Deacons Host Charleston Southern Friday Night
12/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2005
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Game No. 12 / Lawrence Joel Coliseum
#22/24 Wake Forest (9-2) vs. Charleston Southern (5-4)
Tip-Off: 7:05 p.m.
TV: None.
Radio: Wake Forest ISP Sports Network. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
Records: Wake Forest is 9-2 after a methodical 47-40 win at Richmond Dec. 22. Charleston Southern is 5-4 following a 91-74 victory over visiting Newberry Dec. 22. The Buccaneers host Southern Wesleyan Dec. 28.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 22nd in the Associated Press poll and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Charleston Southern is not ranked.
Coaches: Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy `72) is 103-37 (.736) in his fifth season with the Demon Deacons, 268-115 (.699) in his 13th season overall. Charleston Southern coach Barclay Radebaugh (East Tennessee State `87) is 5-4 in his first season with the Buccaneers, 26-12 in two seasons overall as a head coach.
Series: Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 1-0.
On Deck: Wake Forest hosts East Carolina Jan. 3 at 9 p.m. Charleston Southern plays at VMI Jan. 5.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Wake Forest Will Close Out 2005 Jan. 30th Against Charleston Southern
Wake Forest, coming off consecutive low-scoring victories against Princeton and Richmond, closes out the 2005 calendar year Jan. 30 against Charleston Southern at Lawrence Joel Coliseum (7:05 p.m./no TV).
The 22nd-ranked (24th in ESPN/USA Today) Demon Deacons, 9-2, began Christmas break after a less than perfect 47-40 win at Richmond Dec. 22. The Deacons shot just 30 percent, committed 15 turnovers to go with just six assists, but earned an important road victory over the Spiders.
The win over Richmond followed a 61-42 win over Princeton on Dec. 17.
Charleston Southern, 5-4 heading into a Dec. 28 home game against Southern Wesleyan, snapped a three-game losing streak Dec. 22 by beating visiting Newberry, 91-74. Trent Drafts scored 21 points and Vernon Huger had a double-double in the Buccaneers' victory.
The Dec. 30 game will be just the second meeting ever between Wake Forest and Charleston Southern. The Deacons won the only previous meeting, 70-65 in in Winston-Salem on Dec. 17, 1986.
Deacon Streaks And Trends
- In 11 games this season, Wake Forest has been out-rebounded just once and the Deacons have held their opponent to less than 50 percent shooting 10 times.
- Wake Forest saw its 21-game home court win streak end earlier this season, but the Demon Deacons have won 52 of their last 54 non-conference home games.
- Call it Swashbuckler Week. Wake hosts the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern Dec. 30, followed by the Pirates of East Carolina Jan. 3.
- The Deacons have been ranked in the Associated Press poll for a school record 59 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 11 games this season.
Win At Richmond Wasn't Pretty, But It Goes Down In The Record Books
Wake Forest, one of the nation's top-scoring teams over the last few seasons, scored just 47 points in a 47-40 win at Richmond Dec. 22.
Not since the dawn of the ACC in 1953-54 has Wake Forest won a game while scoring fewer points. The previous modern day record of 48 points came in a 48-42 win over Maryland on Feb. 20, 1982.
The combined 87 points in the Richmond game was the fewest since Feb. 23, 1980 when Wake Forest and NC State combined for 85 points.
More from the Richmond game:
- Wake's 12 field goals were its fewest in a game since 1968.
- Just five Deacon players scored -- the fewest in a game since Dec. 28, 1998 against Utah.
- Richmond's 40 points were the fewest by a Wake Forest opponent since High Point scored just 35 points (a modern day record) on Dec. 17, 1999.
- Richmond's 14 first-half points tied for the fourth-fewest single-half points by a Deacon opponent.
- The Spiders' 13 field goals tied for the second-fewest by a Wake Forest opponent.
- Richmond's field goal percentage (26.0 percent) was the lowest by a Wake opponent since High Point shot 22.2 percent on Dec. 17, 1999.
- The Spiders' first-half field goal percentage (18.2 percent) was the lowest in any half by a WFU opponent since Clemson shot 13.6 percent in the first half on Feb. 21, 2001.
