Wake Forest Athletics
#15 Deacons Travel To #18 Georgia Tech Sunday
2/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 20, 2004
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Game #22
#15/15 Wake Forest (16-6/6-5) vs. #18/16 Georgia Tech (19-6/6-5)
Sunday, Feb. 22 / 8 p.m. / Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,191) / Atlanta, GA / Fox Sports Net
Tip-Off: 8:00 p.m.
Television: Fox Sports Net. Thom Brennaman (play-by-play) and Mike Gminski (color analysis) call the action. Mike Burks is the producer.
Radio: Deacon Radio Network (ISP). Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
Records: Wake Forest is 16-6 overall and 6-5 in the ACC after a 90-84 win over visiting No. 3-ranked Duke Wednesday night. Georgia Tech is 19-6 and 6-5 following a 75-64 win at Maryland Thursday night.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 15th in the Associated Press poll and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Georgia Tech is 18th in the AP poll, 16th in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 62-25 in three seasons with the Deacons, 227-103 in 11 seasons overall. Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt is 67-50 in four seasons with the Yellow Jackets, 133-77 in seven seasons overall.
SID Contacts: Wake Forest assistant athletic director/media relations Dean Buchan; Georgia Tech basketball SID Mike Stamus.
Websites: Wake Forest -- WakeForestSports.com; Georgia Tech -- ramblinwreck.com. The Series: Wake Forest leads, 29-26.
Officials: Announced on game day.
On Deck: Wake Forest hosts Florida State Wednesday at 7 p.m. Georgia Tech entertains NC State Wednesday night.
Deacons Travel To #18 Tech Sunday
Wake Forest, which has won its last three and five of its last seven games, faces its third consecutive nationally-ranked opponent Sunday at No. 18 Georgia Tech (8:00 p.m./Fox Sports Net).
The winner of Sunday's game takes over sole possession of third place in the ACC standings.
The 15th-ranked Demon Deacons, 16-6 overall, overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to beat No. 3 Duke Wednesday night in Winston-Salem. Freshman Chris Paul scored 23 points, dished out eight assists and had four steals in the win over the Blue Devils.
The Yellow Jackets, 19-6 overall, are coming off an impressive 75-64 win on the road against Maryland Thursday night.
Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 29-26. Georgia Tech won the first meeting, 73-66, on Jan. 20.
Noteworthy
- Wake Forest, facing one of the nation's most difficult schedules, will play its eighth nationally-ranked opponent Sunday.
- Wake is attempting to win three straight games in which the opponent was nationally-ranked for the first time in school history. The Deacs have posted consecutive wins over No. 13 Cincinnati and No. 3 Duke entering Sunday's game.
- The Demon Deacons, the defending ACC regular season champions, are trying to finish third or higher in the league standings for the third consecutive year.
- Wake enters Sunday's game with 1,299 all-time victories.
- Wake Forest ranks fourth nationally in scoring offense (84.0 ppg.). Georgia Tech ranks fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense (38.0 percent).
More From Wednesday's Win Vs. Duke
Wake Forest freshman Chris Paul scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the final 5:10, helping the Deacons to a 90-84 win over No. 3 Duke Wednesday night at Joel Coliseum. More from that game:
- Wake Forest overcame a 13-point second-half deficit -- the second straight game the Deacons have overcome a double-digit deficit to win.
- The Deacons shot 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the floor in the second half en route to 51 second-half points.
- Freshmen and sophomores combined for 65 of Wake's 90 points.
- The Deacon bench outscored the Duke bench, 32-13.
- Sophomore Eric Williams came off the bench for his third double-double of the season (16 points, 11 rebounds).
- Sophomore Justin Gray scored 17 points -- the 19th time this season he has scored in double digits.
Deacs Overcome Two Double-Digit Deficits
For a team with one of the nation's youngest rosters, Wake Forest showed great resilience in overcoming double-figure deficits to beat two nationally-ranked opponents in the last week.
Facing No. 3 Duke Wednesday, Wake Forest trailed by as many as 13 points (41-54) with 17:45 remaining. The Deacons responded by outscoring the Blue Devils 49-30 the rest of the way for a 90-84 victory.
Last Sunday against No. 13 Cincinnati, the Deacons trailed the Bearcats by 12 points (27-39) late in the first half. Wake went on to outscore the Bearcats 64-46 the rest of the way for a 91-85 win.
