Deacons Try To Rebound Saturday Against Princeton
12/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2005
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Game No. 10 / Lawrence Joel Coliseum
#16/16 Wake Forest (7-2) vs. Princeton (2-5)
Tip-Off: 4:02 p.m.
TV: ESPN. Dave O'Brien (play-by-play) and Rick Majerus (color) call the action. Phil Dean is the producer.
Radio: ISP/Deacon Radio Network. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
Records: Wake Forest is 7-2 after an 84-81 loss at home to DePaul Tuesday night. Princeton is 2-5 following a 41-21 loss at home to Monmouth Wednesday night.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 16th in the Associated Press poll and 16th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Princeton is not ranked.
Coaches: Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy `72) is 101-37 (.732) in his fifth season with the Demon Deacons, 266-115 (.698) in his 13th season overall. Princeton coach Joe Scott (Princeton `87) is 17-18 in his second season at his alma mater, 68-81 in six seasons overall.
Series: The all-time series is tied, 1-1.
On Deck: Wake Forest travels to Richmond Dec. 22. Princeton plays Wednesday in Oakland (CA) against Stanford.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Deacons Try To Rebound From Loss
Saturday Against Visiting Princeton
Wake Forest, coming off an upset loss to unranked DePaul Tuesday night, plays its second straight nationally- televised game Saturday against Princeton at Lawrence Joel Coliseum (4:02 p.m./ESPN2).
The 16th-ranked (in both polls) Demon Deacons, 7-2, will try to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time since March of 2004. Wake was out-rebounded for the first time this season in Tuesday's 84-81 loss to DePaul.
Tuesday's loss snapped Wake Forest's 21-game home court winning streak. The Deacons had also won 28 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents.
Princeton, 2-5, scored just 21 points in Wednesday's 41-21 loss to visiting Monmouth. The Tigers are allowing just 54.0 points per game and Princeton attempts almost 24 three-point field goals per game. Princeton's two wins this season came against Lehigh and Wyoming.
Saturday's game marks the third meeting between Wake Forest and Princeton and the first meeting since the Tigers beat the Deacons 69-64 in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 19, 1997. The all-time series is tied, 1-1.
Deacon Streaks And Trends
- Princeton holds teams to just 54.0 points per game. Wake has scored less than 60 points just twice in five seasons under coach Skip Prosser.
- Wake Forest saw its 21-game home court win streak end on Tuesday night against DePaul.
- The Deacons have been ranked in the Associated Press poll for a school record 57 straight weeks and are ranked a season-best 16th this week.
- Wake Forest will play on ESPN or ESPN2 for the fifth time this season.
- Senior guard Justin Gray has scored in double figures in all nine games this season.
More From Tuesday's Loss To DePaul
- Wake Forest suffered just its second home loss in the last 53 games against non-conference opponents.
- The Deacons lost at home for just the seventh time in 69 games under coach Skip Prosser.
- Wake Forest was out-rebounded for the first time since the ACC Tournament last season.
- The Deacons suffered their worst rebound margin (-8) since being out-rebounded by 10 at Temple on Dec. 13, 2004.
- DePaul was the first team this season to shoot 50 percent or better against the Deacons. The last team to do it was West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament last season.
- Wake Forest had a season-low for defensive rebounds (18) and total rebounds (30).
- On a positive note, the Deacons had a season-low 12 turnovers.
Prosser: 100 Wake Wins & Counting
In just four-plus seasons at Wake Forest, head coach Skip Prosser's teams have accumulated 101 victories. His record stands at 101-37.
Prosser's career record is 266-115 (.698) in 13 seasons overall.
In each of Prosser's four previous seasons with the Deacons, Wake Forest has won at least 20 games, produced a winning record in the rugged ACC and earned an NCAA Tournament berth.
Prosser will coach his 139th Wake Forest game Saturday. What his teams have accomplished statistically in his tenure is remarkable:
- Over the last four seasons combined (including this
season), Wake Forest has won 35 ACC games. Only Duke, with 36 wins, has won more league games during that time.
- Wake Forest is 62-7 at home with just two losses coming to a non-conference opponent.
- Prosser's teams are 13-6 in games decided by three points or less.
- His teams are 95-5 when leading with 5:00 remaining.
- Wake Forest has out-rebounded its opponent in 104 of 138 games under Prosser.
- The Deacons have scored 100-plus points nine times.
- Prosser is a combined 42-6 in games played in November and December.
Deacons Try To Start Another Streak
Wake Forest's 21-game home court win streak -- the fifth-longest in the nation at the time -- is in the books after losing to DePaul Dec. 13.
The 21-game home court win streak was the third-longest in school history. The Deacons have won 51 of their last 53 non-conference home games.
Wake Forest In The Polls For A School-
Record 57th Consecutive Week
Wake Forest is ranked 16th this week in the Associated Press poll -- the school-record 57th straight week the Demon Deacons have been ranked in the AP top 25.