Fewest Points In A Win/Since 1953-54
Points (Score) Opponent Site Date
47 (47-40) Richmond A Dec. 22, 2005
48 (48-42) Maryland H (gr) Feb. 20, 1982
49 (49-48) (12) Arkansas A Jan. 31, 1982
49 (49-48) Georgia Tech H (ws) Feb. 16, 1980
50 (50-46) NC State A Feb. 27, 1982
Fewest Combined Points/Since 1953-54
Points (Score) Opponent Site Date
78 (34-44) (3) North Carolina A Jan. 8, 1959
85 (41-44) NC State H (ws) Feb. 23, 1980
87 (47-40) Richmond A Dec. 22, 2005
89 (43-46) Clemson H (ws) Jan. 25, 1986
Fewest Field Goals/Since 1953-54
FGs Opponent Site Date
10 Maryland H (ws) Feb. 7, 1959
12 Richmond A Dec. 22, 2005
12 (8) Duke H (ws) Feb. 22, 1968
12 NC State A Jan. 16, 1960
12 (3) North Carolina A Jan. 8, 1959
12 Brigham Young ral (dc) Dec. 30, 1952
Fewest Opponent Points/Since 1953-54
Points (Score) Opponent Site Date
35 (35-79) High Point H Dec. 17, 1999
37 (37-62) Appalachian State H (ws) Jan. 7, 1987
38 (38-53) Georgia Tech H (gr) Feb. 6, 1982
40 (40-47) Richmond A Dec. 22, 2005
41 (41-80) Maryland ral* Feb. 28, 1963
Fewest Opponent Points In A Half/Since 1953-54
Points (Half) Opponent Site Date
9 (1st) Clemson A Feb. 21, 2001
12 (1st) Appalachian State H (ws) Dec. 10, 1983
13 (2nd) Campbell H Dec. 9, 1989
14 (1st) Richmond A Dec. 22, 2005
14 (1st) Bethune-Cookman H Dec. 30, 2002
14 (1st) Wisconsin H Nov. 30, 1999
14 (2nd) VMI H Jan. 5, 1994
Fewest Opponent Field Goals/Since 1953-54
FGs Opponent Site Date
10 High Point H Dec. 17, 1999
13 Richmond A Dec. 22, 2005
13 Appalachian State H (ws) Jan. 7, 1987
13 (8) Duke H (ws) Feb. 22, 1968
13 Davidson H (ws) Dec. 10, 1959
13 Virginia H (ws) Jan. 31, 1957
Prosser: 102 Wake Wins & Counting
In just four-plus seasons at Wake Forest, head coach Skip Prosser's teams have accumulated 103 victories, meaning his Deacons have averaged 20.6 wins per season during his tenure.
Prosser's record at Wake Forest stands at 103-37 (.736). His career record is 268-115 (.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 141st Wake Forest game Friday. 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 97-5 when leading with 5:00 remaining.
- Wake Forest has out-rebounded its opponent in 105 of 140 games under Prosser.
- The Deacons have scored 100-plus points nine times under Prosser.
- Prosser is a combined 44-6 in games played in November and December.
On This Date In Deacon History
December 30th -- Wake Forest will play for the 31st time on this date and the Deacons are 17-13 all-time when playing on December 30th. Wake last played on this date in 2004, a 98-76 win over visiting North Carolina A&T.
On Dec. 30, 1983, the Deacons scored 112 points on the road against Rollins and shot 63.9 percent in the process.
Brigham Young, of all schools, figures prominently into Wake Forest history on this date. On Dec. 30, 1969, Wake Forest beat the Cougars, 108-93, in the Dixie Classic. The Deacons' 66 first-half points in that game remains tied for the second-most single-half points in school history. On Dec. 30, 1952, Wake shot the lowest field goal percentage in school history (18.8 percent), also against BYU.
On Dec. 30, 1994, Tim Duncan blocked eight shots against Marshall.
On Dec. 30, 1961, Len Chappell scored 37 points in a loss to 10th-ranked Duke.
Wake Forest vs. Charleston Southern: The Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 1-0.
- The Demon Deacons won the only previous meeting, 70-65, on Dec. 17, 1986 in Winston-Salem.
