Deacons Continue Road Swing; Play At #20 Cincinnati Saturday
1/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2005
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Game 18
#3/3 Wake Forest (15-2) at #20/18 Cincinnati (15-2)
Jan. 22, 2005 / 1 pm / Cincinnati, OH / Fifth Third Arena (13,176) / ABC
Television: ABC. Brent Musberger (play-by-play), Steve Lavin (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 15-2 overall and 4-1 in the ACC after seeing its 10-game winning streak end Tuesday at Florida State, 91-83 in overtime. Cincinnati is 15-2 overall and 4-1 in Conference USA after whipping visiting Charlotte, 80-58, Wednesday night.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press poll and No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Cincinnati is 20th in the AP poll, 18th in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy `72) is 82-31 (.726) in his fourth season with the Demon Deacons, 247-109 (.694) in his 12th season overall. Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins (West Virginia `77) is 389-121 in 16 seasons with the Bearcats, 557-193 in 24 seasons overall.
Series: Cincinnati leads, 5-1.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Difficult Road Stretch Continues Saturday At #20 Cincinnati
Wake Forest continues a difficult three-game road swing Saturday with a non-conference game at 20th-ranked Cincinnati (1 pm/ABC).
The third-ranked Demon Deacons, 15-2 overall and 4-1 in the ACC, saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday night at Florida State, 91-83 in overtime. Wake Forest erased a 19-point deficit and sent the game into overtime with a Taron Downey three-point field goal with 4.6 seconds remaining.
Wake Forest is led by junior guard Justin Gray (16.9 ppg) and sophomore guard Chris Paul (15.8 ppg), who has 55 points over his last two games.
Cincinnati, 15-2 overall and 4-1 in Conference USA, rebounded from last Saturday's 69-66 loss to Louisville by whipping visiting Charlotte, 80-58, Wednesday night. Jason Maxiell scored 23 points and Nick Williams scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half for the Bearcats.
Cincinnati leads the all-time series, 5-1. Wake Forest won last year's meeting, 91-85 in Winston-Salem on Feb. 15, 2004.
Today's Tip-Off
- Wake Forest broke an NCAA record Tuesday night by making its 50th consecutive free throw without a miss. The old record was held by Indiana State, which made 49 straight in 1991. The Deacons are 52-of-53 from the free throw line over the last two games.
- Saturday's game will be Wake Forest's sixth this season against a nationally-ranked team. The Deacons are 4-1 this season against ranked clubs.
- The Cincinnati game will also mark Wake's fourth non-conference road game. The Deacons have already played at Illinois, Temple and New Mexico.
10-Game Win Streak Ends At FSU In OT
Todd Galloway scored nine straight points in overtime and finished with a career-high 21 to help Florida State snap No. 3 Wake Forest's 10-game winning streak with a 91-83 victory Tuesday night.
Wake Forest had a chance for a miraculous win at the end of regulation when Taron Downey was fouled while making a desperation 3-pointer that tied it at 76. But Downey missed the free throw, the Demon Deacons' first miss from the line after hitting an NCAA-record 50 straight.
Wake Forest made 32 straight in Saturday in a 95-82 win over North Carolina and its first 18 Tuesday night before Downey's miss.
Von Wafer scored 25 of his career-high 30 points in the first half as Florida State twice opened 19-point leads on its way to a 46-32 lead at halftime.
Wafer was 6-of-8 from 3-point range and 9-of-13 overall in the first half. He was one of three Seminoles who had career highs in the game.
Deacons Set NCAA Free Throw Record
Wake Forest broke an NCAA record Tuesday at Florida State by making its 50th consecutive free throw without a miss. The Demon Deacons made an ACC record 32-of-32 free throws against North Carolina Jan. 15, then made their first 18 attempts at Florida State Tuesday night.
The previous record of 49 consecutive free throws made was held by Indiana State in 1991.
Wake Forest has converted 52-of-53 free throw attempts over the last two games.
