Deacons, Tar Heels Battle Saturday For ACC Lead
1/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 13, 2005
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Game 16
#4 Wake Forest (14-1/3-0) vs. #3 North Carolina (14-1/3-0)
Jan. 15, 2005 / 1:39 pm / Winston-Salem, NC / Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,665) / ABC
Television: ABC (60 percent of the nation). Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Dick Vitale (color) and Doris Burke (sidelines) call the action. Kim Belton produces.
Radio: Wake Forest/ISP Radio Network. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action. Chris Ferris is the producer/engineer.
Radio: XM Satellite Radio (nationally).
Records: Wake Forest is 14-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC after its ninth consecutive victory -- an 81-66 win over visiting Maryland Tuesday night. North Carolina is 13-1 and 2-0 with a game tonight against 8th-ranked Georgia Tech.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press poll and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. North Carolina is ranked No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 4 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy `72) is 81-30 (.729) in his fourth season with the Demon Deacons, 246-108 (.696) in his 12th season overall. North Carolina coach Roy Williams (North Carolina `72) is 33-12 at his alma mater, 451-113 in 18 seasons overall.
Series: North Carolina leads, 147-62.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Top-Five Teams Wake Forest, UNC Meet Saturday At Joel Coliseum
Wake Forest and North Carolina, both ranked in the top five nationally, both undefeated in ACC play and both riding lengthy winning streaks, meet for the 210th time Saturday at Lawrence Joel Coliseum (1:39 pm/ABC).
Other than 1944, when Wake Forest did not field a team because of the war, the Demon Deacons and Tar Heels have met at least twice each regular season since 1922 -- until this season.
The Demon Deacons, 14-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC, won their ninth straight game Tuesday night over visiting Maryland, 81-66. Wake Forest has won its three league games by an average of 23.0 points while out-rebounding its ACC opponents by 13.0 boards per game.
Junior Justin Gray (17.7 ppg), who has 56 points and 11 three-point field goals over the last two games, leads Wake Forest in scoring. Junior Eric Williams (15.1 ppg) and sophomore Chris Paul (14.3 ppg) also average in double figures.
The Tar Heels, 14-1 and 3-0, have not lost since a season-opening upset at Santa Clara. UNC whipped eighth-ranked Goergia Tech, 91-69 Wednesday night as five Tar Heels scored in double figures.
Today's Tip-Off
- Wake Forest and North Carolina will meet for the 210th time, but Saturday's game will be the first when both teams are ranked in the top five nationally.
- WFU will honor both Chris Paul and North Carolina's Sean May prior to the game. The Deacon and Tar Heel are USA Basketball's co-Male Athletes of the Year.
- The Deacons and Tar Heels split two meetings last year, including a 79-73 UNC win in Joel Coliseum and a 119-114 three-overtime Wake Forest win in Chapel Hill.
Wake Wins 9th Straight, 81-66 vs. Terps
Justin Gray continued his torrid shooting streak, scoring 25 points while making a season-high six 3-pointers to lead No. 4 Wake Forest to an 81-66 victory over Maryland Tuesday.
Gray, who had 31 points in Saturday's win at Clemson, made his first four threes of the game while pushing the Demon Deacons to an early lead. The junior is playing the best basketball of his career, with 55 points and 11 3-pointers in the past two games.
Chris Paul finished with 14 points, Eric Williams had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Jamaal Levy had 11 points and Vytas Danelius finished with 10 rebounds for Wake Forest.
Maryland played poorly in its second-straight lopsided loss. The Terrapins were coming off a 36-point loss at No. 3 North Carolina, and started the game with leading scorer John Gilchrist on the bench for missing an academic assignment.
Gilchrist hardly played, sitting for almost the entire second half and finishing with two points on 1-of-2 shooting. Nik Caner-Medley led the Terrapins with 18 points.
More From Tuesday's Win Over Maryland
- Justin Gray's six three-point field goals were the most by a Deacon player this season.
- Wake's 23 offensive rebounds were its most since Feb. 9, 2003 (23 at Marquette).
- The Deacons' 51 total rebounds were the most since getting 53 in last season's triple-overtime win at North Carolina (Dec. 20, 2003).
- Wake Forest's second-half field goal percentage (.313) was a season-low for field goal percentage in a half.
- The Deacons' free throw percentage of 51.4 percent (18-of-35) was a season-low.
