Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Chase History, Outright Title At NC State Saturday
3/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 7, 2003
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#9 Wake Forest (22-4/12-3) at NC State (16-10/9-6)
Game #27 / March 8, 2003 RBC Center (19,722) Raleigh, NC
Tip-Off: 1:30 p.m.
Television: ABC (regional). Dave O??Brien (play-by-play) and Brad Daugherty (color analysis call the action. Kim Belton is the producer.
Radio: The Deacon Radio Network, produced and distributed by ISP. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
Websites: WAKE FOREST (wakeforestsports.com). NC STATE (gopack.com).
The Records: WAKE FOREST is 22-4 overall and 12-3 in the ACC after a 75-60 win over visiting North Carolina Wednesday night. NC STATE is 16-10 and 9-6 following a 63-60 win at Clemson on Wednesday.
The Rankings: WAKE FOREST is ranked ninth in the Associated Press poll and 10th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. NC STATE is not ranked.
WFU Coach Skip Prosser: Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy ??72) is 43-17 in his second season at Wake Forest, 208-95 in 10 years overall. Prosser coached one season at Loyola (MD) and seven seasons at Xavier before coming to Wake Forest
NC State Coach Herb Sendek: Sendek (Carnegie Mellon ??85) is 125-95 in seven seasons with the Wolfpack, 188-121 in 10 seasons overall. Series History: NC State leads, 122-91. More series information on page 11.
Trivial Note: Fifty years ago, in the first year of the ACC Tournament (1954), NC State beat Wake Forest in the inaugural championship game (March 4, 1954).
The Officials: Announced on game day.
Deacons chase history, outright title in Saturday??s finale at NC State Wake Forest, one of college basketball??s biggest surprises in 2002-03 and guaranteed at least a share of the ACC regular season title, faces a difficult road test Saturday in the regular season finale at NC State (1:30 p.m./ABC). The ninth-ranked Deacons, 22-4 overall and 12-3 in the ACC, have at least a share of their first ACC regular season crown for the first time since 1994-95. Wake Forest can clinch its first outright title since 1962 with a win at NC State. WFU is coming off a 75-60 win over North Carolina in the Deacons?? final home game Wednesday night. Senior All-America candidate Josh Howard had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead Wake Forest. Wake Forest has won 10 of its last 11 ACC games -- its best ACC run in more than 40 years. The Deacons take a five-game winning streak into Raleigh. NC State, 16-10 and 9-6, earned a key road win at Clemson Wednesday night. Scooter Sherrill poured in 24 points, including five three-point field goals, to lead the Wolfpack. NC State leads the all-time series, 122-91. Wake Forest, however, has won the last seven meetings including a 73-58 win over the Wolfpack in Winston-Salem on Feb. 6. Some of Saturday??s storylines: - With a win, the Deacons win the ACC title outright for the first time since 1962 -- the same season Wake Forest made its only Final Four appearance. With a loss, WFU will likely share the title with Maryland (11-4) and/or Duke (11-4). More scenarios are on page two. - Wake Forest needs a win to break the school record for conference wins in a season. - The Deacons have won four of their last five ACC road games.