Wake To Face Third Straight Ranked Foe
Wake Forest has an opportunity to do something no other Demon Deacon team has ever done -- win three consecutive games in which the opponent was nationally-ranked.
- Wake Forest beat No. 13 Cincinnati (Sunday) and No. 3 Duke (Wednesday) to give the Deacons wins over ranked teams in back-to-back games for the first time since beating No. 7 Utah and No. 11 North Carolina in 1996-97. Now, the Deacons play No. 18 Georgia Tech on Sunday.
- Sunday's game marks the 24th time in school history that Wake Forest has played three straight games against ranked teams, including once earlier this season. The Deacons, however, have never gone 3-0 in those instances.
- Wake has produced three-game winning streaks against ranked teams before, but those games were not played consecutively. The last time the Deacons beat three straight ranked opponents, but not back-to-back-to-back, came in Tim Duncan's senior year of 1996-97 when they beat No. 7, Utah, No. 11 North Carolina and No. 10 Duke between Dec. 31 and Jan. 11.
- Georgia Tech will be Wake Forest's eighth ranked opponent so far this season. The Deacons played just six ranked teams all of last season.
- Wake is 3-4 against ranked teams this season. The Deacons haven't beaten four ranked teams in the same season since beating six ranked foes in 1996-97.
- Two Wake Forest victories have come against teams ranked in the top five -- then-No. 4 North Carolina on Dec. 20 and No. 3 Duke on Feb. 18. The last time the Deacons beat two top-five teams in the same season came in 1994-95 with wins over North Carolina when the Tar Heels were ranked No. 2 and No. 4. In fact, prior to this season, Wake Forest beat just three top-five teams between the 1995-96 season and the 2002-03 season.
- Wake Forest has one road win this season against a ranked team -- at then-No. 4 North Carolina on Dec. 20. The Deacons have not beaten two ranked teams on the road in the same season since 1996-97.
More On Wake's Tough Schedule
- 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 five regular season games remaining. Two of those will come against teams currently in the AP top 25 -- (18) Georgia Tech and (13) NC State. One other comes against Maryland, which is receiving votes for the poll.
- According to the Sagarin Ratings, Wake Forest has the nation's 9th-most difficult schedule.
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 9th in the Sagarin Ratings, 11th at CollegeRPI.com and 18th at CBS Sportsline.
Deacons One Win Shy Of 1,300
With 1,299 all-time victories, Wake Forest is one win shy of reaching the 1,300-win milestone. The Deacons are 1,299-996 all-time. Wake will be the 51st Division I team to reach 1,300 wins.
Deacon-Yellow Jacket Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 29-26.
- Georgia Tech beat Wake Forest, 73-66, Jan. 20 in Winston-Salem, snapping the Deacons' 24-game home court win streak.
- The Deacons have won six out of the last seven and eight out of the last 11.
- Georgia Tech is looking to sweep the regular season series for the first time since 1997-98.
- Georgia Tech is 17-8 all-time against Wake in Atlanta. The two teams have split the last four meetings at Memorial Coliseum.
- The Demon Deacons have won all three meetings with Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament.
- The two teams first met in the 1949-50 season, long before Georgia Tech joined the ACC.
- The Wake-Tech series (29-26) is the second-closest series in the ACC. Georgia Tech (52 wins) vs. Clemson (50) is the closest series currently.
- Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser is 4-2 all-time against Tech, with all six meetings coming while coaching the Deacons.
- Yellow Jacket coach Paul Hewitt is 3-5 all-time against Wake Forest.
Wake Forest-Georgia Tech Connections
- Deac sophomore Chris Ellis grew up in Marietta, GA.
- Ellis and fellow Deacon sophomore Trent Strickland were both born in Atlanta.
- Both teams have two foreign players on its roster: Wake Forest's Jamaal Levy (Panama) and Vytas Danelius (Lithuania) and Tech's Jim Nystrom (Sweden) and Luke Schenscher (South Australia).
- Former Deac Josh Howard and former Jacket Travis Best are teammates on the Dallas Mavericks.
- Yellow Jacket assistant women's basketball coach Kyle Snipes previously worked as director of basketball operations in the Wake Forest men's basketball office.