- Maryland's one three-point field goal, 14 three-point attempts and .071 three-point percentage were all season-lows by a Deacon opponent.
- The Terrapins' .438 free throw percentage (7-16) was the lowest by a Wake opponent this season.
- Maryland's seven blocked shots were the most by a Deacon opponent this season.
Deacs' 3-0 ACC Start Impressive
- Wake Forest has started 3-0 in the ACC as recently as 2001-02, but this year's start in the league has been even more impressive. The Deacons have won all three ACC games by an average of 23.0 points, and two of those contests came on the road:
- Wake's 89-70 win at Virginia Jan. 2 marked the Deacons' largest margin of victory in Charlottesville since 1962.
- The Deacons' 103-68 win at Clemson Jan. 8 was their largest margin of victory ever in an ACC road game.
- Wake's 81-66 win over Maryland Jan. 11 was its largest margin of victory against the Terrapins in 11 years.
Wake-North Carolina Series History
- North Carolina leads the all-time series, 147-62 (complete series history on page 9).
- North Carolina won the last meeting -- 79-73 on Feb. 17, 2004 in Winston-Salem -- breaking a streak of five consecutive Demon Deacon victories over the Tar Heels.
- North Carolina has won eight of the 15 all-time meetings in Lawrence Joel Coliseum
- Last year's ACC opener between the two teams in Chapel Hill -- a 119-114 Deacon victory in triple-overtime -- is considered one of the top regular season games in ACC history.
- Three of the last four meetings have been decided by six points or less.
- With 209 all-time meetings, the Wake-UNC series is the fifth-most frequently played series in the ACC.
- Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser is 5-1 all-time against North Carolina.
- North Carolina coach Roy Williams is 3-2 all-time against the Demon Deacons, including a 2-1 record while coaching at Kansas.
Wake, UNC, National Rankings, Etc.
- Wake Forest and North Carolina have met 209 times on the hardwood, but Saturday's game is the first when both teams are ranked in the top five nationally (North Carolina is 3rd, Wake Forest 4th in the Associated Press poll).
- The Deacons and Tar Heels have met seven times previously when both teams are ranked in the top 10. Wake Forest is 4-3 in those games. The last time Wake and UNC met in a battle of top 10s came on March 8, 1987 -- an 86-73 Tar Heel win in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro.
- North Carolina will carry its highest ranking into a game against Wake Forest since Feb. 6, 2001, when No. 1-ranked UNC beat the Deacons, 80-74 in Winston-Salem.
- Wake Forest will take its highest ranking into a game against North Carolina since Jan. 6, 2001 -- a 70-69 Tar Heel victory over 4th-ranked Wake in Chapel Hill.
- The last time Wake Forest beat a North Carolina team ranked third or higher came on Feb. 28, 1995 -- a 79-70 win over the No. 2-ranked Tar Heels in Chapel Hill (North Carolina was ranked fourth last season when the Deacons beat the Heels in Chapel Hill).
- The last time the Deacons beat any team ranked third or higher in Joel Coliseum came just last season -- Feb. 18, 2004 -- when Wake beat No. 3 Duke, 90-84.
Paul And May To Be Recognized
Wake Forest's Chris Paul and North Carolina's Sean May will both be recognized in a brief pre-game ceremony. Paul and May were named USA Basketball's co-Male Athletes of the Year recently. The Deacon and Tar Heel, along with Wake junior Justin Gray, helped lead the USA Under-20 World Championship team to a gold medal last summer in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
More Deacon-Tar Heel Connections
- Wake Forest (9) and North Carolina (5) combine to have 14 players from the Old North State on their rosters.
- North Carolina's Sean May and Rashad McCants and Wake's Justin Gray, Chris Paul and Eric Williams participated together at the USA Basketball National Team Trials in July.
- UNC's Reyshawn Terry is a Winston-Salem product and attended Reynolds High School.
- Wake's Chris Ellis (Dale Ellis) and UNC's Sean May (Scott May) both have dads who were pretty good college players.
- Former Deacon Josh Howard and former Tar Heel Jerry Stackhouse are teammates with the Dallas Mavericks.
- Stackhouse is the uncle of two former Demon Deacons - Craig Dawson and Jeremy Ingram.
- Former Deacon Rodney Rogers and former Tar Heel George Lynch are teammates on the New Orleans Hornets.
