Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons, Devils Set To Tangle Wednesday Night
2/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game #21
#15/15 Wake Forest (15-6/5-5) vs. #3/3 Duke Blue Devils (21-2/10-1)
Wednesday, Feb. 18 / 9 p.m. / Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,665) / Winston-Salem, NC / ESPN
Tip-Off: 9:00 p.m.
Television: ESPN. Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Dick Vitale (color analysis) and Doris Burke (sidelines) call the action. Kim Belton produces.
Radio: Deacon Radio Network (ISP). Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
Records: Wake Forest is 15-6 overall and 5-5 in the ACC after a 91-85 non-ACC win over No. 13 Cincinnati on Sunday. Duke is 21-2 and 10-1 aafter losing Sunday for the first time since Nov. 29, 78-74 at No. 21 NC State.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 15th in the Associated Press poll and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Duke is ranked No. 3 in both major polls.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 61-25 in three seasons with the Deacons, 226-103 in 11 seasons overall. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski (Army '69) is 611-177 in 24 seasons in Durham, 684-236 in 29 seasons overall.
SID Contacts: Wake Forest assistant athletic director/media relations Dean Buchan; Duke assistant athletic director Jon Jackson.
Websites: Wake Forest -- WakeForestSports.com; Duke -- GoDuke.com. The Series: Duke leads, 150-73.
Officials: Announced on game day.
On Deck: Wake Forest travels to nationally-ranked Georgia Tech on Sunday (8 p.m.) Duke hosts Maryland Sunday.
Deacons, Devils To Tangle Wednesday
Wake Forest, a winner in four of its last six games, and Duke, which sits on top of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, meet late Wednesday night at Lawrence Joel Coliseum (9:00 p.m./ESPN).
The 15th-ranked Demon Deacons, 15-6 overall and 5-5 in the ACC, beat 13th-ranked Cincinnati, 91-85 Sunday at Joel Coliseum. Freshman guard Chris Paul scored a career-high 30 points as Wake Forest won its second straight game.
The third-ranked Blue Devils, 21-2 and 10-1, lost for the first time since Nov. 29 when they fell at No. 21 NC State, 78-74, Sunday night. Sophomore guard J.J. Redick scored 28 points to lead Duke.
Duke leads the all-time series, 150-73, including an 84-72 win over Wake Jan. 17 in Durham. The Blue Devils have won 8 of 14 meetings at Joel Coliseum.
Noteworthy
- While Duke finally surrendered its grip on its No. 1 ranking this week, the Blue Devils will still be the highest-ranked team to come to Joel Coliseum since Feb. 21, 2002 when No. 3 Duke topped No. 20 Wake Forest, 90-61.
- A Wake Forest win Wednesday night would give the Deacons sole possession of third place in the ACC standings. A loss would likely put Wake in fifth place.
- Wake Forest is playing one of the nation's strongest schedules. Wednesday's game against Duke will be the second of three straight games against nationally-ranked teams. The Deacons travel to 18th-ranked Georgia Tech on Sunday.
- Wake Forest ranks fourth nationally in scoring offense (83.7 ppg.) while Duke is holding opponents to an ACC-low of 61.6 points per contest.
More From Sunday's Win Vs. Cincinnati
Wake Forest closed the first half with an 18-2 run and freshman Chris Paul scored a career-high 30 points as the Deacons beat visiting 13th-ranked Cincinnati, 91-85, Sunday afternoon. More from that game:
- Wake Forest shot a season-best 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from three-point range.
- The Deacons also shot a season-high 88.5 percent (23-of-26) from the free throw line.
- Wake Forest secured its 14th consecutive winning season while beating Cincinnati for the first time in six attempts.
- The Deacons trailed by as many as 12 points (39-27) in the first half.
- Three players -- Taron Downey, Eric Williams and Trent Strickland -- came off the bench for a combined 29 points.
- Freshman Kyle Visser made his second straight career start.