Statistical Look At Sunday's Game
- Wake Forest and Georgia Tech both rank among the nation's leaders in scoring offense. The Deacons (84.0 ppg.) rank fourth nationally and Tech (79.4 ppg.) ranks 18th.
- The Yellow Jackets lead the ACC and rank fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense (.380). Over the last three games, Wake has shot 48.9 percent.
- Sunday's game features four of the ACC's leading eight free throw shooters -- Wake's Justin Gray (2nd in the ACC) and Chris Paul (3rd); Tech's Jarrett Jack (7th) and B.J. Elder (8th).
The Last Meeting: Tech 73, Wake 66
Will Bynum scored 20 points to lead Georgia Tech to a 73-66 victory on Jan. 20 over 10th-ranked Wake Forest, snapping the Demon Deacons' 24-game home winning streak. Wake Forest was looking to tie its school record of 25 consecutive victories at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Instead, the Deacons dropped their third straight game and first at home since Feb. 21, 2002.
The Yellow Jackets were aggressive early from 3-point range to take a lead they relinquished only once in the second half. Tech shot 9-for-17 from 3-point range, led by Marvin Lewis, who was 4-for-4.
How The Deacs Have Won Three Straight
The most impressive component of Wake Forest's current three-game win streak is the quality of opponents -- wins over No. 3 Duke, No. 13 Cincinnati and a road win at Clemson.
Statistically, the biggest difference has come in shooting accuracy. Over the last three games, Wake Forest has shot a sizzling 46.9 percent from three-point range and 81.4 percent from the free throw line. Below is a look at Wake's statistics over the last three games compared to the first 19 games of the season:
Category Last 3 Games First 19 Games Record 3-0 13-6 Points Per Game 87.7 83.4 Rebound Margin +3.3 +2.0 Field Goal Percentage 48.9 46.8 3-Point FG Percenage 46.9 35.3 Free Throws Per Game 23.3 19.1 Free Throw Percentage 81.4 72.0
Prosser: 62 Wins In Three Seasons At WFU
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser has guided Wake Forest to 62 wins -- or an average of 20.7 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 (.651/28-15) 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 (.713/62-25) gives him the fifth-highest percentage in the 51-year history of the ACC. Only Dean Smith (.776), Mike Krzyzewski (.776), Bubas (.761) and Guthridge (.741) have/had higher percentages.
- His career winning percentage (.688/227-103) is the 15th-highest 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.
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 seven games, Gray has averaged 20.3 points, 3.1 three-point field goals and 3.0 assists per game. During the seven-game stretch he has shot 40.0 percent from three-point range and 85.7 percent (42-of-48) from the free throw line.
- Gray seems to play his best in big games. He averages 19.1 points per game in road contests. Against nationally-ranked teams, he has averaged 17.9 points and 3.8 three-point field goals per game.
- He ranks third in ACC games only in scoring (17.1 ppg.).
- With 63 three-point field goals in 22 games this season, Gray ranks third in the ACC for three-pointers per game (2.86).
- Gray ranks in the ACC's top 10 in six different statistical categories -- free throw percentage (2nd), three-point field goals (3rd), scoring (6th), three-point percentage (8th), assists (10th) and assist-turnover ratio (10th).
- He has turned his game up a notch by being more aggressive on offense. Over his last seven games, Gray has gone to the free throw line 48 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 33 out of his last 34 games.
- He is shooting 85.5 percent from the free throw line, which ranks second in the ACC. - Even though he missed 10 games last season because of a broken jaw, he has already amassed 638 career points.
- With 98 career three-point field goals, the sophomore needs just two 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.
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 fourth in the ACC in rebounding (8.1 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 six 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 55.4 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 13th in the ACC in blocked shots.
- With 57 career blocked shots, he already ranks 13th in Wake Forest blocked shots history.
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.
- Wake's top three scorers are all freshmen or sophomores. In fact, freshmen and sophomore have combined to produce 70.1 percent of the Deacons' point total (1,295 of 1,848 points).
- A freshman or sophomore leads Wake Forest in scoring, three-point field goals, three-point attempts, three-point percentage, free throws, free throw attempts, assists and steals.
"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 is one of 15 candidates -- and the only freshman candidate -- for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard Award.
- 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.