Wake In Battle Of Top-Five Teams
- Even though Wake Forest has been ranked in the top five nationally 34 times in its history, the Deacons have played just five games when both teams were ranked in the top five.
- Lawrence Joel Coliseum has never hosted a game between two top-five teams. In fact, the only time two top-five teams went head-to-head came long before Joel Coliseum was built, on Dec. 9, 1961 (#3 WFU vs. #1 Ohio State).
- Saturday's game will be the third over the last two seasons involving top-five teams. Last year #2 Duke beat #4 WFU in Durham. Earlier this season, #5 Illinois whipped #1 Wake Forest in Champaign.
- The Deacons are just 1-4 in games involving top-five teams, with its only win coming on Jan. 23, 1997 at Clemson.
Wake 3-1 vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams
- Wake Forest is 3-1 this season against nationally-ranked teams with wins over then No. 18 Arizona, No. 14 Texas and No. 25 Virginia, and a loss on the road to No. 5 Illinois.
- Wake's wins against ranked teams have come at home (Texas), on the road (Virginia) and at a neutral site (Arizona).
- Wake Forest also defeated George Washington, which was not ranked at game time, but is currently ranked. The Deacons also beat Maryland, which had been ranked all season until the day before playing Wake Forest.
- The Deacons, who have seven wins against ranked opponents over the last two seasons combined, are looking for their first winning record against ranked clubs since 1996-97.
- The Deacons defeated two ranked teams before Christmas for the first time in school history.
- The Deacons could break a school record for games played vs. ranked teams (13 in `94-95) in one season.
Deacons Stay At 4th, 3rd In Polls
Wake Forest remained No. 4 in the Associated Press poll and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today poll for the second straight week.
The Deacons have been in the AP top 25 for 42 consecutive weeks. The school record for consecutive weeks in the poll is 54, set from the beginning of the 1994-95 season through March 10, 1997. The Deacons have been ranked in the top 10 for nine consecutive weeks. The school record is 19 weeks, from March of 1996 to March of 1997.
Wake Forest was ranked No. 1 earlier this season for the first time in school history.
Wake Forest Undefeated When...
... (14-0) when holding opponents below 50 percent shooting.
... (14-0) when holding opponents to less than 90 points.
... (13-0) when leading with 5:00 remaining.
... (12-0) when Wake has more rebounds than its opponent.
... (12-0) when scoring more than 73 points.
... (10-0) when scoring the game's first points.
... (8-0) when Wake has less turnovers than its opponent.
Wake vs. UNC: Statistical Comparison
- Saturday's game features two of the nation's highest-scoring teams. North Carolina (93.7 ppg) leads the nation and Wake Forest (85.0 ppg) ranks sixth.
- North Carolina (.521) and Wake Forest (.498) have the two highest field goal percentages in the ACC. The Tar Heels rank second nationally, while the Deacons rank 22nd.
- The Tar Heels (.441) and Deacons (.410) also lead the ACC in three-point field goal percentage. UNC leads the nation and Wake Forest ranks 16th.
- North Carolina (+9.0 rebound margin) and Wake Forest (+8.1) rank 1-2 in the ACC in rebounding.
- UNC's Jawad Williams leads the ACC in field goal percentage, followed by Wake's Eric Williams in second.
- North Carolina's Raymond Felton leads the ACC in assists, while Wake's Chris Paul ranks second.
Deacons Winning The Close Ones
Wake has already played its share of barn-burners:
- Wake Forest has played three games decided by three points or less -- all on ESPN or ESPN2 -- and the Deacons have walked away winners each time.
- Wake Forest has won nail-biters at home (89-88 over No. 14 Texas), on the road (67-64 at Temple) and at neutral sites (63-60 vs. No. 18 Arizona).
- In Skip Prosser's four years, the Deacs are 10-4 in games decided by three points or less, 19-9 in games decided by five points or less and 36-17 in games decided by 10 points or less.
Deacons Tough At The Joel
Wake Forest has always enjoyed success within the friendly confines of Lawrence Joel Coliseum, winning at an 82.0 percent clip. In recent years, that percentage is even higher. In Skip Prosser's four seasons with the Deacons, Wake is 49-6 (.891), including an 8-0 record so far this season.
