Wake Forest Athletics
Basketball Gameday - Wake Forest at ACC Tournament
3/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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| 2011 ACC Tournament Wake Forest at Boston College Thursday, March 10, 2:00 p.m. Greensboro Coliseum | Greensboro, N.C. |
Wake Forest Game Notes  | Boston College Game Notes | Radio: Listen Live | TV: ACC Network (affiliates) |
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest and Boston College are set to square off for the second time in five days when the Demon Deacons and the Eagles meet in the opening round of the 58th annual ACC Tournament on Thursday at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.
Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 2 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network and can also be heard on the Wake Forest Sports Network from IMG College and at WakeForestSports.com.
The Deacons finished the regular season 8-23 overall and 1-15 in the ACC. Wake Forest is seeded 12th in the ACC Tournament and faces the fifth-seeded Eagles, who went 19-11 overall and 9-7 in the ACC. BC finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the final conference standings, along with Clemson and Virginia Tech.
Wake Forest and Boston College met just last Sunday with the Eagles picking up an 84-68 win in Chestnut Hill. The Deacons held the upper hand early on, but the Eagles' 18-2 run midway through the first half proved to be the difference.
Travis McKie, who was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team on Monday, led the Deacons in Chestnut Hill with a career-high 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting. McKie leads the team in both scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg) and is on pace to become just the 10th freshman in ACC history to accomplish the feat.
If he starts Thursday's game against BC, McKie will tie Tim Duncan for the second-most games (32) ever started by a Wake Forest freshman.
Boston College leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 8-3. The Eagles' win on Sunday snapped a three-game losing streak to the Deacons. The teams have never met previously in the ACC Tournament. The last time they met on a neutral court came during the 1981 NCAA Tournament in Tuscaloosa, Ala., when Boston College knocked off No. 11-ranked Wake Forest, 67-64.
| STATISTICAL COMPARISON | ||
| Wake | BC | |
| Overall Record | 8-23 | 19-11 |
| Conference Record | 1-15 | 9-7 |
| Scoring Offense | 67.2 | 72.1 |
| Scoring Defense | 77.0 | 69.0 |
| Scoring Margin | -9.8 | +3.1 |
| Rebounding Offense | 32.6 | 32.2 |
| Rebounding Defense | 37.8 | 33.1 |
| Rebound Margin | -5.2 | -0.9 |
| FG Percentage | .423 | .460 |
| 3-pt FG Percentage | .360 | .383 |
| FT Percentage | .750 | .724 |
| FG Percentage Defense | .454 | .445 |
| 3-Pointers Per Game | 5.8 | 9.1 |
| Assists Ger Game | 11.3 | 15.2 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 15.7 | 10.8 |
| Turnover Margin | -3.4 | -0.3 |
| Assist/Turnover Ratio | 0.7 | 1.4 |
| Steals Per Game | 5.2 | 5.0 |
| Blocked Shots Per Game | 5.5 | 2.6 |
Next Up...
The winner of Thursday's matchup will move on to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals to face No. 4-seeded Clemson on Friday at 2 p.m. The Tigers, who defeated the Deacons 63-49 on Feb. 26 in Clemson, received a first-round bye.
Last Time Out
Wake Forest saw its run of six straight regular season finale wins come to an end, as Boston College dealt the Demon Deacons an 84-68 setback last Sunday at Conte Forum.
Boston College overcame an early 21-15 Wake Forest lead by using an 18-2 run that spanned over six minutes and gave the Eagles a double-digit advantage.
Wake Forest began the game by making seven of its first 10 field goal attempts but followed by making just one of its next six as the Eagles made their decisive run.
The Deacons still managed to shoot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field for the game, including 6-for-15 (40 percent) from 3-point range.
BC, however, shot 58.2 percent (32-for-55) from the field and was 12-for-22 (54.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
Travis McKie led the Deacons with a career-high 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting, including a 3-for-3 mark from beyond the arc. McKie also pulled down a team-high six rebounds, including four offensive boards, and had two blocks and a steal.
Gary Clark scored 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while C.J. Harris had 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting.
Tony Chennault led Wake Forest with four assists, and Carson Desrosiers and Ryan Keenan each dished out two on the afternoon. Desrosiers also registered three blocks.