Wake Forest??s ACC Championship, Tournament Scenarios
Wake Forest wins the ACC title outright and is ACC Tournament??s #1 seed if... Wake Forest beats NC State, or Maryland loses at Virginia, and Duke loses at UNC
Wake Forest ties for the ACC title and is ACC Tournament??s #1 seed if... no possibilities
Wake Forest ties for the ACC title and is ACC Tournament??s #2 seed if... Wake Forest loses to NC State, and either Duke or Maryland loses on Sunday
Wake Forest ties for the ACC title and is ACC Tournament??s #3 seed if... Wake Forest loses to NC State, and Both Duke and Maryland win on Sunday
Why Maryland holds the tie-breaker with Wake Forest and Duke Maryland swept fourth-place NC State
Why Duke holds the tie-breaker with Wake Forest Duke swept Virginia
A quick look at the Deacons
Fielding one of the nation??s youngest rosters -- four freshmen, three sophomores and senior All-American candidate Josh Howard all average at least 13 minutes per game -- the Deacons have exceeded all expectations. WFU is 22-4 overall and leading the ACC with a 12-3 mark. Wake Forest??s biggest strengths have been rebounding (WFU leads the nation in rebound margin at +10.0), defense (WFU ranks eighth nationally in field goal percentage defense at .389), Howard and a talented but youthful supporting cast. Howard (19.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game), who leads the ACC in scoring, is one of college basketball??s premier players. He is a solid candidate for All-America honors as well as the Wooden, Naismith and Robertson awards. He is considered by many a lock for ACC Player of the Year. Sophomore forward Vytas Danelius (12.9 ppg. and 7.5 rpg.) leads the team in field goal percentage (.534). Sophomore forward Jamaal Levy (7.2 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) has emerged over the last two months as one of the ACC??s best rebounders. Wake??s backcourt duo of sophomore Taron Downey (10.0 ppg., 4.4 apg.) and freshman Justin Gray (11.8 ppg., 3.3 apg.) give the Deacons an extremely quick backcourt pair. Both Downey and Gray have point guard skills and speed and both are capable of driving or shooting the three-pointer. Freshman center Eric Williams (8.5 ppg., 4.4 rpg.) gives the Deacs a wide-body in the paint. A pair of freshmen reserves -- Trent Strickland (5.0 ppg.) and Chris Ellis (3.0 ppg.) -- have been key to WFU??s success. Senior guard Steve Lepore, has missed most of the last month with a knee injury. Freshman Richard Joyce is a perimeter threat off the bench.
A quick look at the Wolfpack
NC State, 16-10 and 9-6, plays well within the friendly confines of the RBC Center, where they have lost just one ACC game (vs. Maryland). The Wolfpack have won three of their last five, with their two losses coming to the last two NCAA champions -- Duke and Maryland. State has a balanced attack, led by sophomore Julius Hodge (17.7 ppg., 5.8 rpg.), a probable first team All-ACC selection. Junior Marcus Melvin (12.1 ppg., 5.9 rpg.) poses match-up problems. The 6-8 left-hander has made 50 three-point field goals this season. Sophomore Josh Powell (11.4 ppg., 5.0 rpg.) is shooting a team-high 55.7 percent. Junior guard Scooter Sherrill (10.4 ppg.) is coming off a 24-point effort in Wednesday??s win at Clemson. NC State (77.2 percent) is one of the nation??s best free-throw shooting teams. More from WFU??s 75-60 win over North Carolina on Wednesday - Wake Forest swept the regular season series from North Carolina for the second straight year. The last time WFU won back-to-back series with UNC came in 1962 and 1963. - The Deacons extended their homecourt winning streak to 17 games and enjoyed the best home season (16-0) in the 14-year history of Lawrence Joel Coliseum. - WFU out-rebounded its opponent (40-28) for the 24th time in 26 games this season. - Wake Forest??s free throw percentage (.583) tied a season-low. - Senior Josh Howard, in his final game, scored 24 points -- the eighth time in 10 games he has scored at least 20 points. - Senior Steve Lepore, nursing a sore knee, got to play the final minute of the game, allowing him to receive a nice ovation from the crowd. - Sophomore Jamaal Levy had a career-high five steals. - Freshman Trent Strickland enjoyed a solid defensive game, as he drew three charges. - Freshman Justin Gray??s consecutive free throws made streak was snapped at 24.
Wake Forest-NC State series history
- NC State leads the all-time series, 122-91. - WFU??s current streak is its longest in the series since beating the Wolfpack seven straight from 1922 to 1925. - Three of the last five meetings have been decided by five points or less including WFU??s 82-81 win in Raleigh last season. - Wake Forest won last year??s meeting in Raleigh, 82-81. - NC State holds a 48-21 series advantage when playing at home. Wake Forest has won two of the three meetings at the RBC Center. - The Deacons have won six straight over the Wolfpack in Winston-Salem. - WFU??s worst loss (130-89) in the last 25 years came against NC State on March 5, 1983. - The Wake Forest-North Carolina series is the third-most frequently played series in the ACC (see box at right). - Wake Forest and NC State first met in 1910-11. - Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser is 3-0 all-time against NC State. - NC State coach Herb Sendek is 4-11 all-time versus Wake Forest.
