Deacons Face Road Test Thursday At Richmond
12/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2005
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Game No. 11 / Robins Center / Richmond, VA
#22/24 Wake Forest (8-2) at Richmond (4-4)
Tip-Off: 7:05 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports South. Mike Hogewood (play-by-play) and Smilin' Dan Bonner (color) call the action. Ken Neal 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 8-2 after running away from visiting Princeton, 61-42, on Saturday. Richmond is 4-4 heading into Tuesday night's home game against Old Dominion.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 22nd in the Associated Press poll and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Richmond is not ranked.
Coaches: Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy `72) is 102-37 (.734) in his fifth season with the Demon Deacons, 267-115 (.699) in his 13th season overall. Richmond coach Chris Mooney (Princeton `94) is 4-4 in his first season with the Spiders, 22-16 in two seasons overall.
Series: Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 34-9.
On Deck: Wake Forest will break for the holidays before hosting Charleston Southern Dec. 30. Richmond plays at Tulane Dec. 27.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Wake Forest Plays On The Road Thursday Against The Richmond Spiders
Wake Forest, coming off a 19-point win over Princeton Saturday, will face the Princeton-style offense again Thursday night when the Deacons play at Richmond (7:05 p.m./Fox Sports South).
The 22nd-ranked (24th in ESPN/USA Today) Demon Deacons, 8-2, patiently held off Princeton, 61-42, Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem. The Deacons shot 54.5 percent from the floor and set a school record by holding the Tigers to just 15 rebounds.
Richmond, coached by Princeton graduate Chris Mooney, runs a similar scheme. The Spiders, 4-4, are holding opponents to just 50.5 points per game.
Richmond, which hosts Old Dominion Tuesday night, owns a two-game losing streak after road defeats at Louisville and VCU.
Thursday's game is the final contest before Christmas break for both teams.
Wake Forest leads the all-time series with Richmond, 34-9. The Demon Deacons have won the last 13 meetings. The two teams have met in each of the five previous seasons. Thursday's meeting is the first in Richmond since a 68-62 Wake Forest win at the Robins Center on Jan. 4, 2003. More series information can be found on page three.
Deacon Streaks And Trends
- In 10 games this season, Wake Forest has out-rebounded its opponent nine times and the Deacons have held their opponent to less than 50 percent shooting nine times.
- Wake Forest has won its last two road games -- a 78-59 win at Elon Dec. 3 and a 55-53 victory at NC State on March 6, 2005.
- The Deacons have won their last four non-conference road games -- at Elon this season and at Cincinnati, New Mexico and Temple last year.
- The Deacons have been ranked in the Associated Press poll for a school record 58 straight weeks and are ranked 22nd this week (24th in the ESPN/USA Today poll).
- Senior guard Justin Gray has scored in double figures in all 10 games this season.
More From Saturday's Princeton Win
- Wake Forest enjoyed its largest rebound margin (+24) since out-rebounding SC State by 28 on Dec. 18, 2002 (59-21).
- Eric Williams made 7-of-8 field goal attempts (.875), raising his ACC-leading field goal percentage to .680.
- Wake Forest had season-lows for points scored (61), free throws (7), free throw attempts (16), free throw percentage (.438) and personal fouls (11).
- Princeton's 42 points were the fewest by a Deacon opponent this season.
- The Tigers also produced Deacon opponent season-lows for points in a half (18), field goals (15), field goal attempts (44), free throws (2), free throw attempts (2), offensive rebounds (4), defensive rebounds (11), total rebounds (15) and personal fouls (2).
Princeton's 15 Boards A Wake Record
Wake Forest held Princeton to just 15 rebounds Dec. 17, breaking a Deacon school record that had stood for 15 years.
Wake out-rebounded Princeton 39-15.
Princeton's 15 rebounds broke the record of 16, set by Richmond on Jan. 15, 1990.