With their 32-of-32 performance Jan. 15, the Deacons set a school, ACC and Lawrence Joel Coliseum record. Wake came within two free throws of tying the NCAA single-game record.
More From Tuesday's Loss At FSU
- Wake Forest went to overtime for the first time since Feb. 25, 2004 -- also against Florida State -- and the Deacons saw their streak of winning overtime games end at three.
- Von Wafer (30 points) and Chris Paul (29) combined for the most points by two opposing players (in a game involving WFU) since Feb. 17, 2002 when Darius Songaila (30) and Roger Mason Jr. (31) combined for 61 points.
- FSU's first-half field goal percentage (.600) tied for the highest single-half percentage by a Deacon opponent this season (Illinois shot 60.0 percent in the first half).
- FSU's Wafer was the first Deacon opponent to score 30 points against Wake since Julius Hodge of NC State scored 31 vs. WFU on March 15, 2003.
- Chris Paul scored a season-high 29 points (previously 26 points vs. UNC last Saturday).
- Taron Downey scored a career-high 21 points.
Paul Named ACC, ESPN Player Of Week
Wake Forest sophomore All-American candidate Chris Paul was named ACC Player of the Week and the ESPN.com National Player of the Week Monday.
Paul averaged 20.0 points, 7.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals as the fourth-ranked Demon Deacons posted league wins over Maryland and No. 3 North Carolina.
In last Saturday's 95-82 win over the Tar Heels, Paul scored a game-high 26 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out eight assists and had five steals while going 9-of-9 from the free throw line.
Wake's Two Losses Have Been Similar
Wake Forest's two losses -- at Illinois Dec. 1 and at Florida State Jan. 18 -- had similarities. Illinois (.559) and FSU (.500) are the only two teams to shoot 50 percent against Wake Forest this season. Both the Illini and Seminoles scored 91 points. Illinois (11 three-pointers) and FSU (12) had double-digit three-pointers.
Wake Forest-Cincinnati Series History
- Cincinnati leads the all-time series, 5-1.
- Wake Forest won its first game in the series last season (Feb. 15, 2004), 91-85 in Winston-Salem.
- The previous meeting came in 2001-02 when the Bearcats beat the Deacons, 103-94 in Winston-Salem. Cincinnati remains the only visiting team to ever score 100 points or more in Wake's Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
- The Bearcats have won both previous meetings in Cincinnati; most recently a 78-72 overtime win against the Deacons in 2000-01. Cincinnati also won at home against Wake in 1965-66, 117-87.
- Cincinnati won the first meeting, 90-74 on Dec. 29, 1958. That game was part of the first round of the Dixie Classic in Raleigh.
- This marks the third consecutive meeting in which both teams were ranked nationally.
- Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser is 5-4 all-time against Cincinnati including a 4-3 record while coaching at Xavier and a 1-1 mark while at Wake Forest.
- The Deacons are 25-16 all-time against teams currently in Conference USA.
- Wake has not enjoyed success against teams from the Buckeye State with a 1-5 all-time record against Cincinnati, 0-6 versus Ohio State and 0-1 against Xavier.
- The 117 points scored by Cincinnati in the 1965-66 meeting was, at the time, the most points ever scored against Wake Forest. It remains tied for the most points ever scored against the Deacons by a non-ACC team.
Prosser, Staff Return To The Queen City
Wake Forest's Skip Prosser spent 16 years in Cincinnati -- seven years (1994-95 to 2000-01) as the head coach at Xavier and nine years (1984-85 to 1992-93) as an assistant coach with the Musketeers.
As the head coach at Xavier, Prosser's teams won four of seven meetings with cross-city rival Cincinnati. Twice Xavier came out on top when the Bearcats were ranked No. 1 in the nation.
More Deacon-Bearcat Connections
- Deacon associate head coach Jeff Battle was on Prosser's staff at Xavier for seven seasons.
- Wake associate head coach Dino Gaudio was an assistant coach at Xavier from 1988 to 1993 and then again in 2001. He grew up in Martins Ferry, Ohio and graduated from Ohio University.
