own Chris Ellis is the son of former Tennessee and NBA standout Dale Ellis. Last season Wake played against Moses Malone, Jr., who scored 18 points for South Carolina State.
Deacs One Of ACC's Youngest Teams
Wake Forest may have lost just one starter from last year's 25-6 team, but youth still rules the Deacons.
n There are no scholarship seniors on the Wake Forest roster and the Deacons have just three juniors. Nine of the 12 scholarship players are either freshmen or sophomores.
n Wake Forest is the only ACC team with no scholarship seniors on the roster.
n The oldest players on the team are 22-year olds Vytas Danelius and Taron Downey.
n Wake Forest will likely not start a senior this season. The last time the Deacons did not start a senior all season came in 1987-88.
Downey Made Remarkable Recovery To Lead Deacons To Season-Opening Win
Junior guard Taron Downey was expected to play sparingly -- if at all -- in Wake Forest's season opener Nov. 13 against Memphis in Madison Square Garden.
After all, just eight days earlier, Gray had an emergency appendectomy. He took part in just one practice and avoided all contact drills prior to the team's departure to New York. Freshman Chris Paul started in Downey's spot at point guard.
When sophomore guard Justin Gray got into foul trouble, Downey was inserted into the game. Coach Skip Prosser continually consulted with Downey on his condition and the junior ended up playing 29 minutes.
Downey scored a career-high 20 points, made 4-of-7 three-point field goals and he added five assists, five rebounds and a blocked shot. For his efforts, he was named Coaches vs. Classic game MVP.
A chronological look at Downey's week:
Nov. 4 -- Downey began feeling poorly and had difficulty sleeping.
Nov. 5 -- After consulting with head trainer Greg Collins, Downey's blood was tested. Later that night, an appendectomy was performed.
Nov. 6 -- Downey was released from the hospital.
Nov. 10 -- Downey dressed out for practice but limited only to shooting.
Nov. 11 -- Downey went through a full practice, although he avoided contact drills.
Nov. 12 -- Team takes a turbulent flight to New York.
Nov. 13 -- Downey comes off the bench to play 29 minutes, score a career-high 20 points, make four three-point field goals, dish out five assists, grab five rebounds and block one shot.
Three Captains Named
Juniors Taron Downey and Jamaal Levy and sophomore Justin Gray were named team captains by head coach Skip Prosser.
With no scholarship seniors on the roster, Downey, Levy and junior Vytas Danelius bring the most experience to the team. The trio has helped the Deacons post 46 wins over the last two seasons and have played in four NCAA Tournament games.
Wake Signs One In Early Signing Period
Cameron Stanley, a 6-7 senior at Raleigh Millbrook High School, signed a letter-of-intent to play basketball at Wake Forest, Demon Deacon head coach Skip Prosser confirmed November 19.
Stanley averaged 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game as a junior in 2002-03 while leading Millbrook to a 26-5 record. He was a finalist for North Carolina's Mr. Basketball, he earned a spot on the all-conference team and he emerged as one of the nation's top prospects at the ABCD camp in Teaneck, N.J.. Stanley was also invited to USA Basketball's Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo. As a sophomore, Stanley averaged 19.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
The current Wake Forest roster includes no scholarship seniors. Assuming the roster remains intact, Stanley will be one of nine North Carolina natives on the 2004-05 Deacon roster.
Miscellaneous
- Four former Deacons -- Tim Duncan (San Antonio), Rodney Rogers (New Jersey), Josh Howard (Dallas) and Darius Songaila (Sacramento) -- are on NBA rosters.
- Sophomore Trent Strickland is wearing jersey No. 33 this year after wearing No. 34 last season.
- Wake Forest is 26-23 all-time against the three teams that will soon join the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Deacons are 24-20 all-time against Virginia Tech and last played the Hokies in 1999. Wake is 2-0 versus Miami with the last meeting in 1991. The Deacs are 0-3 all-time against Boston College with the last meeting coming in 1986.
- Wake Forest will play against nine of the 50 individual preseason candidates for the John Wooden Award: Chris Duhon (Duke), Raymond Felton (North Carolina), Julius Hodge (NC State), Jason Maxiell (Cincinnati), Rashad McCants (North Carolina), Brandon Mouton (Texas), J.J. Redick (Duke), James Thomas (Texas) and Bracey Wright (Indiana).
- Deacon head coach Skip Prosser has never lost a season opener in 11 years of coaching.
- Wake Forest has won 15 consecutive home openers, including a 97-55 win over Elon on Nov. 22.