Fewest Opponent Rebounds/Wake Forest History
REB OPPONENT SITE DATE
15 Princeton H Dec. 17, 2005
16 Richmond H Jan. 15, 1990
17 NC State A Feb. 27, 1982
17 (12) NC State H (gr) Jan. 17, 1982
17 Georgia Tech H (ws) Feb. 16, 1980
17 Colgate (ot) Charlotte Dec. 17, 1956
Prosser: 102 Wake Wins & Counting
In just four-plus seasons at Wake Forest, head coach Skip Prosser's teams have accumulated 102 victories, meaning his Deacons have averaged 20.4 wins per season during his tenure.
Prosser's record at Wake Forest stands at 102-37. His career record is 267-115 (.699) 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 140th Wake Forest game Thursday. 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 63-7 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 96-5 when leading with 5:00 remaining.
- Wake Forest has out-rebounded its opponent in 105 of 139 games under Prosser.
- The Deacons have scored 100-plus points nine times.
- Prosser is a combined 43-6 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 52 of their last 54 non-conference home games.
Wake Forest In The Polls For A School-
Record 58th Consecutive Week
Wake Forest is ranked 22nd this week in the Associated Press poll -- the school-record 58th straight week the Demon Deacons have been ranked in the AP top 25.
Wake recently broke the school record of 54 straight weeks ranked held by Deacon teams of the Tim Duncan era from 1995 to 1997.
The Deacons are also ranked 24th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll.
Wake dropped six spots in the AP poll and eight spots in the ESPN/USA Today poll this week.
Only Duke and Kentucky 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 69th in the Sagarin Ratings and the Deacons own an RPI of 90th
Seven Wake Forest opponents are ranked in either the AP or ESPN/USA Today top 25.
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 and rebound margin. The Deacons have out-rebounded nine out of 10 opponents this season.
In addition, Wake Forest leads the ACC in blocked shots per game (6.11). 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 (8-0) and the Deacons are 0-2 when trailing at intermission.
... leading with 10:00 remining in the game (8-0).
... when shooting 50 percent or better (5-0).
... when shooting a higher field goal percentage than the opponent (8-0).
... when shooting 40 percent or better from three-point range (5-0).
Wake vs. Richmond: The Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 34-9.
- The Demon Deacons have won the last 13 meetings, including a 90-73 win in Winston-Salem last season.
- The two teams will meet for the sixth consecutive season.
- Wake Forest has won the last five meetings played in Richmond. The Deacons are 14-7 all-time against the Spiders in Richmond.
- Three of the last four meetings in Richmond have been decided by eight points or less.
- The Wake-Richmond series history began during the 1920-21 season.
- Wake Forest is 84-61 all-time against teams currently in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Deacons will play A-10 member Charlotte later this season.
- Last season Wake went 3-0 against A-10 opponents with wins over Richmond, George Washington and Temple.
- Deacon head coach Skip Prosser is 4-0 all-time against Richmond.
- Wake Forest is 183-101 all-time against Division I teams from the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Deacons have already played George Mason and Wake will play Virginia and Virginia Tech later this season.
Deacon-Spider Connections
- Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser is familiar with the Atlantic 10 Conference after previously serving in that conference as the head coach at Xavier.
- Deacon assistant coach Pat Kelsey played in the A-10 for Xavier.
- Richmond freshman Jarhon Giddings hails from Winston-Salem, where he attended Reynolds High School.
- Wake's Cameron Stanley and UR's Monty Sanders are both from Raleigh, NC.
- Deacon senior Justin Gray attended high school in Virginia at Oak Hill Academy. Wake senior Trent Strickland attended prep school in Virginia at Hargrave Academy.
- Wake Forest assistant athletic director for sports medicine Greg Collins previously worked at Richmond.
On This Date In Deacon History
December 22nd -- Wake Forest is 9-7 all-time when playing on this date. The Deacons played on December 22nd last season -- an 81-64 win at The Pit against New Mexico.
Wake Forest and Richmond will meet for the third time on Dec. 22. The Deacons beat the Spiders in Winston-Salem in 1990, 82-56. At Richmond in 1978, Wake took two overtimes to finally overcome the Spiders. In that game, Wake Forest was whistled for a remarkable 36 personal fouls.