- Wake Forest is 49-6 all-time against teams currently in the Big South Conference.
- The Deacons are 1-0 against Big South teams this season with a win over UNC-Asheville.
- Deacon head coach Skip Prosser has never coached against Charleston Southern.
- Wake Forest is 188-83 all-time against Division I teams from the state of South Carolina.
Deacon-Buccaneer Connections
- Wake Forest's Justin Gray and Charleston Southern's Terrell Brown and V.J. Fails all hail from Charlotte.
- Deacon junior Michael Drum previously played college ball in South Carolina at Presbyterian College.
- Buccaneer coach Barclay Radebaugh was an assistant coach in the ACC last season at Miami.
- Radebaugh has previously coached in North Carolina as the head coach at Queens College in Charlotte.
- Charleston Southern assistant coach J.D. Powell played in the ACC at Clemson from 1998-2000.
- Wake Forest's Chris Ellis and Trent Strickland and Charleston Southern's Isaac Jones were all born in Atlanta.
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's current home court win streak stands at one.
Wake Forest In The Polls For A School-
Record 59th Consecutive Week
Wake Forest is ranked 22nd this week in the Associated Press poll -- the school-record 59th 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 remained at 22nd in the AP poll and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today poll for the second straight 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 64th in the Sagarin Ratings and the Deacons own an RPI of 73rd.
Seven Wake Forest opponents are ranked in either the AP or ESPN/USA Today top 25.
Rebounding A Real Deacon Strength
Rebounding is always an emphasis of a Skip Prosser-coached team and this season is no different.
Wake Forest ranks 11th nationally in rebound margin (+8.6). In 11 games this season, the Deacons have been out-rebounded just once.
More on the Deacons' rebounding:
- Trent Strickland (8.5 rpg) ranks fifth in the ACC in rebounding, Eric Williams (7.9) ranks eighth and Kyle Visser (6.5) ranks 16th.
- Wake is close to producing a rebound margin of +9.0 or higher for just the third time 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.
- 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.
Fewest Opponent Rebounds/Wake 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
Most Rebounds In Wake Forest History
Reb Opponent Site Date
73 Virginia H Jan. 7, 1961
66 Texas Tech New York Nov. 18, 2005
64 Appalachian State H Dec. 18, 1975
64 Marquette H Dec. 14, 1963
64 Tennessee H Jan. 18, 1960
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, including a 5-4 mark under coach Skip Prosser.
It's Simple Math
Wake Forest is undefeated this year when...
... leading at halftime (9-0) and the Deacons are 0-2 when trailing at intermission.
... leading with 10:00 remining in the game (9-0).
... when shooting 50 percent or better (5-0).
... when shooting a higher field goal percentage than the opponent (9-0).
... when shooting 40 percent or better from three-point range (5-0).
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 37.9 percent shooting, ranking second 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 seven of its opponents to less than 40 percent shooting, including two foes to less than 30 percent shooting.
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 ninth nationally in field goal percentage (.682). He is a remarkable 75-of-110 from the field. Of course, it helps that Williams has 20 dunks this season and 146 dunks for his career.
His 68.2 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 18th in the ACC in scoring (13.9 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 fifth in the ACC in rebounding (8.5 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 58.0 percent from the field, which which would rank sixth in the ACC if he had enough attempts to qualify.
- Last year Strickland played an average of 16.9 minutes per game. This season he is playing 34.4 minutes per contest, ranking sixth in the ACC.
- Strickland was named MVP of the 2k Classic Winston-Salem Regional.
- He was named ACC Player of the Week Nov. 14.
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 16.3 points per game (10th in the ACC) to go with 7.9 rebounds (8th in the ACC), a team-best 1.4 steals per game and 1.0 blocked shots per contest.
"Big E" is also shooting 68.2 percent, which leads the ACC and ranks ninth 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 255 career three-point field goals -- tied for the third-most in Wake Forest history and the 15th-most in ACC history.
Gray is one three-point field goal away from passing Craig Dawson for sole possession of 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 60 of his last 62 games.
He has attempted 676 career three-point field goals, ranking third in Deacon history.