Deacon-Wolfpack connections
- Bones McKinney played one season at NC State (1942), leading the Southern Conference in scoring. McKinney went on to become one of the most successful and colorful head coaches in Wake Forest and ACC history. He led the Deacons to the 1962 Final Four. - Two members of the Wolfpack played on the high school level here in Winston-Salem -- Clifford Crawford (Parkland HS) and Ilian Evtimov (Bishop McGuinness). - NCSU??s Cameron Bennerman is from Greensboro and played at the same prep school (Hargrave Military Academy) that produced Wake Forest??s Josh Howard. Bennerman and WFU??s Trent Strickland are close friends. - Both head coaches previously worked in the state of Ohio and they split head-to-head meetings in their pre-ACC days. Skip Prosser (Xavier) went 1-1 against Herb Sendek (Miami) when those two clubs met in 1995 and 1996. - Prosser and Sendek both hail from Pittsburgh. State assistant coach Larry Harris graduated from Pittsburgh. Harris and NCSU director of basketball operations Kenya Hunter both previously served as assistant coaches at Duquesne, which is located in Pittsburgh. - Sendek was an assistant coach at Kentucky in 1993 when the Wildcats beat Wake Forest in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. - Wolfpack associate head coach Larry Hunter was the head coach at Ohio in 2000 when his Bobcats lost to Wake Forest, 84-78 in double-overtime, at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. - Hunter coached against Prosser and Xavier during his time at Ohio, earning a 1-1 record. - Wake Forest assistant women??s coach Sharon Manning is an NC State graduate and was a standout player for the Wolfpack.
On this date in WFU basketball history
Wake Forest has never played a regular season game on March 8th. The Deacons are 3-4 all-time on March 8 with all games coming in postseason play.
Feb. 6: Wake Forest 73, NC State 58
Josh Howard scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half helping Wake Forest overcome a four-point halftime deficit for a 73-58 win at Lawrence Joel Coliseum on Feb. 6. Howard added 12 rebounds and freshman Eric Williams scored 16 points for WFU. Clifford Crawford led State with 19 points. The Deacons shot 56.3 percent and held NCSU to 38.9 percent shooting.
Deacons lay claim to fourth ACC regular season crown
Wake Forest??s win over North Carolina March 5 clinched at least a tie for the ACC regular season crown. It??s the first regular season title for the Deacons since 1995 when they finished in a four-way tie for first place. Wake Forest has finished on top of the ACC regular season standings four times overall. The Deacons have won the ACC regular season title outright just once -- in 1962. In 49 previous years of ACC play, there has been a tie for the regular season title nine times.
Wake Forest can break school record with one more conference victory
Wake Forest, a team not expected to contend for the ACC championship, is one conference win shy of breaking a school record for the most ACC wins in a season: - The Demon Deacons are 12-3 in ACC play with just Saturday??s game at NC State remaining. WFU??s 12 ACC wins ties for the most in school history and its most since finishing 12-4 in 1995-96. - It??s interesting to note that the Deacons have a better conference record than the 1996-97 team that finished 11-5 and was ranked in the top 10 all season. - In the 12 years that the ACC has played a 16-game regular season schedule, 20 teams have finished 12-4 or better. Twelve teams have finished 13-3 or better.
WFU??s 22 wins tie for the fifth-most in school history
Back in October, the thought of approaching a school single-season record for victories was out of the question. But Wake Forest finds itself just four wins away from tying that record: - The Deacons are 22-4 overall, tying for the fifth-most wins in school history and the most since the 1999-00 team went 22-14. - One more Deacon win would tie them with the 1983-84 team for the fourth-most victories in a season. - Wake Forest reached the 20-win plateau for the 17th time in school history. The Deacons have won 20-plus games in each of the last two seasons and in eight of the last 11 seasons. - For coach Skip Prosser, winning 20 games has become commonplace. Prosser??s teams have won 20 games or more in seven consecutive seasons. - The WFU single-season record for wins is 26 by the 1995-96 and 1994-95 teams. Prosser??s personal-best season came in 1999 when Xavier went 25-11. - The Deacons?? current win percentage (.846) is the second-highest in school history. The 1926-27 team holds the school record by posting an .880 (22-3) winning percentage.
Deacons earn highest ranking in more than two years at #9 in AP poll
Wake Forest jumped back into the top 10 this week in the national polls, earning its highest Associated Press ranking (9th) since being ranked ninth on Jan. 22, 2001. The Deacons, who have won four straight, are in the Associated Press poll for the 11th consecutive week after making their first appearance on Dec. 23. WFU has been ranked in 25 of 34 weeks under Skip Prosser. Wake Forest is in the AP poll for the 203rd time. Four Wake Forest opponents are in the AP poll -- No. 8 Marquette, No. 10 Duke, No. 13 Maryland and No. 24 Wisconsin. The Deacons went 3-3 against those four teams this season. In other polls, Wake Forest is ranked in the top 10 by Fox Sports, Sagarin, The Sporting News, College RPI and CBS Sportsline.