The Deacons have not lost a home non-conference game since Feb. 9, 2002 -- a 103-94 loss to sixth-ranked Cincinnati in Prosser's first season with the Deacons. Under Prosser, Wake is 29-1 at home against non-ACC competition.
WFU's all-time record in Joel Coliseum is 194-42.
Schedule One Of Nation's Most Difficult
Wake Forest's schedule is proving to be one of the strongest in the nation and one of the most difficult in school history:
- Eight of the 25 teams in the Associated Press poll are Wake Forest opponents -- #1 Illinois, #3 North Carolina, #5 Duke, #8 Georgia Tech, #10 Texas, #17 Arizona, #18 Cincinnati and #21 George Washington.
- Five other opponents -- Virginia, Maryland, NC State, New Mexico and Miami -- are receiving votes for that poll.
- What may make Wake Forest's schedule uniquely difficult is that the Deacons play four "true" road games (on the actual home court of the opponent) against four good teams -- Temple, New Mexico, Illinois and Cincinnati.
- The Deacons have already played four teams that were ranked at tip-off -- Illinois, Arizona, Texas and Virginia. George Washington was not ranked when it played Wake Forest, but the Colonials are currently ranked. Maryland was ranked all season until the day before playing at Wake Forest.
- Wake Forest will play yet another ranked non-conference opponent on the road at Cincinnati Jan. 22.
- Ten of Wake's 15 remaining regular season games come against teams that are either ranked in the top 25, or are receiving votes for the top 25.
- Five of Wake's next six games come against teams currently in the top 25.
- Wake Forest has had the nation's fifth-toughest schedule thus far, according to CollegeRPI.com.
- Four of Wake's final 12 regular season games come against two 2004 Final Four teams -- Duke and Georgia Tech.
New Banners On Display
Wake Forest hung new banners in Lawrence Joel Coliseum this week, recognizing all the former Demon Deacons who have their jerseys retired. In addition, there are banners for NCAA Tournament participation, ACC championships and ACC regular season titles.
14-1 Start Ranks Highly
Wake Forest's 14-1 start is one of the best in school history. The Deacons have started 14-1 just three times over the last 25 years. The last time Wake started 14-1 came in Tim Duncan's senior year of 1996-97. That Wake Forest team started 18-1 before losing game No. 20.
Good Shooting Usually Equals Win
It sounds obvious, but Wake Forest is hard to beat when the Deacons shoot well -- and they've shot very well so far this season:
- Wake Forest has shot 50 percent or better in three of the last four games and in nine of 15 games this season.
- The Deacs' field goal percentage (49.8) ranks second in the ACC and 22nd in the nation.
- Wake's field goal percentage is its highest since 1982.
- Throw out the Illinois game -- where the Deacs shot just 39.7 percent -- and Wake is shooting 51.0 percent.
- Wake is 12-0 when it shoots a higher field goal percentage than its opponent.
- The Deacons are 14-0 when holding opponents to less than 50 percent shooting (only Illinois shot better than 50 percent against Wake Forest).
Chris Paul Hopes To Continue Hot Streak
Since mid-December, Wake Forest sophomore guard Chris Paul has been one of college basketball's hottest players. Consider Paul's statistics over the last six games:
- He has averaged 17.0 points per game, including 20-plus points against Texas, New Mexico and Virginia.
- Paul has dished out 7.6 assists per game, including a career-best 12 assists against Texas.
- He has 16 steals over the last seven games including six Dec. 15 against Elon.
- Paul has made 15 three-point field goals over the last seven games, compared to seven three-pointers in the first eight games.
More On Paul
- Paul's three-point field goal percentage (.579) ranks fifth nationally. He would lead the ACC in that category, but does not have enough attempts to qualify.
- Paul leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.29).
- He ranks second in the ACC and 20th nationally in assists per game (6.40).
- Paul ranks 4th in the ACC in free throw percentage (.831).
- He ranks sixth in the ACC in steals per game (1.93).
Death, Taxes And Paul's 3-Point Shooting
Chris Paul is known for speed in transition, his ability to quarterback the offense, his assists, his steals and more. But is it any wonder why the Deacon coaches wouldn't mind if Paul shot more often from the perimeter?
Paul is shooting 57.9 percent (22-of-38) from three-point range, which would lead the ACC if he had enough attempts to qualify (he ranks 5th nationally). Over his last seven games, Paul has shot a remarkable 71.4 percent (15-of-21) from behind the arc. He hasn't missed a three-point attempt since Dec. 22 at New Mexico and has made seven straight.
