Deacons Take Five-Game Win Streak To Miami Tuesday
2/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2005
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Game 25
#6/6 Wake Forest (21-3/9-2) at Miami (15-7/6-5)
Feb. 15, 2005 / 7:00 pm / Miami, FL / Convocation Center (7,000) / RSN
Television: Regional Sports Network. Bob Rathbun (play-by-play) and Dan Bonner (color) call the action. Ken Neal 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 21-3 overall and 9-2 in the ACC after its fifth straight victory -- an 87-48 win over visiting Florida State on Saturday. Miami is 15-7 and 6-5 following an 83-77 win at Clemson on Saturday.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Miami is not ranked.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy `72) is 88-32 (.733) in his fourth season with the Demon Deacons, 253-110 (.697) in his 12th season overall. Miami coach Frank Haith (Elon `88) is 15-7 in his first season with the Hurricanes, 15-7 in one season overall.
Series: Wake Forest leads, 3-0.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Deacons Travel To Miami Tuesday To Take On Surprising Hurricanes
Wake Forest, riding a five-game winning streak including a 39-point rout of visiting Florida State on Saturday, plays at Miami, perhaps the ACC's biggest surprise team this season, Tuesday night (7 pm/RSN-TV).
The sixth-ranked Demon Deacons, 21-3 overall and 9-2 in the ACC, played one of their most complete games of the year Saturday in the 39-point win over Florida State. Justin Gray scored 20 points and Eric Williams had 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to lead the Deacons.
Wake Forest is one of the nation's highest-scoring teams (86.2 ppg) and the Demon Deacons also rank among the national leaders in field goal percentage (.495) and three-point field goal percentage (.401).
Miami, 15-7 and 6-5, defeated Maryland and Clemson last week to move into fourth place in the ACC standings. The Hurricanes scored on 10 of their final 13 possessions Saturday to win at Clemson, 83-77.
Wake Forest won the previous meeting with Miami this season -- a 94-82 win in Winston-Salem on Jan. 29. The Hurricanes made 13-of-25 three-point field goals and out-rebounded the Deacons, 36-34.
The Demon Deacons lead the all-time series, 3-0.
Today's Tip-Off
- The Deacons enter Tuesday's game in first place in the ACC standings -- one-half game ahead of North Carolina and one full game in front of Duke.
- Wake Forest already has as many ACC wins (9) this season than it had all of last season. The Deacons are one win away from double-figure league wins for just the second time in the last eight seasons.
- Eric Williams has five double-doubles in his last six games.
Deacons Rout Florida State, 87-48
Justin Gray scored 20 points, Eric Williams had 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds and No. 6 Wake Forest avenged a heartbreaking loss earlier in the season by routing Florida State 87-48 on Saturday.
Taron Downey ran his streak of 3-pointers to six before finally missing and finished with 14 points for the Demon Deacons, who lost in overtime at Tallahassee three weeks ago. In that one, he missed a free throw with less than a second left in regulation that would have won it, a lost opportunity that he had a difficult time forgetting.
Wake Forest dominated almost from the start.
Von Wafer had 16 points for the Seminoles, who tied it at 17 midway through the first half before their troubles began. They couldn't hold on to the ball, and when they did, shots that had been going in clanged off the rim. With that, the Deacons got their vaunted running game going.
Trent Strickland converted a pass from Gray into a layup, the start of a 31-11 run to close the half. Florida State was 1-of-11 at one point and had 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, while Wake Forest got points on 11 of 12 possessions to take control.
More From Saturday's Win vs. FSU
- The 39-point margin of victory was Wake Forest's largest ever against Florida State (previously 24 points -- 90-66 on Jan. 8, 1994) and it was Wake's largest margin against an ACC opponent since Jan. 12, 2002 when Wake beat Clemson 96-55.
- The Deacons held the opponent to less than 50 percent shooting for the 20th time this season (WFU is 20-0 in those games).
- Wake out-rebounded its opponent for the 18th time this season (WFU is 18-0 in those games).
- Wake had its largest rebound margin (49-27) since Dec. 18, 2002 when it out-rebounded SC State, 59-21.