Howard moves up to No. 2 in Fox Sports?? Wooden Award rankings
Close to home, senior Josh Howard has emerged as a leading candidate for ACC Player of the Year honors. On the national level, Howard is emerging as a strong candidate for All-America honors. Howard is WFU??s first legitimate All-America candidate since Tim Duncan in 1997 and he is a candidate for the Wooden, Naismith and Robertson awards, all of which go to the nation??s top players. In the latest unofficial rankings for the Wooden Award, Fox Sports rates Howard No. 2 behind David West (Xavier). Note: Howard and West are good friends and former teammates at Hargrave Military Academy. West was recruited to Xavier by Skip Prosser.
Howard, Prosser are Naismith finalists
Wake Forest senior Josh Howard is one of 20 finalists for the Naismith Award, which goes to the nation??s top college player. The list of 20 candidates includes just two ACC players -- Howard and Duke??s Chris Duhon. Deacon head coach Skip Prosser is a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award.
WFU??s Prosser among ACC leaders in second-year wins
Only one coach in ACC history -- North Carolina??s Bill Guthridge (23-9 in 1998 and 1999) -- won more conference games in his first two seasons in the league than Skip Prosser has over the last two years. Prosser is 21-10 in two seasons at WFU.
Deacs lead the nation in rebounding
With two of its top rebounders off of last year??s team gone via graduation, rebounding was a big concern for Skip Prosser heading into 2002-03. So, you might say it??s been a pleasant surprise that Wake Forest leads the nation in rebound margin (+10.0). More on WFU??s rebounding: - The Deacons have out-rebounded every opponent but two (Maryland on Feb. 17 and Virginia on Feb. 23) this season. - Wake Forest has out-rebounded its opponent by 10 boards or more 17 times this season. - WFU??s largest rebound margin in the last 10 seasons was +6.2 in 1997 -- Tim Duncan??s senior year. - The Deacs aren??t exactly a group of giants with no starter taller than 6-9 and their leading rebounder standing 6-6. It helps that bookend 6-2 guards Taron Downey and Justin Gray combine for 6.9 boards per game. - Three of the ACC??s top eight rebounders are Deacons -- Josh Howard (8.0/3rd), Vytas Danelius (7.5/4th) and Jamaal Levy (6.7/8th). - Howard leads the ACC in offensive rebounds while Danelius and Jamaal Levy rank in the ACC??s top nine. - In ACC games only, three of the league??s top six rebounders are Deacons -- Howard (3rd), Levy (4th) and Danelius (tied for 5th). - Howard, Levy and Danelius are WFU??s most productive rebounding trio since Tim Duncan, Loren Woods and Ricky Peral in 1997.
Deacons go cold from the line, but still among nation??s best
Despite a recent cold streak, Wake Forest remains one of the nation??s best free-throw shooting teams: - Wake ranks second in the ACC and 20th nationally in free throw percentage (.752): - The Deacons are attempting to finish first in the ACC in free throw percentage for the first time since 1994-95. - WFU??s free throw percentage is the sixth-highest in school history and the highest since 1994-95. - Wake Forest has a history of good free throw shooting. The Deacons led the nation in 1954 and 1955 and former Deac Dickie Hemric is the NCAA all-time leader in free throws made and attempted. - Three of the ACC??s top nine in free throw percentage are Deacons -- Taron Downey (3rd/.864), Josh Howard (6th/.829) and Vytas Danelius (9th/.798). - Trent Strickland (.780), Justin Gray (.774) and Steve Lepore (.750) give the Deacons six regulars shooting at least 75 percent from the line. - One key has been consistency. The Deacons have shot less than 70 percent from the line in a game just six times in 26 games this season.
Deacons getting it done with defense
Wake Forest is holding opponents to just 38.9 percent shooting. That ranks the Deacons eighth nationally in field goal percentage defense. The Deacons have held nine of their last 12 opponents to less than 40 percent shooting. Only one opponent (Virginia, twice) shot better than 50 percent against Wake Forest this season. WFU??s last three opponents -- Florida State, Clemson and North Carolina -- combined to shoot just 33.5 percent. The Deacons?? field goal percentage ties for the fifth-lowest in school history.