This is not just a recent hot streak. For his career, Paul is shooting an even 50.0 percent (62-of-124) from three-point range.That would be the best career three-point percentage in Wake Forest history. The last time a Wake player led the ACC in three-point percentage came in 2002 by Craig Dawson.
Gray Scores 1,000th, Moves Up Chart
Junior Justin Gray eclipsed 1,000 career points Dec. 30 against North Carolina A&T, becoming the 42nd player in Wake Forest history to reach 1,000 points. Last Tuesday against Maryland, Gray scored 25 points to move into 34th place on Wake's all-time career scoring list.
Gray is the first Deacon since Josh Howard to reach 1,000 points and he reached the mark in just 66 career games.
With 42 all-time 1,000-point scorers, Wake Forest ties Notre Dame and Marshall for the seventh-most in Division I.
Three other Deacons are closing in on 1,000 points: Taron Downey (905), Eric Williams (880) and Vytas Danelius (849).
No Gray Area: Justin Is Tough
Two things that are certain about junior guard Justin Gray -- he's tough and he can score.
Gray averages 17.7 points per game and he recently scored his 1,000th career point in just his 66th career game.
But it is Gray's toughness that is becoming well-known. Nov. 24 against Providence, Gray took an elbow to the head, opening up a gash just below the eyebrow. He received five stitches and returned to the game to make 5-of-8 three-point field goals en route to 21 points. Two nights later against Arizona, he took an elbow to the same spot above his eye, but bounced back to score 21 points.
Dec. 22 at New Mexico, he came back from a twisted knee to score 17 points. In the ACC opener at Virginia, Gray overcame a stomach virus to score 17 points.
As a freshman, an elbow from Duke's Dahntay Jones broke Gray's jaw. He sat out a month, had his jaw wired shut and lost 19 pounds on a diet of soup and milkshakes. When he returned to action 30 days later wearing a protective mask, he scored 18 points in a win over 8th-ranked Duke in a gutty performance.
Joyce Suspended
Richard Joyce, in addition to having a stress fracture, was suspended by coach Skip Prosser Jan. 10 for violating team rules. No decision has been made on his status for Saturday.
More On Justin Gray
- Gray has made at least one three-point field goal in 35 consecutive games and he has 35 threes over the last nine games.
- He leads the ACC in three-point goals per game (3.33).
- Gray ranks fourth in the ACC in 3-point percentage (.463).
- Over his last three games, Gray is 19-of-30 (.633) from three-point range. - Tuesday against Maryland, Gray made a season-high sixthree-pointers on just nine attempts.
- At Clemson Jan. 8, Gray made his first five 3-point attempts and scored 25 points in the first half -- the most points in any half by a Deacon player since Tim Duncan in 1997.
- With 182 career three-point field goals, he ranks fifth in Wake Forest history. When he reaches 211 three-pointers, he will become the 27th player in ACC history to do so.
- Gray has more than 200 career assists and is closing in on 100 career steals.
- He was named The Sporting News National Player of the Week Jan. 8.
- He was named MVP of the Preseason NIT.
- Gray was the ACC Player of the Week Nov. 29.
"E-Rex" Consistently Good So Far
Junior center Eric Williams, who has battled inconsistency during his career, has been Wake Forest's most consistent player thus far this season. More on "E-Rex":
- Williams has scored in double-figures a team-high 14 times in 15 games.
- He is second in the ACC in field goal percentage at 61.2 percent (85-of-139).
- In ACC games, Williams averages nearly a double-double (16.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg)
- He made 9-of-10 attempts Dec. 30 against North Carolina A&T -- the best single-game percentage by an ACC player this season -- and he has shot less than 50 percent in a game just three times this season.
- He ranks second on the team and 14th in the ACC in scoring (15.1 ppg). - His rebound average (6.3 rpg) ranks 15th in the ACC.
- Plagued with foul trouble his entire career, Williams has not fouled out of a game this season.
- Williams' career field goal percentage (.562) would rank as the fifth-highest in Wake Forest history.
- He has scored 868 career points.
Three Big 4 Teams In Top 5 For First Time
The Jan. 3 Associated Press poll marked the first time ever that three "Big Four" schools (Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest) have been ranked in the top five simultaneously.
