Basketball Gameday - Wake Forest vs. Gonzaga
12/31/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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| Wake Forest vs. Gonzaga Sunday, January 2, 1:00 p.m. Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Winston-Salem, N.C. |
Wake Forest Game Notes  | Gonzaga Game Notes | Radio: Listen Live | TV: FSN (National) | Tickets |
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest will ring in 2011 with a marquee non-conference matchup when the Demon Deacons host perennial power Gonzaga on Sunday afternoon at the Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem.
Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on FSN and can also be heard on the Wake Forest Sports Network from IMG College.
The Demon Deacons (6-7) are coming off a 90-74 setback at Richmond on Wednesday. The loss snapped Wake Forest's 17-game winning streak over Richmond and marked the Spiders' first win in the series since 1990.
Richmond native Travis McKie led the Deacons in the return to his hometown. McKie had team-highs of 19 points and seven rebounds. He led five players in double-figure scoring for the Deacons.
Gary Clark and C.J. Harris had 14 points apiece. Clark went 4-for-5 from 3-point range to push his season mark up to 67.6 percent from beyond the arc. Harris was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line.
Ari Stewart and J.T. Terrell scored 12 and 10 points respectively. Stewart led the Deacons with a career-high five assists.
Wake Forest continues to lead the ACC with five players averaging double figures in scoring. Terrell and McKie are 1-2 in scoring among ACC freshmen.
Gonzaga is 8-5 on the year entering its home game against Oklahoma State on Friday. The Bulldogs have won four straight after enduring a three-game losing streak in early December.
Wake Forest won its only previous meeting with Gonzaga, picking up a 77-75 win at the McCarthey Athletic Center last season in Spokane. Harris and Stewart led the Deacons with 19 and 17 points, respectively. Wake had to battle back from an early 13-point deficit to post the road win.
| STATISTICAL COMPARISON | ||
| Wake | Gonzaga | |
| Overall Record | 6-7 | 8-5 |
| Conference Record | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Scoring Offense | 73.6 | 77.8 |
| Scoring Defense | 74.7 | 67.6 |
| Scoring Margin | -1.1 | +10.2 |
| Rebounding Offense | 35.9 | 38.3 |
| Rebounding Defense | 35.8 | 30.4 |
| Rebound Margin | +0.2 | +7.9 |
| FG Percentage | .458 | .481 |
| 3-pt FG Percentage | .426 | .401 |
| FT Percentage | .759 | .754 |
| FG Percentage Defense | .437 | .409 |
| 3-Pointers Per Game | 6.8 | 6.5 |
| Assists Ger Game | 11.8 | 16.1 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 16.5 | 15.5 |
| Turnover Margin | -4.6 | -0.6 |
| Assist/Turnover Ratio | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| Steals Per Game | 5.4 | 7.2 |
| Blocked Shots Per Game | 6.3 | 3.2 |
Next Up...
Wake Forest will wrap up the non-conference portion of its schedule by hosting Triad-rival High Point on Wednesday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live online at WakeForestSports.com. The Deacons will open ACC play at NC State on Saturday, Jan. 8, at 2:30 p.m. Wake will then host Maryland on Wednesday, Jan. 12.
Last Time Out
Wake Forest saw its 17-game winning streak over Richmond come to an end, as the Spiders pulled away midway through the second half for a 90-74 victory over the Deacons on Wednesday evening at the Robins Center in Richmond.
With the game tied 54-54 at the 11:00 mark, Richmond (11-3) scored 11 straight points over the next minute and a half to take control of the game.
Wake Forest, which had trailed for most of the game but was able to pull even twice early in the second half, could get no closer than six (71-65) the rest of the way.
Richmond native Travis McKie led five Deacons in double figures with 19 points. McKie also led the team in rebounding with seven boards in the return to his hometown.
Gary Clark and C.J. Harris scored 14 points apiece. Clark went 4-of-5 from 3-point range, while Harris was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line.
Ari Stewart scored 12 points and dished out a career-high five assists to lead the Deacons. J.T. Terrell came off the bench to tally 10 points and six rebounds.
As a team, Wake Forest shot 40 percent (24-of-60) from the field, including a 7-for-15 mark (46.7 percent) from 3-point range.
The Deacons went 19-for-21 (90.5 percent) from the free throw line, making 15 straight after starting the game 4-for-6.
Richmond out-rebounded Wake Forest, 37-36, and won the turnover battle with just nine miscues to the Deacons' 16. The Spiders scored 21 points off turnovers.
McKie Shines in Return to Hometown
Freshman forward and Richmond, Va. native Travis McKie played in front of a host of family and friends in Wake Forest's game at the University of Richmond on Wednesday, Dec. 29.
McKie led the Deacons with 19 points and seven rebounds in the 90-74 loss to the Spiders. McKie went 7-for-13 from the field, 1-for-2 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the foul line.
The only blemish to McKie's return were his four turnovers in 36 minutes of play.
McKie starred for Richmond's John Marshall High School from 2007-10, leading the Marshalls to the state semifinals as a sophomore and earning Times-Dispatch Player of the Year honors twice. McKie graduated from Richmond Community High School, which did not field a basketball team.
Deacons Go Small At Richmond
Head coach Jeff Bzdelik started his sixth different lineup at Richmond on Wednesday. Bzdelik went small with all starting five standing 6-8 or shorter.
C.J. Harris and Gary Clark started at the guard positions, while Travis McKie, Nikita Mescheriakov and Ari Stewart started at the three forward spots. Mescheriakov was the Deacons' tallest player on the court at 6-8.