Paul Has Career Day Against Bearcats
Wake Forest Chris Paul made a case for ACC Rookie of the Year honors with his performance Sunday against 13th-ranked Cincinnati.
Paul scored a career-high 30 points, grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, dished out four assists, had three steals and one blocked shot. He was 10-of-14 from the field, 3-of-3 from three-point range and 7-of-7 from the free throw line while playing 38 minutes.
More on Paul's performance:
- His 30 points were the most by an ACC freshman this season and Paul is just the fourth ACC player, regardless of class, to score 30 points in a game this season.
- The 30 points were the most by a Deacon player this season and the most since Josh Howard scored 32 points at North Carolina on Feb. 2, 2003.
- The 30 points were the most by a Deacon freshman since Feb. 11, 1998 when Robert O'Kelley scored 31 points against Maryland.
- The 30 points were the ninth-most single-game points ever by a Wake Forest freshman.
- He had a near-flawless first half, going 6-of-6 from the floor, 3-of-3 from three-point range, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Prosser Tinkers With Starting Lineup
Want to project a starting lineup for Wake Forest? Better use pencil. The Deacons used their fifth different starting lineup last Thursday at Clemson. More:
- Freshman Kyle Visser made his first career start last Thursday, while sophomore Eric Williams' streak of 50 consecutive starts was snapped.
- Three players -- Justin Gray, Chris Paul and Jamaal Levy -- have started all 21 games. Eight different players have started at least once.
- Last season the Deacons used just three different starting lineups.
- In each of the last two games, Wake started two freshmen -- Visser and Paul -- for the first time since Jan. 26, 2003 when Williams and Chris Ellis started against Florida State.
- The player with the most career starts -- junior guard Taron Downey (54 career starts) -- has come off the bench eight times this season.
- Williams started the second half of Sunday's game against Cincinnati in place of Vytas Danelius.
Deacons Up To 15th In The Polls
Wake Forest moved up five spots in the Associated Press poll to 15th and three spots to 15th in the ESPN/ USA Today poll this week. More on Wake in the polls:
- The Deacons, ranked as high as 4th this season, are at their highest position in the Associated Press poll since being ranked 10th on Jan. 19.
- Four other ACC teams are in the AP poll -- (3) Duke, (13) NC State, (16) North Carolina and (18) Georgia Tech.
- The Deacons have been ranked in the AP poll for 28 consecutive weeks dating back to last season. Duke is the only ACC team with a longer current streak.
- Wake has been ranked in the AP poll 42 times in 49 weeks under Skip Prosser.
- Wake is ranked 19th by Blue Ribbon Yearbook, 13th in the Sagarin Ratings and 22nd at CollegeRPI.com.
Wake Schedule Extremely Strong
One of the nation's most difficult schedules continues for Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons face the second of three nationally-ranked teams in eight days Wednesday when they host No. 3 Duke. More on Wake's difficult schedule:
- For the second time this season, Wake Forest is playing three consecutive ranked teams: No. 13 Cincinnati (last Sunday), No. 3 Duke (Wednesday) and at No. 18 Georgia Tech (Sunday).
- Seven Wake Forest opponents are in the AP top 25 -- (3) Duke, (11) Texas, (13) NC State, (16) North Carolina, (17) Cincinnati, (18) Georgia Tech and (23) Memphis.
- Wake Forest has six regular season games remaining. Three of those will come against teams currently in the AP top 25. One other comes against Maryland, which is receiving votes for the poll. The other two games come against Florida State and Virginia, two teams that flirted with the top 25 earlier this season.
- Duke will be Wake's seventh ranked opponent this season. The Deacons are 2-4 against ranked teams with wins coming on the road Dec. 20 at then-No. 4 North Carolina and at home Feb. 15 against No. 13 Cincinnati.
- According to the Sagarin Ratings, Wake Forest has the nation's 9th-most difficult schedule.
1,300 In Sight
With 1,298 all-time victories, Wake Forest is two wins shy of reaching the 1,300-win milestone. The Deacons are 1,298-996 all-time. Wake will be the 51st Division I team to reach 1,300 wins.
