Wake Forest Athletics
Basketball Gameday - Wake Forest vs. Virginia Tech
2/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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| Wake Forest vs. Virginia Tech Tuesday, February 22, 7:00 p.m. Lawrence Joel Coliseum | Winston-Salem, N.C. |
Wake Forest Game Notes  | Virginia Tech Game Notes | Radio: Listen Live | TV: ESPN2 | Tickets |
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest is set to host ACC-rival Virginia Tech on Tuesday evening at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and can also be heard on the Wake Forest Sports Network from IMG College and at WakeForestSports.com.
The teams are meeting for the second time this season after the Hokies posted a 95-64 defeat of the Deacons on Jan. 15 in Blacksburg. Wake scored the first seven points of the game and held Virginia Tech scoreless for over three minutes. However, the Hokies used a decisive 17-2 run midway through the first period to take control of the game. Gary Clark led the Deacons with 16 points, going 3-for-4 from 3-point range.
Entering the rematch, the Deacons (8-19, 1-11) are coming off an 84-66 setback to Florida State on Saturday in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest led by two, 33-31, at halftime, but FSU used a big run early in the second period to take control.
Freshman Travis McKie paced the Deacons with game-highs of 20 points and eight rebounds. Tony Chennault, Ari Stewart and J.T. Terrell each chipped in 12 points on the afternoon.
Virginia Tech (17-8, 7-5 ACC) comes in following a 61-54 loss at rival Virginia on Saturday. The Hokies have gone 6-3 since beating the Deacons on Jan. 15.
Virginia Tech leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 27-26. It marks the Hokies' first lead in the series since 1977 when they led 20-19.
The Hokies' last two trips to Winston-Salem have made for memorable games. On Dec. 23, 2007, Wake Forest rallied from eight down with 82 seconds remaining to win 77-75 on an Ishmael Smith buzzer-beater. On Jan. 21, 2009, Virginia Tech upset unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Wake Forest, 78-71.
| STATISTICAL COMPARISON | ||
| Wake | VT | |
| Overall Record | 8-19 | 17-8 |
| Conference Record | 1-11 | 7-5 |
| Scoring Offense | 68.6 | 72.0 |
| Scoring Defense | 77.2 | 62.5 |
| Scoring Margin | -8.7 | +9.5 |
| Rebounding Offense | 33.3 | 35.0 |
| Rebounding Defense | 38.1 | 32.4 |
| Rebound Margin | -4.8 | +2.5 |
| FG Percentage | .426 | .462 |
| 3-pt FG Percentage | .375 | .337 |
| FT Percentage | .756 | .719 |
| FG Percentage Defense | .447 | .409 |
| 3-Pointers Per Game | 6.1 | 5.6 |
| Assists Ger Game | 11.3 | 13.2 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 15.7 | 12.7 |
| Turnover Margin | -3.9 | +2.2 |
| Assist/Turnover Ratio | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| Steals Per Game | 5.0 | 6.6 |
| Blocked Shots Per Game | 5.9 | 4.0 |
Next Up...
Wake Forest will wrap up the month of February by playing at Clemson on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m. It will be the Deacons' first meeting with the Tigers this season. The game will be televised regionally by Fox Sports Net. The Deacons will then return home to host Georgia Tech for Senior Night on Thursday, March 3, at 8 p.m. Wake ends the regular season at Boston College on Sunday, March 6, at noon.
Last Time Out
Florida State rallied from a two-point halftime deficit to sweep past Wake Forest 85-66 on Saturday afternoon at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
The Seminoles swept the season series with the Deacons, which included an 85-61 decision in Tallahassee.
Saturday's loss overshadowed a strong performance by Travis McKie who turned in game-high totals of 20 points and eight rebounds.
J.T. Terrell, Tony Chennault and Ari Stewart each contributed 12 points. Terrell dished out three assists to lead Wake Forest, while Stewart pulled down five boards off the bench.
The Seminoles' defense proved to be a problem for Wake Forest, especially in the second half, as they held the Deacons to 32.8 percent shooting (19-of-58) while shooting 44.8 percent (26-of-58) themselves, including 53.1 percent in the second half (17-of-32).
The Seminoles utilized their size advantage inside, holding a 41-37 advantage on the boards and outscoring the Deacons 38-22 in the paint.