Howard has led Deacons to an average of 21 wins per season
Josh Howard, the only fourth-year senior on the roster (Steve Lepore, a Northwestern transfer, is the only other senior), has helped Wake Forest to one of its best four-year runs ever. Here are a few of Wake Forest??s accomplishments over the last four years: - Eighty-four wins (84-42, .667) -- the sixth-most wins over a four-year period in Wake Forest history (see box at left) and an average of 21 wins per season. - A winning record (36-27) in ACC play. - Four consecutive postseason appearances (assuming WFU will be invited to the NCAA Tournament this season), including the NIT championship in 2000 and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2001 and 2002. - Ten wins over nationally-ranked teams including four wins over top 10 teams.
WFU 16th nationally in scoring margin
Wake Forest ranks third in the ACC and 16th nationally in scoring margin (+11.6)
Versatile Josh Howard vying to become WFU??s 11th All-American
Senior Josh Howard, who missed much of preseason drills because of severe shin splints, is a strong candidate to become the 11th player in Wake Forest history to earn All-American honors and the first since Tim Duncan in 1997. Howard is a candidate for the John R. Wooden and Naismith awards and Oscar Robertson trophy, all of which go to the nation??s top player. Without question, Howard is one of the most versatile players in college basketball. The ACC posts 12 individual statistics. He ranks in the top five in seven of them. Consider what Howard has achieved in 2002-03: - Over his last five games, Howard has averaged 23.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.0 assists per game. - He has scored at least 20 points in 11 of the last 14 games. - Despite being plagued with shin splints, Howard averages 31.9 minutes per game. - He has been named ACC Player of the Week three times this season. - He was named national player of the week Jan. 20 by both ESPN.com and Foxsports.com and by Dick Vitale on Feb. 3. Howard was named the Paine-Webber Senior Athlete of the Week Feb. 9. - Howard leads the ACC in scoring overall (19.8 ppg.) and in conference games (22.2 ppg.) - His scoring average is WFU??s highest since Tim Duncan averaged 20.8 points in 1996-97. - Howard scored 31 points in the Dec. 4 win at nationally-ranked Wisconsin. He erupted for a career-high 32 points in the win at North Carolina. - Versus Georgia Tech Jan. 19, Howard had 30 points and a career-high five blocked shots. - He has eight double-doubles on the season, ranking third in the ACC. - At 6-6, he is one of the best rebounders in the country. He ranks third in the ACC in rebounding (8.0 rpg.) and in ACC games (8.1 rpg.). - Howard has been especially impressive on the offensive boards, where he leads the ACC (3.31) overall and in conference games only (3.33). - He??s got a good chance of being named the ACC??s top defensive player. Howard ranks third in the ACC in steals (2.15), fourth in blocks (1.42) and he is often asked to defend the opponent??s top scorer, ranging from point guards to power forwards. - He has 49 three-pointers, compared to 56 three-point field goals he made in his first three seasons combined. Howard shoots a solid 39.8 percent from behind the arc. - He ranks fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.485) and sixth in the ACC in free throw percentage (.829). - Howard seems to play his best on the road, where he averages 21.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game. - Howard has already been named a finalist for the Naismith Award and he is expected to be named a finalist for the Wooden Award this week.
Howard will leave name throughout record books
Senior Josh Howard will leave his name etched throughout the Wake Forest record books: - Only four players in ACC history -- Howard, Duke??s Shane Battier, Christian Laettner and Grant Hill -- accumulated 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks (see chart above). - Howard joins Battier as the only players in ACC history to record the career statistics above, plus 100 three-point field goals. - Howard (1,674 points) ranks 13th in Wake Forest career scoring history. - Howard??s 207 career steals ranks second in WFU history. Only Tyrone ??Muggsy?? Bogues (275 steals) has more career steals. - He ranks 22nd in ACC history for career steals. - Howard (787 rebounds) ranks ninth in WFU career rebounding history and he is 13 boards shy of 800. - Howard leads the team that leads the nation in rebounding. - With 132 career blocked shots, he ranks sixth all-time in the WFU record books. - He is the 10th player in school history to make 100 career three-point field goals. He has 105 career treys, which ranks 10th in WFU history. - Howard (20 career double-doubles) ranks sixth in WFU history for career double-doubles. - He has played in 122 career games -- the eighth-most games played in WFU history. - With 114 games started, Howard is fourth in Wake Forest history behind only Tim Duncan, Darius Songaila and Frank Johnson.