Deacon-Blue Devil Series History
- Duke leads the all-time series, 150-73.
- The Blue Devils beat Wake Forest 84-72 Jan. 17 in Durham.
- Wake Forest's double-overtime win against the Blue Devils last season in Winston-Salem broke Wake's 14-game losing streak to Duke.
- Prior to Duke's 14-game winning streak, Wake Forest won nine straight in the series from 1993-97.
- With 223 all-time meetings, the Wake Forest-Duke series is the most frequently played series in the ACC.
- Duke has won six out of the last seven meetings in Winston-Salem and the Blue Devils hold an 8-6 series lead in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
- The Deacons and Blue Devils first met 98 years ago, in 1906.
- Wake's Skip Prosser is 1-5 all-time against Duke with all meetings coming while coaching the Deacons.
- Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is 31-19 all-time against Wake Forest.
Wake Forest-Duke Connections
- Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Wake Forest assistant coach Dino Gaudio both previously served as the head coach at Army. Krzyzewski coached the Cadets from 1976-80. Gaudio coached at Army from 1994-97.
- Wake sophomore Eric Williams played on the same team in the 2002 McDonald's High School All-American game with Duke's J.J. Redick and Shavlik Randolph. Williams and Randolph were AAU teammates.
- Deacon sophomore Chris Ellis played on the high school level for the Marietta (GA) Blue Devils. Wake freshman Todd Hendley's first basketball memory was playing recreation ball for a team called the Blue Devils.
- Wake Forest associate media relations director Joanna Sparkman previously worked at Duke.
Wake Vs. Duke: Interesting Match-Ups
Statistically, Wednesday's Wake Forest-Duke game offers several outstanding match-ups:
- Two of the nation's best shooting guards -- Wake's Justin Gray and Duke's J.J. Redick. Redick (3.04 three-point field goals per game) and Gray (2.95) are two of the ACC's most prolific three-point shooters. Redick (97.1 percent) leads the league in free throw percentage while Gray ranks a distant second (86.7 percent).
- Two of the nation's best freshmen -- Wake's Chris Paul and Duke's Luol Deng. Paul is coming off his best day as a Deacon, scoring 30 points in a win over 13th-ranked Cincinnati. Deng (14.0 ppg. and 6.7 rpg.) has been a consistent force for Duke all season.
- Two outstanding point guards -- Wake's Paul leads the ACC and ranks third nationally in steals per game (3.05). Duke's Chris Duhon ranks second in the ACC in assists and third in steals.
- Two of the ACC's best rebounders -- WFU's Jamaal Levy (8.2 rebounds per game) ranks second in the ACC in rebounding while Duke's Shelden Williams (8.1 rpg.) ranks third.
- Two of the ACC's best free-throw shooting teams -- Wake Forest (73.3 percent) and Duke (73.1 percent) rank second and third, respectively, in the ACC.
- Two of the league's best-shooting teams -- Duke (47.5 percent) leads the league in field goal percentage while Wake Forest (46.9 percent) has upped its percentage recently to rank third.
- Two teams that take care of the ball -- Wake Forest (+4.00) and Duke (+3.83) rank first and second in the ACC, respectively, in turnover margin.
Wake Forest Vs. Top-Five Ranked Teams
- Wake Forest will face an opponent ranked in the top five of the Associated Press poll for the third time this season. The Deacons are 1-1 this season against top-five teams including a win at No. 4 North Carolina and a loss at No. 2 Duke.
- Wake hasn't played a top-five team at home since No. 3 Duke beat the Deacons, 90-61, on Feb. 21, 2002.
- The last time the Deacons beat a top-five team at home came back on Dec. 7, 2000 -- an 84-53 win over No. 3 Kansas.
- Wake has defeated a top-five team 30 times in its history, including 17 times when playing at home.
- The Deacons are attempting to beat two top-five teams in the same season for the first time since 1994-95.