- Sophomore Chris Paul had a career-high seven steals.
- Junior Eric Williams had a career-high 14 rebounds -- the most rebounds by a Deacon player this season.
Deacons On Five-Game Winning Streak
Wake Forest's five-game winning streak began with a 94-82 win over Miami on Jan. 29.
Over the last five games, Wake Forest has outscored opponents by 17.0 points per game and the Deacons have out-rebounded opponents by 8.4 boards per game. Wake Forest has shot a sizzling 52.3 percent over the last five games.
Wake 6-2 vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams
- Wake Forest is 6-2 this season against nationally-ranked teams with wins over then No. 18 Arizona, No. 14 Texas, No. 25 Virginia, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 20 Cincinnati and No. 4 Duke, and losses on the road at No. 5 Illinois and No. 22 Georgia Tech.
- Wake's wins against ranked teams have come at home (Texas, North Carolina and Duke), on the road (Virginia and Cincinnati) and at a neutral site (Arizona).
- Wake Forest defeated George Washington, which was not ranked at game time, but was later ranked. The Deacons also beat Maryland, which had been ranked all season until the day before playing Wake Forest.
- The Deacons have their most wins against ranked teams since going 6-4 in 1996-97 -- the last season Wake posted a winning record against ranked clubs.
- The Deacons defeated two ranked teams before Christmas for the first time in school history.
Wake Forest-Miami Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 3-0.
- The Demon Deacons beat the Hurricanes 94-82 on Jan. 29 in Winston-Salem.
- The Jan. 29 game was the first meeting between the Demon Deacons and Hurricanes in almost 13 years.
- The first meeting between the two teams -- a 46-17 Wake Forest victory -- came in the 1939-40 season.
- Deacon coach Skip Prosser is 1-0 all-time against the Hurricanes.
- Miami coach Frank Haith is 0-1 all-time against Wake Forest. Haith was an assistant at Texas last season when the Longhorns handed the Deacons their first loss of the season.
The Last WFU-Miami Meeting
Wake Forest broke open a 63-63 tie by going on a 16-4 run en route to a 94-82 win over Miami Jan. 29 in Winston-Salem. Eric Williams scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Justin Gray added 20 points for the Demon Deacons. Anthony Harris led the Hurricanes with 28 points.
Miami made 10-of-11 three-point field goal attempts in the first half and the Hurricanes out-rebounded the Demon Deacons, 36-34.
Miscellaneous Stuff
- Wake Forest will face a former Deacon assistant coach for the third time this season. The Deacs beat Elon and coach Ernie Nestor earlier this season and Wake beat Frank Haith's Miami team, 94-82, on Jan. 29.
- How has Wake Forest fared against ACC "expansion" teams? In 1992, the Deacons were swept by newcomer Florida State. In 1980, Wake swept newcomer Georgia Tech.
Frank Haith A Former Deacon Assistant
Had Frank Haith remained as an assistant coach at Texas, he would have returned to Winston-Salem earlier this season when the Longhorns played the Deacons. As it turns out, Haith returned as a head coach in the ACC.
Haith, a 1988 Elon graduate, is in his first season as head coach at Miami.
Haith first served as an assistant coach at Wake Forest in 1990 under Dave Odom. He returned to Wake Forest in 1998 as an assistant and served again under Odom for four seasons.
More Deacon-Hurricane Connections
- Wake Forest director of basketball operations Tim Fuller worked briefly in a similar capacity at Miami before returning to his alma mater prior to this season.
- Fuller played at Wake Forest when Miami's Frank Haith was a Deacon assistant coach.
- Miami junior Eric Wilkins and Wake Forest juniors Justin Gray and Richard Joyce all played previously at Oak Hill Academy.
- Miami sophomore Anthony King hails from Durham, NC.
- Deacon senior Jamaal Levy played high school basketball in south Florida at Berkshire Academy.
Downey Scores 1,000th Point
Senior Taron Downey scored his 1,000th career point Feb. 10 against NC State, becoming the third Demon Deacon this season and the 44th player in Wake history to eclipse 1,000 career points.