Keenan played a career-high 14 minutes in the game, while fellow walk-on Brooks Godwin scored his first career field goal on a layup late in the second half.
With Wake Forest holding a 21-15 lead, Boston College went on a quick 7-0 spurt that led into the Eagles' decisive 18-2 run that spanned more than six minutes.
The Deacons fought back to within seven, 35-28, but the Eagles closed the first half with a 9-2 run for a 44-30 lead heading into the locker room. BC outscored Wake Forest 17-5 to start the second period.
Wake Forest at the ACC Tournament
Wake Forest is set to begin play on Thursday in the 58th annual Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. The Deacons are 42-53 all-time in Tournament action.
This year's ACC Tournament will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum, where the Deacons have already played two games this season. Wake Forest defeated Elon, 89-70, on Nov. 20 and then lost to UNC Wilmington, 81-69, on Dec. 12.
Wake Forest has had success in ACC Tournaments held at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Deacons won back-to-back titles at the venue in 1995 and 1996. Wake is 16-20 all-time in ACC Tournaments held in Greensboro.
In the 2006 ACC Tournament held in Greensboro, the 12th-seeded Deacons advanced to the semifinals. Wake upset No. 5 seed Florida State and No. 4 seed NC State before falling to No. 1 seed and eventual Tournament champion Duke.
The 2006 Tournament also marked the last time Wake Forest was the No. 12 seed.
The Deacons have won ACC Tournament titles in 1961, 1962, 1995 and 1996. Wake has advanced to the finals on 10 occasions and to the semifinal round 27 times.
Last season the Deacons earned the No. 5 seed in the ACC Tournament but were upset by No. 12 seed Miami, 83-62, in the opening round.
Wake Forest and Boston College have never met in the ACC Tournament previously. After Thursday's game, the Deacons will have played every ACC team at least once in the conference tournament.
McKie Named to ACC All-Freshman Team
Wake Forest forward Travis McKie has been named to the ACC All-Freshman Team, as announced by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association on Monday.
McKie received 74 out of a possible 75 votes to make the All-Freshman Team. McKie also received two votes in the ACC Rookie of the Year voting.
This marks the fourth straight season that Wake Forest has been represented on the ACC All-Freshman Team. McKie is the 11th Deacon to earn the honor since its creation in 1993.
McKie currently leads the Deacons in both scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg). He is on pace to become just the 10th freshman in ACC history to lead his team in both scoring and rebounding.
A three-time ACC Rookie of the Week, McKie is also on the verge of tying Tim Duncan for the second-most games started by a Wake Forest freshman (32).
Wake Forest in Back-to-Back Meetings
Wake Forest and Boston College will meet for the second consecutive game on Thursday in Greensboro. It will mark the sixth time in the ACC era that the Deacons have closed the regular season and opened the conference tournament against the same opponent.
Four of the five previous occurrences have come against NC State (1957, 1983, 1999, 2005), with the lone other time coming against Florida State (1997).
The last time it happened came in 2004-05 when the Deacons defeated the Wolfpack in the regular season finale in Raleigh and then suffered an upset in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C.
The only time Wake Forest has lost consecutive games to the same opponent came in 1983. The Deacons lost big at NC State, 130-89, to close the season and then narrowly lost to the Wolfpack, 71-70, in the ACC Tournament.
NC State would go on to win the national championship that season, but the Wolfpack may never have made their title run had Wake pulled out the win. The Deacons went on to advance to the NIT semifinals in New York that year.
In 1997, the Deacons were able to post a split with the Seminoles after falling, 59-55, in the regular season finale in Tallahassee. Senior Tim Duncan led Wake Forest to a 66-65 defeat of FSU in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
*See page 3 of the game notes for the complete listing of back-to-back opponents and results.
What's Up Next...
The winner of Thursday's game between Wake Forest and Boston College will advance to the quarterfinals to take on No. 4 seed Clemson on Friday at 2 p.m.
The Tigers finished the regular season 20-10 overall and 9-7 in the ACC. The Tigers posted a 63-49 win over the Deacons on Feb. 26 in Clemson.
Wake Forest is 7-3 all-time against Clemson in ACC Tournament action. The teams last met in the 1998 Tournament in Greensboro when the fifth-seeded Tigers posted a 75-56 defeat of the fourth-seeded Deacons.