The Last Meeting: Duke 84, Wake 72
J.J. Redick scored 23 points, and Shelden Williams had 16 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots to lift No. 2 Duke past No. 4 Wake Forest 84-72 Jan. 17 in Durham.
Chris Duhon added eight points and 14 assists for the Blue Devils. Justin Gray scored 18 points for the Demon Deacons. Eric Williams, who came in leading the team with 16 points a game, finished with just six points.
Williams led a defensive effort that locked down an offense ranking third nationally at 87.7 points. When the Deacons managed to get past the perimeter pressure, Williams and the Blue Devils closed the door by blocking 12 shots and altering countless more. Wake Forest shot 35 percent for the game.
The Blue Devils also got a balanced offensive effort, with Redick, Williams, Daniel Ewing (20 points) and Luol Deng (15 points) making big shots to answer any runs the Demon Deacons made.
Duke shot 52 percent from 3-point range.
The Blue Devils used a 14-2 run in the game's opening minutes to take a double-digit lead they would maintain for most of the way. Wake Forest hung around and closed the gap to three points midway through the second half, but never could dig out of its early hole.
After Gray's 3-pointer pulled Wake Forest to 45-42 with 15:53 to play, the Blue Devils responded with a 10-2 run, which included 3s by Redick and Ewing. Redick's long jumper from the left wing gave Duke a 55-44 lead with 13:27 to play.
Gray Emerging As A Star In The ACC
On a very balanced team, sophomore guard Justin Gray is emerging as one of the top players in the ACC and a prime candidate for first team All-ACC honors.
- Over his last six games, Gray has averaged 20.8 points, 3.5 three-point field goals and 3.0 assists per game. During the six-game stretch he has shot 43.8 percent from three-point range and 90 percent (36-of-40) from the free throw line.
- He scored a career-high 29 points last Thursday at Clemson.
- Gray seems to play his best in big games. He averages 19.1 points per game in road contests and 18.2 ppg. against nationally-ranked teams. In ACC games only, he ranks third in the league in scoring (17.1 ppg.).
- With 62 three-point field goals in 21 games this season, Gray ranks third in the ACC for three-pointers per game (2.95).
- Gray ranks in the ACC's top 10 in six different statistical categories -- free throw percentage (2nd), three-point field goals (3rd), scoring (7th), assists (9th), assist-turnover ratio (10th) and three-point percentage (10th).
- He has turned his game up a notch by being more aggressive on offense. Over his last six games, Gray has gone to the free throw line 40 times. In his first 15 games, he went to the line just 35 times.
- Gray has made at least one three-point field goal in 32 out of his last 33 games.
- He is shooting 86.7 percent from the free throw line, which ranks second in the ACC and would be the eighth-highest single season percentage in Wake Forest history.
- Even though he missed 10 games last season because of a broken jaw, he has already amassed 621 career points.
- With 97 career three-point field goals, the sophomore needs just three three-pointers to become the 12th player in Wake Forest history to make 100.
- Gray made a career-high eight three-point field goals Jan. 13 at Texas en route to a career-best 27 points. His eight three-pointers were the most in the ACC this season and tie for the 11th-most in ACC history.
- His 18 three-point attempts at Texas broke a Wake Forest single-game record and tie for the third-most in ACC history.
Five Deacons Average Double-Digit Points
Five Wake Forest players are averaging in double-figure scoring. If the Deacons maintain that statistic, it will be just the fifth time in school history that five different players have averaged in double figures in the same season (also in 1991, 1983, 1964 and 1956).
The Deacons have been balanced all season:
3 Players are shooting 80.0 percent from the FT line 5 Average double-figure scoring 5 Players have scored at least 20 points in a game 7 Players average at least 3.1 rebounds per game 8 Average at least 5.2 points per game 8 Players have scored in double figures at least twice 8 Players average at least 13 minutes per game 11 Players have made a three-point field goal
Levy: One Of The ACC's Most Underrated
At 6-9 and just 180 pounds, Jamaal Levy is a good example of one of Skip Prosser's favorite sayings: "It's not how big you are, it's how big you play." Levy uses his thin frame and quickness to his advantage as one of the ACC's best rebounders:
- Levy ranks third in the ACC in rebounding (8.2 rpg.), third in offensive rebounds and fifth in defensive rebounds.