- He ranks third in the nation and first in the ACC in steals per game (3.09).
- He leads all ACC freshmen and ranks fourth in the ACC in assists per game (5.50).
- Paul ranks third in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio (2.33).
- Paul has 121 assists and just 52 turnovers in a team-high 734 minutes of action. That equates to just one turnover every 14.1 minutes.
- With 68 steals, he has already shattered the Wake Forest freshman record of 53 held by Rodney Rogers. In fact, Paul's 68 steals are the sixth-most single-season steals in Wake Forest history overall and the most by a Deacon since Muggsy Bogues had 70 steals in 1987.
- 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 Bogues did it three straight years from 1985-87.
- With 121 assists, only one freshman in Wake Forest history -- Derrick McQueen (147) -- had more assists.
- His free throw percentage (.848) 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 (33.4 mpg.).
- The shortest player on the roster, Paul (6-0) has 10 blocked shots.
- Paul (13.8 points per game) ranks second among ACC freshmen in scoring.
Chris Paul A Finalist For Wooden, Cousy Awards
Deacon freshman Chris Paul is a finalist for two of college basketball's most prestigious individual awards -- the John R. Wooden Award and the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard Award.
He is one of 30 midseason candidates for the Wooden Award and Wooden All-America Team, announced Jan. 26.
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.
Paul is one of 15 finalists for the Cousy Award and he is the only freshman on the list of candidates. North Carolina's Raymond Felton is the other ACC player on the list of candidates.
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 Deacons' win over Duke Wednesday gave Wake Forest 41 wins over the last two seasons combined and 81 victories over the last four seasons combined.
Magic Number: 82
Wake Forest is undefeated when it scores at least 82 points -- or 2.0 points less than what the Deacons are averaging this season (84.0 ppg.). The Deacons are also undefeated (8-0) when they shoot 50 percent or better.
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 12 straight games.
- Downey's career free throw percentage (.850) is the fourth-highest in Wake Forest history. His free throw percentage this season (.880) would be the second-highest percentage in Wake history.
- He has 111 career three-point field goals, which ranks as the ninth-most in Wake Forest history.
- With 259 career assists, Downey is closing in on becoming the eighth player in Wake history with 300 career assists.
- With 684 career points, he is on track to become the 42nd Deacon to score 1,000 career points.
Thinner "Big E" Comes Up Big
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 12.8 ppg. this season.
- "Big E" has been instrumental in two of Wake Forest's biggest victories this season. He scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Feb. 18 win over No. 3 Duke. He hit what proved to be the game-winning shot in the third overtime of the Dec. 20 win at No. 4 North Carolina. He scored 24 points against the Tar Heels.
- Williams ranks among the ACC leaders in four statistical categories -- offensive rebounds (6th), rebounds (12th), free throw percentage (14th) and scoring (16th).
- He was named ACC Player of the Week Dec. 22.
Deacons Have Used Five Starting Lineups
Want to project a starting lineup for Wake Forest? Better use pencil:
- The Deacons have used five different starting lineups this season. Last season the Deacons used just three different starting lineups.
- Freshman Kyle Visser has started the last three games while career 50-game starter Eric Williams has come off the bench.
- Three players -- Justin Gray, Chris Paul and Jamaal Levy -- have started all 22 games. Eight different players have started at least once.
- In each of the last three 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 nine times this season.
- The most recent starting lineup of Paul, Gray, Levy, Visser and Vytas Danelius has produced a 3-0 record.
Deacons Hope Injury Bug Is Behind Them
Wake Forest head trainer, assistant athletic director Greg Collins, has been one of the most active people on the Deacon staff this season as Wake has suffered more than its share of injuries.
Four different Deacons have missed a combined 14 games. Junior Vytas Danelius (high ankle sprain) missed five straight games before returning to action Jan. 13 at Texas. Sophomore Chris Ellis is back in the fold after breaking a bone in his foot on the first day of practice. Freshmen Kyle Visser and Todd Hendley missed one game each.
Home Court Streak Ends At 24
Wake Forest's home loss to Georgia Tech Jan. 20 ended a 24-game home court win streak and marked the Deacons' first loss at Joel Coliseum since Feb. 21, 2002, against Duke. The 24-game streak fell one short of tying the school record for consecutive home court wins.
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..