The two sides played a hotly-contested first half with the Deacons taking a 33-31 lead into the halftime break. Wake Forest led by as many as eight (14-6) in the first half.
However, FSU proved to be too much in the second half, starting the period on a 17-6 run and never looking back.
It marked the first time this season that Wake Forest had lost after holding a halftime lead. It also marked the Deacons' first halftime lead since the High Point game on Jan. 5.
What's Up Next...
Following the Virginia Tech game, the Deacons will wrap up the month of February by playing at Clemson on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m. The Tigers are 18-9 overall and 7-6 in the ACC. Clemson is idle until hosting Wake Forest on Saturday.
Wake Forest leads the all-time series with Clemson, 98-52. The Deacons have won three straight and five of their past six meetings with the Tigers.
Following the Clemson game, Wake Forest will host Georgia Tech on Thursday, March 3, at 8 p.m. The Yellow Jackets are 11-15 overall and 3-9 in the ACC entering Wednesday's game against Virginia. GT will also play at NC State on Sunday.
The Yellow Jackets posted a 74-39 win over the Deacons on Jan. 19 in Atlanta. Wake Forest leads the all-time series with Georgia Tech, 36-34.
McKie Leading Deacons in Scoring & Rebounding
Freshman forward Travis McKie leads Wake Forest with both scoring and rebounding this season. McKie is averaging 12.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
McKie is trying to become the fifth freshman in school history to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding. The four others include Dickie Hemric in 1952, Chris King in 1989, Rodney Rogers in 1991 and James Johnson in 2008.
McKie is also trying to become just the 10th freshman in ACC history to lead his team in both scoring and rebounding.
*See page 3 of the game notes for the complete listing of freshmen who led their team in both scoring and rebounding.
Deacons Approaching Individual Records
As the 2010-11 regular season winds down, a number of Demon Deacons are looking to cement their places in the school's single-season record books. For the complete listing, see page 3 of the game notes.
Deacons Lead ACC in Free Throw Percentage
After struggling at the free throw line in recent years, the Deacons have shot well on charity tosses this season.
Wake Forest has gone 447-of-591 at the line for 75.6 percent. That mark leads the ACC and ranks 17th nationally.
The Deacons have not ranked higher than ninth in the ACC in free throw percentage each of the past four seasons. The last time Wake Forest led the ACC in free throw percentage was 1994-95 when the Deacons shot 76.4 percent.
The Deacons are threatening the school record of 77.1 percent set during the 1968-69 season. Wake Forest has shot 75 percent or better from the line in just eight previous seasons and not since 2002-03.
Wake Forest has shot 70 percent or better from the line in 21 of its 27 games this season. The Deacons have shot 80 percent or better from the line 12 times and 90 percent or better four times, including a 10-for-10 performance at North Carolina on Feb. 15.
Seven Deacons are shooting 71 percent or better from the line. C.J. Harris' 83.4 percent (126-151) leads the team and ranks fifth in the ACC. Ari Stewart (83.0) and Gary Clark (81.0) are both above the 80 percent mark for the season.
Wake Forest Among Nation's Best in Blocked Shots
Wake Forest has been one of the nation's best shot-blocking teams this season. The Deacons currently rank second in the ACC and ninth nationally with 5.9 blocks per game.
As a team, Wake Forest has totaled 158 blocks on the season. That is the sixth-best total in school history. The Deacons are on pace to break the school record of 182 blocks set during Tim Duncan's senior season in 1996-97.
A trio of Deacons have registered the majority of blocks for the team this season: Ty Walker (75), Carson Desrosiers (45) and Travis McKie (28).
Walker ranks second in the ACC and 16th nationally with 2.8 blocks per game. Walker's 75 total blocks ranks sixth on the school's single-season list, and the 7-0 junior has already broken Tim Duncan's single-game blocks record.
Desrosiers is sixth in the ACC and 82nd nationally with 1.7 blocks per game. The 7-0 center ranks second among ACC freshmen in blocks per game and is also tied for second among all players in conference games only (2.2 bpg).
Desrosiers' 45 blocks this year ranks 17th on the school's single-season list.
*See page 4 of game notes for listing of school's single-season team blocks records.