- One of the hardest-working players in the ACC, Levy's offensive production has risen in February. He has scored in double figures in four out of the last five games, including a career-high 19 points Feb. 7 against North Carolina.
- He has two double-doubles in February and four overall this season, tying for the fifth-most in the ACC.
- Levy is shooting 55.6 percent from the field, which would easily lead the ACC if he had enough field goals made to qualify.
- He leads the team and ranks 11th in the ACC in blocked shots (1.00).
- With 57 career blocked shots, he already ranks 13th in Wake Forest blocked shots history.
Magic Number: 82
Wake Forest is undefeated when it scores at least 82 points -- or 1.7 points less than what the Deacons are averaging this season (83.7 ppg.). The Deacons are also undefeated (7-0) when they shoot 50 percent or better.
"Mayor" One Of The Nation's Top Rookies
Chris Paul (aka "The Mayor" or "CP3") has proven to be one of the nation's top freshmen and a candidate for ACC Rookie of the Year honors:
- He is one of just two freshmen -- joining Minnesota's Kris Humphries -- on the midseason list of 30 candidates for the John R. Wooden Award.
- Paul has been named ACC Rookie of the Week five times.
- He ranks fifth in the nation in steals per game (3.05).
- He leads all ACC freshmen and ranks fourth in the ACC in assists per game (5.38). - Paul ranks second in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio (2.35).
- Paul has 113 assists and just 48 turnovers in a team-high 699 minutes of action. That equates to just one turnover every 14.6 minutes.
- With 64 steals, he has already shattered the Wake Forest freshman record of 53 held by Rodney Rogers. In fact, Paul's 64 steals tie for the sixth-most single-season steals in Wake Forest history overall.
- His six steals at SMU Dec. 15 tied a Wake Forest freshman record held by Rogers.
- He is attempting to be the first freshman to lead the ACC in steals since NC State's Chris Corchiani in 1988.
- He is attempting to become the first Deacon player, regardless of class, to lead the ACC in steals since Tyrone Bogues did it three straight years from 1985-87.
- With 113 assists, only one freshman in Wake Forest history -- Derrick McQueen (147) -- had more assists.
- His free throw percentage (.841) is the highest ever by a Deacon freshman, ranks third overall in the ACC and he goes to the line more than any Deacon.
- He has started every game and leads the team in minutes played (33.3 mpg.).
- The shortest player on the roster, Paul (6-0) has 10 blocked shots.
- Paul (13.3 points per game) ranks second among ACC freshmen in scoring.
Paul Nabs ACC Rookie Honor For 5th Time
Wake Forest's Chris Paul garnered ACC Rookie of the Week accolades Monday after guiding the Demon Deacons to a pair of victories over Clemson and No. 13 Cincinnati this past week.
Paul posted 16 points including five assists and a steal in 34 minutes of action as Wake Forest defeated Clemson 82-67.
In the Demon Deacons' win over Cincinnati, the Lewisville, N.C. native erupted for a career-high 30 points, grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, dished out four assists, had three steals and one blocked shot. Paul was 10 of 14 from the field including 3 of 3 from three-point land and 7 of 7 from the charity stripe.
The 30 points posted by Paul was the most by any freshman in the ACC this season. For the week, Paul averaged 23 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 57 percent from the floor (13 of 23) and 94 percent from the free throw line (16 of 17).
Paul has been named ACC Rookie of the Week five times -- the most since Georgia Tech's Dion Glover won the award five times in 1997-98. Only Kenny Anderson (10 times), Sam Perkins (6), Bryant Stith (6) and Joe Smith (6) won ACC Rookie of the Week more than five times since the award originated during the 1970-71 season. The only other Wake Forest player to win the honor five times was Rodney Rogers in 1990-91.