North Carolina is ranked third, Wake Forest fourth and Duke fifth in this week's AP poll. The closest three Big Four schools came to being ranked in the top five previously came in 1978-79 when Duke, UNC and NC State were ranked in the top six.
Down To Nine Scholarship Players
Junior Richard Joyce is week-to-week with a stress fracture in his foot. Freshman Cameron Stanley is redshirting this season. And sophomore Jeremy Ingram has transferred to East Carolina. That leaves the Demon Deacons with nine healthy scholarship players this week.
Levy: One Of Nation's Best Defenders
Senior forward Jamaal Levy will not lead the team in scoring and he will not grab the majority of headlines. But the 6-9 Panama native is vital to Wake Forest's success.
- Levy is averaging a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game, which ranks sixth in the ACC.
- Levy ranks third in the ACC in offensive rebounds (3.27 pg) and ranks ninth in defensive rebounds (4.60).
- He ranks third on the team with 21 steals and is five steals away from the 100th of his career.
- One of two Deacons to start every game this season, Levy ranks third on the team in minutes played (28.7 mpg).
- Levy, who earned a spot on the Preseason NIT All-Tournament team, is widely considered one of the nation's best defenders and one of the ACC's top rebounders.
- On Dec. 4, Levy tied a school record with 10 offensive rebounds against Richmond.
- With 650 career rebounds, Levy ranks 20th in Wake Forest history. With seven more boards, he will pass Alvis Rogers and Larry Harrison for 18th place.
- Levy is one blocked shot away from his 75th career rejection, which will rank him 11th in school history.
Downey At His Best When Heat Is On
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser calls senior Taron Downey the most unselfish player he has ever coached. Downey may also be one of the best clutch players Prosser has coached.
Downey does not start, but he averages 22.5 minutes per game and is always on the floor at crunch time.
Dan Collins of the Winston-Salem Journal pointed out this note, which is a good indicator of how Downey plays better the bigger the stage. Last season Downey averaged more points per game in ACC games (11.1) than he did in non-conference games (9.2). And his numbers were even better in ACC road games -- 12.0 points per game and 58.6 percent (17-of-29) from three-point range.
Perhaps the most important statistic related to Downey is that the Deacons have won 81 games in his four-year career with 15 regular season games remaining.
Downey ranks 8th in Wake history with 320 career assists.
Deacons Make `Em When They Count
Wake Forest's free throw shooting has been less than spectacular this season. The Deacons are shooting 65.9 percent from the stripe. Wake, however, is converting free throws at a 75.0 percent clip in the final five minutes of games.
Senior Class A Diverse Group
Wake Forest's three seniors hail from three different countries. Vytas Danelius (Lithuania), Jamaal Levy (Panama) and Taron Downey (Oxford, NC) form a diverse trio that probably doesn't receive the recognition it deserves.
All three were recruited by then-coach Dave Odom, and re-recruited by current head coach Skip Prosser. Danelius, Downey and Levy have combined to play in 323 games. Wake Forest has won 81 games during their careers.
Small Enrollment, Huge Crowds
Wake Forest has an undergraduate enrollment of just 4,037 (6,444 when graduate students are added to the mix), so one might think there would be plenty of empty seats in the 14,665-seat Lawrence Joel Coliseum for Deacon home games.
However, near-capacity crowds are the norm at home games. Last year an average of 13,197 fans attended Deacon home games and that number should be even higher this year. Based on last year's numbers, Wake Forest's attendance was 204.8 percent of its total enrollment last year. No other ACC school had a percentage higher than 80.1 percent last year.
Chris Paul Preseason All-America
Wake Forest sophomore Chris Paul was the leading vote-getter for the Associated Press preseason All-American Team announced Nov. 9. Paul was joined on the first team by Kansas' Wayne Simien, NC State's Julius Hodge, Syracuse's Hakim Warrick and Mississippi State's Lawrence Roberts.
Chris Paul ACC Preseason Player Of Year
Wake Forest sophomore Chris Paul edged out NC State's Julius Hodge for pre-season ACC Player of the Year honors by a 38-to-35 count. North Carolina's Marvin Williams was the media's clear cut choice as the preseason ACC Rookie of the Year, receiving 60 of 87 ballots cast. Paul and Hodge joined North Carolina's Rashad McCants and Sean May and Duke's J.J. Redick on the preseason All-ACC team.