Wake broke the school record of 54 held by Deacon teams of the Tim Duncan era from 1995 to 1997.
The Deacons are also ranked 16th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll.
Wake moved up five spots in the AP poll despite not playing a single game last week.
Only Duke, Kentucky and Arizona have been ranked in more consecutive polls than the Deacons.
In five seasons under coach Skip Prosser, Wake Forest has been ranked in the AP poll every week but four.
Six of the ACC's 12 teams are ranked in the national polls this week.
In other polls, Wake Forest is ranked 22nd by CBS Sportsline, 33rd in the Sagarin Ratings and the Deacons own an RPI of 47th.
Wake Frontcourt Deep And Talented
At the center and power forward positions, very few teams have Wake Forest's depth and talent.
"Chris Ellis comes off the bench for them and he could be playing 30-35 minutes a game for almost any team in the country," DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright said.
Ellis (6-9, 267), Eric Williams (6-9, 280), Kyle Visser (6-11, 244) and Kevin Swinton (6-7, 224) team to give Wake Forest great size and strength in the post.
Together, they give the Demon Deacons one of the ACC's best rebounding teams. Wake leads the league in rebounds per game, ranks fourth in rebound margin and has outrebounded eight out of nine opponents this season.
In addition, Wake Forest leads the ACC in blocked shots per game (6.33). This year's version of the Deacons are one of the best shot-blocking teams in recent school history.
It's Simple Math
Wake Forest is undefeated this year when...
... leading at halftime (7-0) and the Deacons are 0-2 when trailing at intermission.
... leading with 10:00 remining in the game (7-0).
... when shooting 50 percent or better (4-0).
... when shooting a higher field goal percentage than the opponent (7-0).
... when shooting 40 percent or better from three-point range (4-0).
On This Date In Deacon History
December 17th -- Wake Forest is 13-6 all-time when playing on this date. The Deacons last played on December 17 in 1999 -- a 79-35 win over visiting High Point.
On Dec. 17, 1985, Muggsy Bogues tied his own school record with eight steals against Georgia Southern.
On Dec. 17, 1977, Wake whipped Indiana State-Evansville 118-73. WFU's 118 points remain as the fifth-most single-game points in school history.
Big E Leading In FG Percentage
Deacon senior Eric Williams has always produced a high field goal percentage. This season, however, he has rarely missed.
Williams leads the ACC and ranks 20th nationally in field goal percentage (.663). He is a remarkable 63-of-95 from the field. Of course, it helps that Williams has 16 dunks this season and 142 dunks for his career.
Williams' career field goal percentage (.589) ranks second in Wake Forest history and 15th in ACC history.
Strickland Has Four Double-Doubles
Senior Trent Strickland, prior to this season, had never recorded a double-double. This season, he leads the ACC with four.
Strickland entered his senior season with a career-high of eight rebounds. This season he has five games with at least 10 rebounds, including a 16-rebound effort against Texas Tech.
Wake vs. Princeton: The Series History
- The all-time series is tied, 1-1.
- Princeton won the last meeting, 69-64, on Dec. 19, 1997. That game was played in East Rutherford (NJ) as part of the Jimmy V Classic.
- The first and only other previous meeting between the two teams came on Dec. 20, 1963 in the Dixie Classic in Raleigh. Wake Forest won that game, 86-67.
- Wake Forest is 13-5 all-time against teams from the Ivy League. Wake's last outing against an Ivy League team came last season -- a 99-72 win over visiting Yale on Nov. 22, 2004.
- Deacon coach Skip Prosser is 2-1 all-time against Princeton with all three of those meetings coming while coaching at Xavier.
- Princeton coach Joe Scott is 0-1 all-time against Wake Forest. While coaching at Air Force, his Falcons lost to the Deacons on Nov. 17, 2000 in Winston-Salem.
- Wake Forest is 12-5 all-time against Division I teams from the Garden State.
Deacon-Tiger Connections
- Both teams have plenty of new faces this season. Wake Forest has just six returning letterwinners from last year. Princeton has just one senior on its roster.
- Both teams have a player from New Mexico -- Wake Forest's Harvey Hale (Albuquerque) and Princeton junior Justin Conway (Santa Fe).
Miscellaneous Items
- Princeton's 21 points against Monmouth Wednesday night tied for the fewest by a Division I team since the three-point shot came inton play in 1986. The 62 combined points were the fewest in a Princeton game since March 14, 1936.
Comparing The Campuses
Wake Forest Princeton
Winston-Salem, NC Location Princeton, NJ
1834 Founded 1746
4,037 Undergrad Enrollment 4,635
Private Private/Public Private
Baptist Former Religous Affiliation Presbyterian
Field Hockey NCAA Dynasty Lacrosse
Marc Blucas Hollywood Notable Brooke Shields
Brian Piccolo Sports Icon Hobey Baker