Chris Paul On Wooden Midseason List
Deacon freshman Chris Paul is one of 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award and Wooden All-America Team announced Jan. 26.
Paul is averaging 13.3 points, 5.4 assists and 3.0 steals per game. He leads the ACC and ranks third fifth in steals. Paul ranks fourth in the ACC in assists and second in assist-turnover ratio.
Paul is one of just two freshmen on the Wooden list, joining Minnesota's Kris Humphries. He is one of five ACC players on the list, joining Duke's Chris Duhon, Georgia Tech's B.J. Elder, NC State's Julius Hodge and UNC's Sean May.
Downey: Solid As A Starter Or As Reserve
Junior guard Taron Downey, has proven to be productive as a starter (54 career starts) or as Wake's sixth man.
- Downey has made a three-point field goal in 11 straight games.
- Downey's career free throw percentage (.849) is the fourth-highest in Wake Forest history. His free throw percentage this season (.875) would be the sixth-best in Wake history.
- He has 110 career three-point field goals, which ties former Deacon Broderick Hicks for the ninth-most in Wake Forest history.
- With 257 career assists, Downey is closing in on becoming the eighth player in Wake history with 300 career assists.
- With 677 career points, he is on track to become the 42nd Deacon to score 1,000 career points.
Thinner "Big E" Making Strides
Sophomore center Eric Williams weighs about the same as he did last year (275 pounds), but he has gotten stronger and lowered his body fat. The Wake Forest (NC) native has also re-shaped his game.
- Williams has improved his scoring average from 8.7 ppg. last season to 12.6 ppg. this season.
- "Big E" scored in double figures in the first 11 games of the season, then hit a scoring slump, averaging 7.1 points over the next nine games.
- Williams ranks among the ACC leaders in four statistical categories -- offensive rebounds (7th), free throw percentage (13th), rebounds (14th) and scoring (17th). - He was named ACC Player of the Week Dec. 22.
- He was instrumental in Wake's triple-overtime win at 4th-ranked North Carolina. He hit what proved to be the game-winner in the third overtime and scored 24 points against the Tar Heels.
Winning Season Secured
Wake Forest's win over 13th-ranked Cincinnati Feb. 15 guaranteed the Deacons a winning season and moved them closer to other milestones.
The Demon Deacons have earned a +.500 season in each of the last 14 years. The win over Cincinnati also gave Wake Forest 40 wins over the last two seasons combined and 80 victories over the last four seasons combined.
Wake is two wins shy of all-time win No. 1,300.
Prosser: 61 Wins In Three Seasons At WFU
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser has guided Wake Forest to 61 wins -- or an average of 20.3 victories per season -- in his three years with the Demon Deacons. His ACC coaching start is one of the best in league history:
- His winning percentage in ACC league games (.643/27-15) is the third-highest ever by a coach in his first three seasons in the conference. Only Vic Bubas and Bill Guthridge had higher winning percentages (.667) in their first three years in the league.
- Prosser's overall winning percentage at Wake Forest (.709/61-25) gives him the sixth-highest percentage in the 51-year history of the ACC. Only Dean Smith (.776), Mike Krzyzewski (.776), Bubas (.761), Guthridge (.741) and Frank McGuire (.710) have/had higher winning percentages than Prosser.
- His career winning percentage (.687/226-103) is the 15th-highest nationally among all active Division I coaches.
- In Prosser's three years with the Deacons, Wake has scored 100-plus points six times. Before his arrival, the Deacons reached 100 points just five times in the previous 13 years.
Wake One Of Nation's Youngest Teams
With no scholarship seniors on the roster, Wake Forest is one of college basketball's youngest teams. In fact, the Deacons are one of just six Division I schools with no scholarship seniors on the roster.
Walk-on Alan Williams is the only senior on the Deacon roster. Wake Forest has just three juniors on the roster to go with five sophomores and four freshmen.