Junior Eric Williams scored his 1,000th career point Feb. 2. Junior Justin Gray scored his 1,000th point Dec. 30 against North Carolina A&T in just his 66th career game.
Senior Vytas Danelius has scored 917 career points and sophomore Chris Paul has 813 points in just two seasons.
Only six schools have produced more 1,000-point scorers than Wake Forest.
Skip Prosser Earns 250th Career Victory
Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser gained his 250th career victory Feb. 2 against Duke. Prosser is now 253-110 (.697) in 12 seasons as a head coach.
More on Prosser:
- Prosser's teams have won 20 games or more in nine consecutive seasons.
- His winning percentage since joining the ACC (.733) is the fifth-highest in the 52-year history of the league. Only Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Vic Bubas and Bill Guthridge produced higher winning percentages.
- Prosser's record in ACC play is 40-19 (.678).
- Prosser is the only coach in NCAA history to lead three schools to the NCAA Tournament in his first season at each school -- Loyola (MD), Xavier and Wake Forest.
Deacons 5-1 In The Close Ones
Wake has played its share of barn-burners this season:
- Wake Forest has played six games decided by four points or less and the Deacons are 5-1 in those games.
- Wake Forest has won nail-biters at home (89-88 over No. 14 Texas and 92-89 over No. 4 Duke), on the road (67-64 at Temple and 74-70 at Cincinnati) and at neutral sites (63-60 vs. No. 18 Arizona).
- In Skip Prosser's four years, the Deacs are 11-5 in games decided by three points or less, 21-10 in games decided by five points or less and 38-19 in games decided by 10 points or less.
- The Deacs have played two overtime games this season.
21-3 Start One Of Wake's Best Ever
- Wake Forest's 21-3 record ties for the second-best start in school history percentage-wise -- impressive when considering the Deacons' difficult schedule.
- The last time Wake Forest started 21-3 came more than 75 years ago in 1926-27.
- The Deacons have won 20 games or more in each of the last four seasons.
- Wake Forest clinched a winning season for the 15th consecutive year.
- The Deacons have won 88 games over the last four seasons combined -- all under coach Skip Prosser -- to average 22 wins per season.
- Wake Forest is two wins away from its 90th victory in a four-year span. That has happened only three times previously in Deacon history.
Deacons Inch Up To No. 6 In The Polls
Wake Forest moved up from No. 7 to No. 6 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls this week after beating Duke and Virginia Tech.
The Deacons have been in the AP top 25 for 46 consecutive weeks. The school record for consecutive weeks ranked is 54, set from the start of the 1994-95 season through March 10, 1997. The Deacons have been ranked in the top 10 for 13 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.
Nation's Toughest Schedule?
Wake Forest's schedule is proving to be one of the strongest in the nation:
- Wake Forest, according to the Sagarin Ratings, has the nation's third-most difficult schedule.
- Six of the 25 teams in the Associated Press poll are Wake Forest opponents -- #1 Illinois, #2 North Carolina, #7 Duke, #12 Arizona, #21 Cincinnati and #23 Texas.
- Five different Deacon opponents are receiving votes for one or both major polls.
- Wake Forest is the only ACC school to play four games against non-conference ranked opponents.
- The Deacons have already played eight teams that were ranked at tip-off -- Illinois, Arizona, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Duke.
Wake Forest Undefeated When...
... (21-0) when holding opponents to less than 90 points.
... (20-0) when holding opponents below 50 percent shooting.
... (20-0) when leading with 5:00 remaining.
... (18-0) when Wake has more rebounds than its opponent.
... (18-0) when leading at the half
Lighting Up The Scoreboard
- Wake Forest ranks third nationally in scoring (86.2 points per game) -- the Deacons' highest scoring average since 1976 and the second-highest scoring average in school history.
- In ACC games, the Deacons rank first in the league in scoring at 90.4 points per game.
- Wake scored more than 90 points in three straight games (from Jan. 27-Feb. 2) for the first time since 1993.
- The Deacons have scored 80 points or more in 15 out of the last 16 games.
- Wake has scored at least 81 points in all 11 ACC games.
- Wake has scored at least 100 points twice this season and eight times in the Skip Prosser era.