- Deacon assistant coach Pat Kelsey played at Xavier after growing up in Cincinnati. He attended Cincinnati's Elder High School and later served as an assistant coach at Elder.
- Chris Mack, an assistant coach at Wake Forest the previous three seasons, is now an assistant at Xavier.
- Cincinnati junior Erick Hicks is from Greensboro and attended Dudley High School.
- Wake's Justin Gray and Richard Joyce and Cincinnati's Chadd Moore all previously attended Oak Hill (VA) Academy.
- Deacon junior Trent Strickland and Cincinnati junior James White both previously attended Hargrave Military Academy.
- Bearcat freshman Roy Bright hails from Durham (NC).
- Cincinnati's Asrangue Souleymane attended prep school in North Carolina at Laurinburg Institute.
- Souleymane can speak seven different languages. Wake's Vytas Danelius speaks four languages.
- Former Deacon walk-on Scott Benken transferred to Wake Forest from Cincinnati.
- Deacon tennis coach Jeff Zinn is a 1984 Cincinnati graduate.
Deacons Third In Both Major Polls
Wake Forest moved up to No. 3 (from No. 4) in the Associated Press poll and the Deacons remained at No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Today poll this week.
The Deacons own their highest AP ranking since being ranked No. 1 on Nov. 29.
The Deacons have been in the AP top 25 for 43 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 10 consecutive weeks. The school record is 19 weeks, from March of 1996 to March of 1997. Wake has been in the top five for five straight weeks.
Wake Forest was ranked No. 1 earlier this season for the first time in school history.
Deacons' 15-2 Start Not Too Shabby
- Wake Forest's 15-2 ties for the third-best start in school history. The last time the Deacons started better than 15-2 came in 1996-97 -- Tim Duncan's senior season when Wake Forest began the season 16-1.
- The Demon Deacons are five wins away from their fourth consecutive 20-win season.
- Wake Forest is two wins away from clinching a winning season for the 15th consecutive year.
- The Deacons have won 82 games over the last four seasons combined -- all under coach Skip Prosser -- to average 20.5 wins per season.
- Wake Forest is eight wins away from its 90th victory in a four-year span. That has happened only three times previously in Deacon history.
- Wake is three victories away from giving head coach Skip Prosser his 250th career win.
Wake 4-1 vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams
- Wake Forest is 4-1 this season against nationally-ranked teams with wins over then No. 18 Arizona, No. 14 Texas, No. 25 Virginia and No. 3 North Carolina, and a loss on the road to No. 5 Illinois.
- Wake's wins against ranked teams have come at home (Texas and North Carolina), 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 eight 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.
Wake Forest Undefeated When...
... (15-0) when holding opponents below 50 percent shooting.
... (15-0) when holding opponents to less than 90 points.
... (14-0) when leading with 5:00 remaining.
... (13-0) when Wake has more rebounds than its opponent.
... (11-0) when scoring the game's first points.
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 36-18 in games decided by 10 points or less.
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:
- Seven of the 25 teams in the Associated Press poll are Wake Forest opponents -- #1 Illinois, #4 Duke, #5 North Carolina, #12 Georgia Tech, #13 Arizona, #15 Texas and #20 Cincinnati.
- Five other opponents -- George Washington, 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" non-conference 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 five teams that were ranked at tip-off -- Illinois, Arizona, Texas, Virginia and North Carolina. Maryland was ranked all season until the day before playing at Wake Forest.
- Wake will play yet another ranked non-conference opponent on the road at No. 20 Cincinnati on Saturday.
- Nine of Wake's 13 remaining regular season games come against teams that are either in the top 25, or are receiving votes.
- Wake's next two games come against ranked teams -- Cincinnati and Georgia Tech.
- 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.
Lighting Up The Scoreboard
- Wake Forest ranks fourth nationally in scoring (85.5 points per game) -- the Deacons' highest scoring average since 1976.
- The Deacons have scored 80 points or more in nine consecutive games -- Wake's longest such streak since scoring 80 points or more in the first 10 games of the 1976-77 season.