On Dec. 22, 1987, Wake Forest scored 104 points and still lost the game -- 106-104 in overtime to visiting Coastal Carolina.
On Dec. 22, 1984, Wake Forest had zero steals against Temple -- one of only six games in Deacon history that WFU had no steals.
Rebounding A Real Deacon Strength
Rebounding is always an emphasis of a Skip Prosser-coached team and this season is no different.
Wake Forest leads the ACC in both important rebound categories -- rebound margin (+9.5) and rebounds per game (42.6). In fact, the Deacons rank 11th nationally in rebound margin.
More on the Deacons' rebounding:
- Trent Strickland (8.8 rpg) ranks third in the ACC in rebounding, Eric Williams (7.8) ranks 10th and Kyle Visser (7.4) ranks 14th.
- It's still early in the season, but Wake has produced a rebound margin of +9.0 or higher just twice in school history. In 2003, the Deacons led the nation in rebound margin (+9.7). In 1961, Wake used a +9.0 margin to help win its first ever ACC championship.
- Wake Forest has out-rebounded nine of its 10 opponents this season.
- On Dec. 17 against Princeton, Wake out-rebounded the Tigers 39-15, setting a school record for fewest rebounds by an opponent.
- Wisconsin entered its game against Wake with a +12.7 rebound margin. The Deacons out-rebounded the Badgers, 45-36.
- Against Texas Tech on Nov. 18, the Deacons pulled down 66 rebounds -- the second-most single-game boards in school history.
Close Games The Norm For Wake
If playing close games is good experience for March, Wake Forest should be well-prepared for the postseason.
The Demon Deacons have played five games decided by five points or less. No other team in the ACC has played in more than three such games.
Wake is 3-2 in games decided by five points or less.
Deacons 2-0 In Overtime Games
This year's Wake Forest team has already done something last year's team did not do -- win an overtime game.
And the Deacons have done it twice.
Wake beat George Mason in overtime on Nov. 11, then topped Texas Tech in double-overtime on Nov. 18. Last year the Deacons went 0-3 in overtime games, including a double-overtime loss to West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Wake Forest is the only ACC team so far this season to play in an overtime contest.
The Deacs have a long way to go to tie the school and ACC record of seven overtimes in one season, set in 1984.
Wake Forest is 46-47 all-time in overtime games.
Defense Has Been Better This Season
The statistics show that Wake Forest is a much better defensive team this season.
The Deacons are holding opponents to 38.8 percent shooting, ranking third in the ACC for field goal percentage defense. Last year Wake Forest opponents shot nearly 44 percent.
Only DePaul shot better than 48.1 percent against the Deacons. Wake has held six of its opponents to less than 40 percent shooting.
Wake Forest also leads the ACC in blocked shots per game (6.11).
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 (.680). He is a remarkable 70-of-103 from the field. Of course, it helps that Williams has 18 dunks this season and 142 dunks for his career.
His 68.0 field goal percentage, if it held throughout the season, would shatter the Wake Forest single-season record of 63.5 percent.
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.
Strickland May Be One Of The Nation's
Most Improved Players
For three years, Deacon senior Trent Strickland played behind NBA first-round draft pick Josh Howard and Jamaal Levy. This year, Strickland has left the shadows and is one of the most improved players in the ACC.
- Strickland has nearly tripled his scoring averaging from a year ago. He ranks 16th in the ACC in scoring (15.1 ppg).
- He leads the ACC in double-doubles with four -- the first four double-doubles of his career.
- Entering this season, Strickland had never pulled down more than eight rebounds in a game. He has five double-figure rebound games this season including 16 against Texas Tech on Nov. 18.
- Strickland ranks third in the ACC in rebounding (8.8 rpg).
- He made his first six three-point field goal attempts of the season and is currently shooting 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from behind the arc.
- Strickland has already made 11 three-point field goals. He made 10 all of last season.
- He is shooting 59.3 percent from the field, which ranks fifth in the ACC
- Strickland was named MVP of the 2k Classic Winston-Salem Regional.
