Wake Forest Men's Basketball Team Named ACC Preseason Favorite
10/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 31, 2004
Greensboro, NC - Tim Duncan patrolled the middle the last time Wake Forest was picked to win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season basketball title. The Demon Deacons are the favorite eight years later with one of the nation's most talented backcourts.
"I've told our players that anytime somebody gives you something you haven't earned you better be skeptical, they may be setting you up," Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said Sunday during ACC Operation Basketball media day.
"We really haven't earned much of this acclaim yet. I hope we do have some skepticism about it and understand that the same people who are saying good things about us this year were the same ones that said we would finish seventh in the conference two years ago."
Wake Forest went on to win the ACC regular-season crown that year behind player of the year Josh Howard.
The Demon Deacons have another candidate in point guard Chris Paul, while also returning all-ACC first team guard Justin Gray and starters Taron Downey, Jamaal Levy and Eric Williams. Wake Forest's bench is also loaded, featuring Vytas Danelius, Kyle Visser, Chris Ellis and Trent Strickland.
The Demon Deacons received 65 of a possible 91 top votes for 965 points from members of the media attending Operation Basketball at the Grandover Resort, beating out North Carolina, who received 13 top votes for 866 points.
"The good thing about our schedule is it's a challenge from game one, an incredible challenge, so we won't have much time to revel in what the pollsters think about us," Prosser said. "We're going to have to go play basketball right out of the gate."
Wake Forest, 21-10 last season, plays in the Preseason NIT, then travels to Illinois, Temple and New Mexico, and hosts Texas before ACC play even starts.
"We can't start buying into thinking that you're all that because that's when teams really are going to knock you off," Downey said. "We're not going to feed into the polls that much. We've got to go out and prove it on the court."
UNC coach Roy Williams said he would pick Wake Forest and Georgia Tech above his team. "We should be third in our league," Williams said. "I've always felt predictions should be based on returning players and experienced success. That's why I would pick Wake Forest and Georgia Tech over us or anybody else in our league. They have depth and they have successful experience. We shouldn't be above those two."
But the Tar Heels, 19-11 in Williams' first season, edged out the Yellow Jackets for second by 30 points with five starters returning, including all-ACC preseason picks Rashad McCants, last year's ACC scoring leader and Sean May, the league's top rebounder.
Duke, picked first in the poll the last four years, was selected fourth with three top votes, followed by N.C. State, defending ACC champion Maryland, Florida State and Clemson. The ACC's two newest members -- Virginia Tech and Miami -- were picked 10th and 11th. Most of the coaches said as many as six or seven teams have a realistic chance at winning the title.
"I can't believe there has ever been a year in the ACC where there has been more anticipation of how the league is going to play out," Maryland coach Gary Williams said.
"What has made the ACC great is the fan interest before you even start playing the games," Williams added. "There are a lot of people jealous of the ACC in terms of the intensity level in the preseason, which is pretty neat. But we have to back that up by winning non-conference games."
2004-05 ACC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
School (1st-Place Votes) Points
1. Wake Forest (65) 965
2. North Carolina (13) 866
3. Georgia Tech (10) 836
4. Duke (3) 746
5. N.C. State 607
6. Maryland 605
7. Florida State 414
8. Virginia 394
9. Clemson 256
10. Virginia Tech 171
11. Miami 146
ACC Preseason All-Conference Team
Chris Paul, Wake Forest
Julius Hodge, NC State
Rashad McCants, North Carolina
Sean May, North Carolina
J.J. Redick, Duke
ACC Preseason Player of the Year
Chris Paul, Wake Forest
ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year
Marvin Williams, North Carolina