- In ACC games only, the Deacons lead the league in scoring (90.2 ppg).
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 nine of 17 games this season.
- The Deacs' field goal percentage (49.1) ranks second in the ACC and 23rd in the nation.
- Wake's field goal percentage is its highest since 1992.
- Wake is 13-0 when it shoots a higher field goal percentage than its opponent.
- The Deacons are 15-0 when holding opponents to less than 50 percent shooting (only Illinois and Florida State shot better than 50 percent against Wake Forest).
Paul Playing Like An All-American
For Chris Paul, there is no sophomore jinx.
The second-year point guard is putting up All-American-like numbers, disappointing no one that voted him the preseason national and ACC player of the year.
- Over his last two games, Paul has averaged 27.5 points per contest.
- In ACC play, Paul ranks second in the league in scoring with 20.8 points per game.
- Paul has scored more than 20 points in five of his last eight games.
- He has made his last 23 free throw attempts, including 10-of-10 Jan. 18 at Florida State and 9-of-9 Jan. 15 against North Carolina.
- Paul's free throw percentage (.861) leads the team, ranks fourth in the ACC and would be the eighth-best single-season percentage in Wake Forest history.
- His career free throw percentage (.849) would be the fourth-highest in school history.
- He leads the team in free throws made (93) and attempts (108). Out of the ACC's top 15 free throw shooters, none have made more free throws than Paul.
- Paul shoots a sizzling 57.1 percent (24-of-42) from three-point range, which ranks fourth nationally. Since Dec. 13, Paul is shooting a remarkable 67.9 percent (19-of-28) from behind the arc.
- In ACC games, Paul leads the league in assists (7.0 apg). Overall in the ACC, he ranks second (6.47 apg). He ranks 19th nationally in assists per game.
- He had a career-high 12 assists Dec. 18 against Texas.
- He has already accumulated 293 career assists, which ranks ninth in Wake Forest history.
- With 110 assists and just 48 turnovers this season, he ranks second in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio.
- Paul ranks seventh in the ACC in steals per game (2.0).
- He has 118 career steals in just two seasons.
- The 6-footer can rebound when he needs to do so. He had nine rebounds Jan. 18 at Florida State and he's averaging 4.8 rebounds per game this season.
- He leads the team in minutes played (32.6 mpg).
Paul In Line For Several Awards
- Chris Paul is a midseason finalist for the John R. Wooden Award.
- He is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, which goes to the nation's top college point guard.
- Paul has been named ACC Player of the Week twice this season.
- Dick Vitale named Paul his mid-season National Player of the Year.
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 57.1 percent (24-of-42) from three-point range, which would lead the ACC if he had enough attempts to qualify (he ranks 4th nationally). Since Dec. 13, Paul has shot a remarkable 67.9 percent (19-of-28) from behind the arc. He made seven straight without a miss during one stretch.
This is not just a recent hot streak. For his career, Paul is shooting an even 50.0 percent (64-of-128) from three-point range. That would be the best career three-point percentage in Wake Forest history.
Paul A Bob Cousy Award Finalist
Wake Forest's Chris Paul is one of 19 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, which goes annually to the nation's top college point guard. Paul was also a finalist last year when the award was won by Jameer Nelson of St. Joseph's.
Chris Paul Preseason All-America
Wake Forest's 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's 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 Paul and Hodge joined North Carolina's Rashad McCants and Sean May and Duke's J.J. Redick on the preseason All-ACC team.
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. With 1,106 career points currently, Gray needs 12 more points to pass Jim Johnstone for 32nd place on Wake's all-time 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 (944), Eric Williams (906) and Vytas Danelius (863).
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 16.9 points per game and he 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.
More On Justin Gray
- Gray has made at least one three-point field goal in 37 consecutive games and he has 39 threes in the last 11 games.
- He ranks second in the ACC in three-point goals per game (3.18) behind Duke's J.J. Redick.
- He ranks seventh in the ACC in 3-point percentage (.419).