- He was named ACC Player of the Week Nov. 14.
Strickland's Yearly Improvement
Season G-GS Ppg Rpg FG% FT% 3Pt-A
2005-06 10-10 15.1 8.8 .593 .731 11-23
2004-05 31-2 5.9 3.5 .489 .592 10-38
2003-04 30-6 6.4 3.4 .482 .545 13-34
2002-03 31-0 4.3 1.9 .377 .788 7-20
Williams On Track For Monster Year
Wake Forest senior Eric Williams, who flirted with the NBA Draft before returning to school, is off to the start he had hoped for.
Williams is averaging 16.6 points per game (9th in the ACC) to go with 7.8 rebounds (10th in the ACC), a team-best 1.5 steals per game and 1.0 blocked shots per contest.
"Big E" is also shooting 68.0 percent, which leads the ACC and ranks 20th nationally.
He scored in double figures in 21 straight games until that streak ended Nov. 18 against Texas Tech. He has scored at least 20 points in a game three times this season.
Justin Gray One Of The Most Prolific Three-Point Shooters In ACC History
Senior guard Justin Gray has made 251 career three-point field goals -- the fourth-most in Wake Forest history and the 15th-most in ACC history.
Gray is five three-point field goals away from passing Craig Dawson for third place on the Wake Forest career list. He has a chance to become just the ninth player in ACC history to sink 300 career three-pointers.
Gray has made at least one three-point field goal in 59 of his last 61 games.
He has attempted 668 career three-point field goals, ranking third in Deacon history.
He Can Do More Than Just Shoot
Don't think that Justin Gray is a one-dimensional player. He excels in every area of the game:
- He leads the team and ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring (18.4 ppg).
- Gray leads the team and ranks sixth in the ACC in free throw percentage (.822).
- He leads the team and ranks 10th in the ACC in assists per game (3.9).
- He ranks fourth in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage (.380).
- Gray ranks fifth in the ACC in minutes played per game (34.5).
- He was named ACC Player of the Week Dec. 5, an honor he has earned three times in his career.
- His 37 points against Wisconsin Nov. 29 tied a Lawrence Joel Coliseum record and also tied an ACC/Big Ten Challenge record.
- Gray is the third-leading active career scorer in the ACC with 1,529 points. He ranks 17th on Wake Forest's all-time scoring list.
- He ranks fourth among active players in the ACC for career assists with 280. He ranks 13th on Wake's all-time career assists list.
Not Bad For A Non-Scholarship Guy
Junior transfer Michael Drum may be a non-scholarship player, but he's not your typical walk-on. Drum played two seasons at Presbyterian College before transferring to Wake Forest, where his mother is employed.
Drum started in the season opener, becoming the first non-scholarship player to start for the Deacons since Jim Fitzpatrick in 1999-00. Drum started the first four games of the season. Fitzpatrick made five starts as a walk-on senior.
Even when coming off the bench, Drum has been solid. He averages 6.2 points per game and has made 10 three-point field goals. Drum is one of Wake's best free throw shooters at 76.9 percent.
Hale Not Freezing Over
Freshman Harvey Hale was inserted into the starting lineup at point guard Nov. 21 against UNC-Asheville. Since then, the Deacons have gone 5-1.
Hale is averaging 4.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. But more importantly, Hale has allowed Justin Gray to see more time at his natural position of shooting guard.
The Albuquerque (NM) native, who committed to Wake Forest before even seeing the campus, has been solid running the point. He has more assists (20) than turnovers (19).
Not Quite Like Dad, But Pretty Good
Senior Chris Ellis isn't the perimeter shooter his dad, Dale, was at Tennessee and in the NBA. Then again, few are.
Chris, however, has emerged as a dangerous three-point shooter, despite a somewhat awkward shot. He is 11-of-20 (.550) from three-point range this season.
Ellis had no three-pointers as a freshman or sophomore, and he made 11 all of last season as a junior.
Ellis would lead the ACC in three-point percentage, but does not have enough attempts to qualify. He ranks fourth in the ACC in blocked shots per game (2.0).