Harris and McKie are the only Deacons to have started all 13 games this season. Stewart and Ty Walker have started nine games apiece.
What's Up Next...
Following the Gonzaga game, the Deacons will wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule by hosting Triad-rival High Point on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
High Point is 5-5 on the year entering its Dec. 31 game at Charleston Southern. The Panthers will also play at Coastal Carolina on Jan. 2 before facing the Deacons.
Wake Forest is 11-1 all-time against High Point, with the only setback coming in 1935. The Deacons defeated the Panthers, 83-60, last season at the Joel Coliseum.
Following the High Point game, Wake Forest will open ACC play at NC State on Saturday, Jan. 8. The Wolfpack have won four of its past five games and are 8-4 on the year entering Saturday's game against San Diego.
The Deacons are beginning conference play against the Wolfpack for the second straight season. The third-most frequent series in ACC history with 231 all-time contests, NC State leads the all-time series 132-99.
Deacons Getting Big Bench Contributions
Despite limited depth, Wake Forest has been getting significant contributions out of its bench so far this season. The Deacons are averaging 21.9 points off the bench on the year.
The Deacon bench has scored 20+ points in four of its past five games and eight times overall this season. At least one reserve has scored in double figures in five straight games.
Wake's reserves scored a season-high 45 points on Dec. 18 at Xavier. The total was buoyed by J.T. Terrell's 27 points, which stands as the most points scored off the bench by an ACC player in 2010-11 and the ninth-most in ACC history.
Gary Clark has three of the top 10 bench-scoring performances in the ACC this season, including 23 vs. Winthrop, 20 vs. UNC Wilmington and 17 vs. Elon.
Terrell leads Wake with 13.6 points per in five games off the bench, while Clark has averaged 13.3 points in six games.
Wake Forest Shooting Consistently
Wake Forest has been one of the ACC's best and most consistent shooting teams so far this season. The Deacons rank fifth in the league at 45.8 percent. Wake also ranks second in 3-point shooting at 42.6 percent and leads in free throw shooting at 75.9 percent.
Boston College, Duke and Wake Forest are the only teams in the ACC to rank in the top five in all three categories.
Wake Forest has been consistent in its shooting efforts this season, with just one game below 40 percent from the field. The Deacons shot 35.2 percent vs. Marist but have been at 40 percent or above in every other contest and at 50 percent or better four times.
Last season, Wake had three games below 40 percent through its first 13 games. The Deacons were below 40 percent 10 times overall in 2009-10.
Deacons Making Their Free Throws
After struggling at the free throw line in recent years, the Deacons have shot well on charity tosses this season.
Wake Forest has gone 230-of-303 at the line for 75.9 percent. That mark leads the ACC and ranks 19th nationally. The mark also threatens the school record of 77.1 percent set during the 1968-69 season.
The Deacons have not ranked higher than ninth in the ACC in free throw percentage each of the past four seasons.
Wake Forest has shot 70 percent or better from the line nine of its 13 games this season. The Deacons have shot 80 percent or better from the line five times.
Seven of eight Deacons who have attempted at least 10 free throws on the year are shooting 73 percent or better. C.J. Harris leads the team and ranks sixth in the ACC at 85.1 percent (57-of-67). Ari Stewart is not far behind at 84 percent (21.of-25).
Wake Hitting From Beyond the Arc
Wake Forest had struggled from 3-point range in recent years, not topping 32 percent in any of the three previous seasons. However, this year's Deacons can shoot the ball.
As a team, Wake Forest has gone 89-of-209 for 42.6 percent from 3-point range. That mark would be a school record, topping the previous best of 42.1 percent in 1995-96.
All-time, the Deacons have shot 40 percent or better from beyond the arc just four times previously.
The Deacons are second in the ACC and rank fourth nationally in 3-point percentage. Wake also ranks fifth in the ACC with 6.8 3-pointers made per game.
Wake Forest ranked 12th and 11th, respectively, in those two categories last season. The Deacs haven't been higher than 11th in 3-point percentage in the past four seasons.
Gary Clark is battling for the ACC lead with an astonishing 7.6 percent (25-37) mark from 3-point range, but he does not have enough made 3-pointers to qualify for the ACC rankings. J.T. Terrell ranks fourth in the ACC at 43.3 percent (26-60) from beyond the arc.
Deacon Foes Not Fouling Out
Not one opposing player has fouled out of a game against Wake Forest this season. A total of 132 players have combined to commit 252 fouls against the Deacons, but not one has accumulated five in a game.
Wake Forest and Alabama are the only teams in NCAA Division I basketball to not have an opposing player foul out yet this season.
Deacons Featuring Balanced Scoring Attack
Wake Forest has had a balanced scoring attack this season, with an ACC-leading five players averaging double figures in scoring.
J.T. Terrell leads the Deacons with 13.7 points per game, while Travis McKie is right behind at 13.5 ppg. Ari Stewart (12.2), Gary Clark (11.8) and C.J. Harris (10.8) round out the Deacons' top five scorers.
Boston College and Duke are the only other ACC teams with at least four players scoring in double figures.
Wake Forest and Miami are the only teams in the ACC with three players ranked among the league's top 20 scorers.
Terrell and McKie are 1-2 in scoring in the ACC among all league rookies. McKie also leads all conference freshmen in rebounding and double-doubles.
The two could become the first pair of rookies to rank 1-2 at Wake Forest in scoring since James Johnson (14.6 ppg) and Jeff Teague (13.9 ppg) in 2007-08.
McKie has led the team in scoring six times, while Terrell has led in scoring in four games, including a 32-point performance against Iowa and a 27-point game at Xavier.