Prosser has Deacons in first place after being tabbed to finish sixth
Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser is starting to be mentioned as a strong candidate for coach of the year honors. After being picked to finish sixth in the ACC race, Prosser has the Deacons in first place. Prosser, 208-95 in his 10th season, earned his 200th career victory (Jan. 28 at Clemson) quicker than all but seven active Division I coaches. He is one of just two current ACC coaches -- joining Virginia??s Pete Gillen -- to win 200 games or more in his first 10 seasons as a Division I head coach. More on Prosser: - Prosser??s career winning percentage (.686) ranks 20th among all active Division I coaches. - Last season he became just the fourth coach in ACC history to win nine games in his rookie year. - He has won 21 conference games in his first two seasons at WFU. Only Bill Guthridge won more games in his first two seasons in the league. - Last season Prosser won more games than any first-year Deacon head coach since 1927. - In two seasons at Wake Forest, Prosser has compiled a record of 43-17. - Prosser has a chance to become WFU??s first ACC Coach of the Year in eight seasons. The last Deacon coach to win the honor was Dave Odom in 1995. - He is a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year.
Deacons earn best home record ever, stretch homecourt streak to 17 games
Wake Forest has won 17 consecutive home games dating back to last season -- the second-longest homecourt streak in school history. The last time the Deacons lost in Lawrence Joel Coliseum was against third-ranked Duke on Feb. 21, 2002. WFU??s streak ties for the eighth-longest nationally. Wake Forest completed its home season 16-0 -- the best record in the 14-year history of Lawrence Joel Coliseum. The Deacons earned just their second unbeaten season in Lawrence Joel Coliseum -- the other coming in 1995-96 when the Deacons went 14-0 in LJVMC. WFU??s scoring margin at home this season was +19.3 points.
Deacons, Terrapins the only ACC teams with a winning record on the road
Road wins in the ACC have been rare this season. The visiting team has won just 18 of 68 games (.265) in league play. Wake Forest and Duke have not lost a game on their homecourt. Wake Forest and Maryland are the only ACC teams with a winning record -- overall (WFU is 6-4) and in conference play (WFU is 4-3). The Deacons have one road game remaining (Saturday at NC State), meaning they have secured a winning overall road record for the first time since 1996-97 and for just the fourth time in the last 20 years.
On The Road Overall Pct. ACC Pct. Clemson 2-7 .222 1-6 .143 Duke 3-5 .375 3-4 .429 Florida State 1-8 .111 0-8 .000 Georgia Tech 1-10 .091 1-7 .125 Maryland 4-3 .571 4-3 .571 NC State 3-7 .300 3-5 .325 North Carolina 2-8 .200 1-7 .125 Virginia 2-10 .167 1-7 .125 Wake Forest 6-4 .600 4-3 .571
Deacs have played six ranked foes
- Wake Forest is 3-3 this season against nationally-ranked teams; including victories at No. 23 Wisconsin and at home against No. 17 Maryland and No. 8 Duke. The Deacons lost at No. 1 Duke on Jan. 12, at No. 15 Marquette on Feb. 9 and at No. 13 Maryland on Feb. 17. - The win at Wisconsin was WFU??s first victory against a ranked team on the road since 1998-99. - The last time Wake Forest beat more than three ranked clubs in one season came in 1996-97 when it went 6-4 against ranked teams.
Danelius making case for second team All-ACC honors
Sophomore forward Vytas Danelius isn??t flashy and he rarely makes SportsCenter highlights on ESPN. But the 6-8 Lithuanian is a big reason that Wake Forest is currently 22-4. Consider: - He has played perhaps his best basketball over the last two weeks. He had a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in the March 1 win over Clemson. Danelius scored a career-high-tying 21 points in the Feb. 23 win over Virginia, then had 17 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals in the Feb. 28 win at Florida State. Eight of his 18 blocked shots this season have come in the last four games. - He leads the team in field goal percentage (.534). - He ranks ninth in the ACC in free throw percentage (.798). - Danelius ranks fourth in the ACC in rebounding (7.5), and he ranks among the league leaders in offensive rebounds (2.69) and defensive boards (4.85). - Danelius has added three-point shooting to his game, making him more difficult to defend. Last season he was 0-for-3 from three-point range. This year he is 14-of-34 (.412) from behind the arc.