Making `Em When It Counts
Wake Forest, which shoots 69.8 percent from the free throw line, has shot 75.8 percent (113-149) from the line in the final five minutes of games this season.
Similar Pattern In Wake's Three Losses
In Wake Forest's 21 wins this season, the Deacons have been dominant on the boards and stubborn on defense. In three losses, the Deacons have done neither well.
In all three losses -- road defeats at Illinois, Florida State and Georgia Tech -- the Deacons allowed at least 91 points. Opponents average 94.7 points in the Deacons' three losses.
In all three, Wake Forest found itself down by double-figures in the first half. At Florida State and Georgia Tech, Wake erased the double-digit deficits and sent those games into overtimes.
The most glaring indicator of Wake Forest's success is field goal percentage defense. Deacon opponents shot better than 50 percent against Wake four times this season, including all three losses.
Rebounding is another concern. Wake Forest is 18-0 when out-rebounding the opponent and just 2-2 when the Deacons have less boards than the opponent.
The Deacons took considerably more three-point attempts in the three losses. That statistic is skewed as Wake attempted to erase big deficits and twice the game went into overtime.
Paul In Line For Several Awards
- Chris Paul is a midseason finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy.
- 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.
- He was the ESPN.com National Player of the Week and ESPN's Big Man On Campus Jan. 17.
- Dick Vitale named Paul his mid-season National Player of the Year.
- Paul was named the co-Male Athlete of the Year by USA Basketball, an award he shares with North Carolina's Sean May.
- He was the leading vote-getter for the Associated Press Preseason All-America team.
- Paul edged NC State's Julius Hodge for pre-season ACC Player of the Year honors by a 38-to-35 count. Paul and Hodge joined North Carolina's Rashad McCants and Sean May and Duke's J.J. Redick on the preseason All-ACC team.
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 who voted him the preseason national and ACC player of the year.
- Paul can score -- he averages 14.7 points per game -- but Paul is more concerned about getting everyone involved. He averages just 9.0 field goal attempts per game.
- Paul ranks among the ACC leaders in six different statistical categories -- assist-turnover ratio, assists, free throw percentage, steals, scoring and minutes played.
- Paul leads the ACC in assist-turnover ratio (2.60).
- He ranks second in the ACC and 13th nationally in assists (6.71).
- Paul ranks second in the ACC in steals (2.42).
- He would lead the ACC by a comfortable margin in three-point field goal percentage (.531), but he is two field goals shy of qualifying for the rankings.
- He scored in double figures in 10 straight games from Dec. 15-Jan. 22.
- He made 27 consecutive free throws without a miss from Jan. 11-Jan. 22.
- Paul's free throw percentage (.832) ranks sixth in the ACC.
- His career free throw percentage (.838) is the fifth-highest in school history.
- He leads the team in free throws made (119).
- Paul shoots a sizzling 53.1 percent (34-of-64) from three-point range, which ranks eighth nationally. Since Dec. 13, Paul is shooting a remarkable 58.0 percent (29-of-50) from behind the arc.
- In ACC games, Paul leads the league in assists (7.2 apg).
- He had a career-high 12 assists Dec. 18 against Texas.
- He has dished out at least six assists in 12 consecutive games.
- He has already accumulated 345 career assists, which ranks eighth in Wake Forest history.
- Paul's 161 assists this season are the ninth-most single-season assists in Wake Forest history.
- He has almost 100 more assists (161) than turnovers (62).
- He has 142 career steals in just two seasons, which ranks eighth all-time at Wake Forest.
- His 58 steals this season are the 12th-most single-season stills in school history.
- Paul had a career-high seven steals Feb. 12 against Florida State.
- The 6-footer had nine rebounds Jan. 18 at Florida State and he's averaging 4.4 rebounds per game this season.
- He leads the team and ranks ninth in the ACC in minutes played (32.8 mpg).
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 53.1 percent (34-of-64) from three-point range, which ranks eighth nationally. Since Dec. 13, Paul has shot a remarkable 58.0 percent (29-of-50) 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 49.3 percent (74-of-150) from three-point range, which is the highest percentage in Wake Forest history.