- Jan. 11 against Maryland, Gray made a season-high six three-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 186 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 15 times in 17 games.
- He ranks first in the ACC and 13th nationally in field goal percentage at 62.5 percent.
- 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 15th in the ACC in scoring (14.9 ppg).
- His rebound average (6.2 rpg) ranks 15th in the ACC.
- Plagued with foul trouble his entire career, Williams has fouled out of just one game this season.
- Williams' career field goal percentage (.566) would rank as the fourth-highest in Wake Forest history.
- He has scored 906 career points.
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 7.6 rebounds per game, which ranks seventh in the ACC.
- Levy ranks eighth in the ACC in offensive rebounds (2.94 pg) and ranks ninth in defensive rebounds (4.71).
- He ranks third on the team with 22 steals and is four 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 (28.6 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 662 career rebounds, Levy ranks 18th in Wake Forest history. With six more boards, he will pass Josh Shoemaker for 17th place.
- Levy has 78 career blocked shots, which ranks 11th in Wake Forest history.
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 329 games. Wake Forest has won 82 games during their careers.
ESPN's "The Season" Following Wake
ESPN's award-winning "The Season" began following the Deacons Jan. 17 and will continue for two weeks. The first Wake Forest show airs Wednesday night at 7 pm on ESPN2.
Downey Plays Best On Biggest Stages
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 23.3 minutes per game and is always on the floor at crunch time. More on Downey:
- At Florida State Jan. 18, Downey's three-pointer with 4.6 seconds sent the game into overtime. He finished the game with a career-high 21 points, including 5-of-7 from three-point range.
- Against third-ranked North Carolina Jan. 15, Downey scored 18 points including three 3-point field goals.
- Against fifth-ranked Illinois, he scored 12 points and made four three-pointers.
- Against 18th-ranked Arizona, Downey recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
- On the road at New Mexico, Downey scored 16 points.
- Downey averages more points per game in ACC games (11.4) than in non-league games (8.0).
- Perhaps the most important statistic related to Downey is that the Deacons have won 82 games in his four-year career with 13 regular season games remaining.
- Downey ranks 8th in Wake history with 322 career assists.
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 50-6 (.893), including an 9-0 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 195-42.
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.
Out of the 4,037 undergraduate students, nearly 2,500 are members of the Screamin' Demons, Wake's student fan club.
"We hadn't faced a crowd like this all season. Some people don't think a crowd can affect anybody's game but when people are rowdy and jumping around it's hard to focus."
-- North Carolina's Rashad McCants
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.
Stanley Will Redshirt In 2004-05
Cameron Stanley, the only freshman on the Demon Deacon roster, is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last December and will redshirt this season. Stanley has practiced with the team all season, but is still trying to get completely comfortable with the knee.
Miscellaneous Notes
- Through Jan. 18, Wisconsin had the nation's longest home court winning streak at 38 games. The last team to beat the Badgers in Madison was Wake Forest on Dec. 4, 2002.
- Wake Forest began ACC play 4-0 for the first time since 1996-97 -- Tim Duncan's senior season.
- 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.
- January 2nd was a good day for the Prosser family. An hour after Wake Forest won its ACC opener at Virginia, Deacon coach Skip Prosser learned of more good news -- Bucknell had registered one of the biggest wins in school history, winning on the road at nationally-ranked Pittsburgh. Prosser's son, Mark, is a second-year assistant coach at Bucknell.
- Wake Forest is facing three coaches this season who have won more than 700 career games -- Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Arizona's Lute Olson and Temple's John Chaney.
- Wake Forest, after capturing the Preseason NIT title in November, is 7-1 all-time in that tournament.
- The Deacons are 28-1 in their last 29 games played in the month of November, including a streak of 10 straight wins.
- Wake Forest has won 11 straight season openers and the Deacons are 71-28 all-time in season openers.
- The Deacons have won 16 consecutive home openers. The last time the Deacons lost their first home game of the season came on Nov. 28, 1988 -- the last season WFU played in Memorial Coliseum. That loss came against Richmond, 74-61.