Downey, Gray form clutch-shooting backcourt duo
Sophomore Taron Downey demonstrated last year that he??s not afraid to take the big shot when he canned a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the Clemson game into overtime. He showed that ability again Feb. 26 at Florida State when he hit two key three-point field goals late in the game. Coach Skip Prosser called Downey??s late-game treys, ??stone, cold-blooded threes.?? Downey??s backcourt mate, freshman Justin Gray, also enjoys the ball in his hands at crunch time. In home wins over Duke and Virginia, he nailed late-game, off-balance three-point field goals.
Panamania: Jamaal Levy one of the ACC??s hottest players
Sophomore Jamaal Levy is a long way from his home in Central America, but he??s close to becoming a star in the ACC. Levy moved into the starting lineup Jan. 12 and has been one of the Deacons?? hottest and most consistent players ever since: - He has three career double-doubles and they have all come since Jan. 15. - Levy may be one of the ACC??s best rebounders. Over his last eight games, he has averaged a team-best 9.1 rebounds per contest. - He has six double-figure rebound games this season. - He has 23 blocked shots this season, compared to six all of last season. In conference games, he ranks ninth in the ACC in blocked shots. - Levy, a 180-pounder, has emerged as one of the ACC??s best rebounders, ranking eighth in the league (7.6 rpg.)
Downey leads team in minutes, assists, free throw percentage
With five seniors gone off of last year??s team, sophomore guard Taron Downey has taken over the role as a vocal leader. That??s a big change for a player who rarely talked last season as a rookie. And Downey is letting his play do his talking as well. - Over his last six games, Downey has dished out 39 assists while committing just 13 turnovers in 203 minutes. - He has tied his career-high for assists (8) twice in his last five games. - Downey ranks sixth in the ACC in assists per game (4.38). - He ranks sixth in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio. - With Justin Gray??s one-month absence, Downey became an ironman of sorts. He played all 40 minutes in the Jan. 26 win over Florida State -- the first time since Tim Duncan in 1997 that a Deacon has played every minute of a game. He played 42 minutes in the Feb. 13 double-overtime win over Duke. He leads the team in minutes played (34.0). - He ranks third in the ACC in free throw percentage (.864), giving him one of the highest single-season percentages in Wake Forest history. - He ranks second on the team in three-point field goals made (38).
Gray??s return a big boost for Deacons
Freshman Justin Gray, who suffered a fractured jaw Jan. 12 at Duke and underwent surgery the next day, sat out for exactly one month before making a dramatic return Feb. 13. Wearing a protective mask and not expected to see many minutes, Gray scored 18 points and played 29 minutes in WFU??s 94-80 double-overtime win against 8th-ranked Duke. Since his return, Gray has averaged 13.9 points, 2.1 assists and 1.4 three-pointers per game while shooting 89.2 percent (33-of-37) from the free throw line. Two of his four highest-scoring games of the season -- 18 points vs. Duke and 20 points at Georgia Tech -- have come since returning. From Jan. 13-Feb. 6, Gray??s mouth was wired shut. His diet of up to 10 milkshakes per day could not prevent him from losing 19 pounds (he has gained most of the weight back). He took part in just two practice sessions prior to the Feb. 13 Duke game. Prior to getting his jaw un-wired, Gray spent two weeks doing individual workouts, including limited running and shooting drills with assistant coach Dino Gaudio.
Lepore??s knee acting up again
Senior Steve Lepore aggravated his knee Feb. 9 at Marquette and missed six straight games. He played one minute on Senior Night March 5. Lepore, who suffered a ruptured patella tendon last March in the ACC Tournament, is questionable for Saturday??s game at NC State. It was one year ago (March 8, 2002) when Lepore originally suffered the knee injury against Georgia Tech.
Deacons eye 13th consecutive postseason appearance
Wake Forest entered the 2002-03 season having appeared in postseason play 12 consecutive seasons. That??s the longest current streak among all teams in the ACC. Maryland, with nine straight postseason appearances, is second. The Deacons earned NCAA Tournament bids every year from 1991 to 1997, then played three straight years in the NIT. In 2000, WFU won the NIT title. WFU went back to the NCAAs in 2001 and 2002.