Paul A Midseason Finalist For Naismith
Wake Forest sophomore guard Chris Paul is one of 30 midseason finalists for the Naismith Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation's top college player.
The Lewisville (NC) native has previously been named a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and the Bob Cousy Award. He has been named ACC Player of the Week two times, and ABC/ESPN analyst Dick Vitale named Paul his national midseason player of the year.
Paul is one of eight ACC players on the Naismith Trophy list of 30 midseason candidates.
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 a team-high 17.0 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 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 44 consecutive games.
- He has averaged 18.7 points over his last six games.
- Gray ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring (17.0 ppg) and in ACC games only, he ranks third in the league in scoring (18.8 ppg.).
- He ranks second in the ACC in three-point goals per game (2.96) behind Duke's J.J. Redick.
- He ranks ninth in the ACC in 3-point percentage (.397).
- 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 203 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.
- He ranks 15th in the ACC in field goal percentage (.438) and 10th in free throw percentage (.775).
- 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" A Solid All-ACC Candidate
Junior center Eric Williams, who has battled inconsistency during his career, has been Wake Forest's most consistent player thus far this season while establishing himself as a legitimate All-ACC candidate. More on "E-Rex":
- Over the six games, Williams has been one of college basketball's hottest players, averaging 18.8 points and 11.8 rebounds while shooting 60.9 percent.
- He has earned double-doubles in five of the last six games.
- Williams has scored in double-figures a team-high 22 times in 24 games.
- He scored a career-high 29 points Jan. 22 at Cincinnati and his 13 field goals were the most by a Deacon in the Skip Prosser era.
- Williams grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds Feb. 12 against Florida State.
- He ranks first in the ACC and sixth nationally in field goal percentage at 62.8 percent.
- Williams' field goal percentage would be the second-highest single-season percentage in Wake Forest history.
- Williams' career field goal percentage (.574) would rank as the fourth-highest in Wake Forest history.
- He has shot less than 50 percent in a game just four times this season.
- He ranks eighth in the ACC in scoring (16.5 ppg), sixth in ACC games only (17.0 ppg).
- His rebound average (7.5 rpg) ranks sixth in the ACC. In ACC games only, he ranks third (9.7 rpg).
- Williams ranks 12th in the ACC in blocks (1.08 bpg).
- Plagued with foul trouble his entire career, Williams has fouled out of just one game this season.
- On Feb. 2, Williams became the 43rd player in Wake Forest history to score 1,000 career points.
- Williams was named ACC Player of the Week Jan. 31.
Deacons Eye 200th Win In The Joel
Wake Forest has always enjoyed success within the friendly confines of Lawrence Joel Coliseum. The Demon Deacons are 199-42 (.826) all-time at The Joel.
That winning percentage is even higher recently. In Skip Prosser's four seasons with the Deacons, Wake is 54-6 (.900), including an 13-0 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.
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 averages 6.9 rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in the ACC.
- He has more than 100 career steals (101).
- Levy and Justin Gray are the only Deacons to start every game this season.
- 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 then-school record with 10 offensive rebounds against Richmond (since broken by Eric Williams).
- With 698 career rebounds, Levy ranks 14th in Wake history. With six more boards, he will pass Guy Morgan for 13th place.
- Levy was named captain of SportsIllustrated.com's All-Glue Team by writer Seth Davis.
- Levy has 82 career blocked shots, which ranks 11th in Wake Forest history.
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 23.5 minutes per game and is always on the floor at crunch time. More on Downey's clutch performances:
- Feb. 5 at Virginia Tech, after the Hokies cut the lead to seven, Downey hit a three-pointer to ignite a 14-0 run and seal the victory.
- Feb 2 vs. Duke, Downey made two free throws with :02 remaining in a 92-89 win over the Blue Devils.
- Jan. 27 at Georgia Tech, Downey hit two free throws with 19 seconds left to erase a 17-point deficit and send the game into overtime.
- Jan. 22 at Cincinnati, Downey sank two free throws with two seconds remaining to secure a 74-70 Deacon victory.
- 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 18th-ranked Arizona, Downey recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
- Downey averages more points per game in ACC games (11.6) than in non-league games (7.5).
- Perhaps the most important statistic related to Downey is that the Deacons have won 88 games in his four-year career with six regular season games remaining.
More On Taron Downey
- In ACC games, Downey is shooting 51.1 percent (24-of-47) from three-point range, which ranks first in the league.
- Downey's free throw percentage (.885) would rank third in the ACC if he had enough attempts to qualify.
- His free throw percentage, if it stands, will be the highest single-season percentage in Wake Forest history.
- His career free throw percentage (.848) ranks fourth in Wake history.
- He has made his last 14 free throw attempts and has not missed a free throw since Jan. 18.
- Downey scored his 1,000th career point Feb. 10 against NC State.
- Downey ranks 9th in Wake history with 342 career assists.
Small Enrollment, Big Crowds
Wake Forest has an undergraduate enrollment of just 4,037 (6,444 including graduate students), so one might think there would be plenty of empty seats in the 14,665-seat Lawrence Joel Coliseum for 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
Senior Class A Diverse, Successful 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 350 games.
Wake Forest has won 88 games during their careers. Only three senior classes in Deacon history won more games over a four-year period. The Deacons have won 73.3 percent of their games over the last four years.
Also, over the last four years, Wake Forest has...
... won an ACC regular season title in 2003 -- its first outright regular season crown in more than 40 years.
... played in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and will certainly play in a fourth straight. The last Wake Forest senior class to play in four straight NCAA Tournaments included Tim Duncan.
... advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004 for the first time since 1996.
... defeated every ACC team, with the exception of newcomers Virginia Tech and Miami, at least three times.
... produced a .500 record or better against every ACC team, with the exception of Duke (Wake is 3-5 vs. the Blue Devils over the last four years).
... has won at every venue in the ACC with the exception of Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium.
... produced a record of 14-9 against Big Four rivals North Carolina, NC State and Duke combined, including a 6-1 mark vs. UNC.
... produced an ACC record of 40-19, second only to Duke and just ahead of Maryland in winning percentage.
... been ranked in the Associated Press top 25 for 46 consecutive weeks, including 13 straight weeks in the top 10.
... risen to No. 1 in the national polls for the first time in school history.
... defeated 16 nationally-ranked teams including six ranked opponents this season.
... earned a record of 54-6 in Lawrence Joel Coliseum, including a current streak of 13 in a row.
... produced a record of 38-19 in games decided by 10 points or less.
... played on regional or national television 99 times.
Williams Breaks Record For O-Rebounds
Wake Forest junior Eric Williams broke the Wake Forest single-game record Feb. 2 against Duke for offensive rebounds. Eleven of his career-high 13 rebounds came on the offensive end, breaking the record held previously by teammate Jamaal Levy and Loren Woods.
Deacons Set NCAA Free Throw Record
Wake Forest broke an NCAA record Jan. 18 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.
The previous record of 49 consecutive free throws made was held by Indiana State in 1991.
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.
Gray, Paul On Wooden Midseason List
Wake Forest guards Justin Gray and Chris Paul are two of 30 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, which goes annually to the nation's top player. Gray and Paul are two of eight ACC players on the list of 30.
Deacs: 9 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 Redshirting 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.
New Banners On Display
Wake Forest has new banners in Lawrence Joel Coliseum, recognizing all former Demon Deacons who have their jerseys retired. In addition, there are banners for NCAA Tournament participation, ACC championships and ACC regular season titles.
Paul Receives USA Basketball Honor
USA Basketball teammates Sean May of North Carolina and Wake Forest's Chris Paul, who helped lead the 2004 USA World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team to a gold medal, were selected USA Basketball co-Male Athletes of the Year by the USA Basketball Executive Committee. The announcement was made Dec. 28.
"I'm still trying to figure out how this happened," said a stunned Paul. "This is such an honor. Sean is so deserving of this, he had a great summer. He was huge for our team. But I know that neither Sean nor I could have done this without our teammates."
As the co-USA Basketball Male Athletes of the Year, May and Paul have been nominated to the U.S. Olympic Committee for consideration of its 2004 Male Athlete of the Year Award.
Miscellaneous Notes
- 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.
