Demon Deacons Set to Face Towson in NIT Opener

Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's basketball team will face Towson in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday, March 16 inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum at 7 p.m.

Wednesday's matchup will be the first all-time meeting between the Demon Deacons (23-9, 13-7) and Tigers (25-8, 15-3 CAA), and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN+. Fans can follow along via the Demon Deacons Twitter and Instagram accounts (@WakeMBB).

News & Notes:

After finishing the regular season with a program-record-tying 13 ACC wins, Wake Forest will make a postseason appearance for the first time since appearing in the First Four during the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
- The team's 10 ACC-win improvement from last season marks the best year-over-year improvement in conference record in ACC history.
- Additionally, the team's 17-game improvement year-over-year is tied for the third-best turnaround in NCAA history, behind Towson (2021, 4-14; 2022, 25-8), Iowa State (2021, 2-22; 2022, 20-11), Middle Tennessee (2021, 5-18; 2022, 23-10), Texas A&M CC (2021, 5-19; 2022, 23-11), and Vermont (2021, 10-5; 2022, 28-5).
Wake Forest has now compiled seven NIT appearances and owns a combined NIT record of 10-5 going into Wednesday.
- Wake Forest's last trip to the NIT came in 2006, when the team was defeated by Minnesota in the first round.
- The 1999-00 Demon Deacons won the 2000 NIT, defeating Notre Dame 71-61 in the title game.
A victory over Towson would provide Wake Forest with its seventh 24-win season in program history, and first 24-win season since 2008-09 (24-7).
The Demon Deacons enter postseason action boasting the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Coach of the Year in Alondes Williams and Steve Forbes.
- With Dave Clawson winning Coach of the Year honors in football, Wake Forest is the first ACC program since Virginia Tech in 2004-05 to have Coaches of the Year in both Men's Basketball and Football.
Alondes Williams (38 points away) and Isaiah Mucius (56 points away) are both approaching the 1,000 career-point threshold.
- With Daivien Williamson (1,319) and Jake LaRavia (1,043) having already reached that milestone, Wake Forest could have four active players with 1,000 career points.
In addition to his ACC Player of the Year Award, Alondes Williams (615 points, 167 assists) is just one point away from joining Randolph Childress (644 points, 167 assists in 1994-95) as the only Demon Deacons to rank inside the top 15 of the program's single season scoring and assists leaderboard.
- Williams is currently the only player to lead the ACC in scoring (19.22) and assists (5.22) since the conference began tracking assists in 1972.
Several players currently rank on the program's all-time leaderboards:
- Alondes Williams: 615 points ranks 16th, 167 assists ranks tied for 12th.
- Isaiah Mucius: 67 made three-pointers ranks tied for 14th.
- Dallas Walton: 45 blocked shots ranks tied for 24th.
- Jake LaRavia: 51 steals ranks 21st
- Daivien Williamson: .870 free throw percentage ranks 6th, 59 three-pointers ranks tied for 19th.

Standout Stats:
Wake Forest finished in the top five in the ACC in multiple statistical categories during league play, both offensively and defensively:

1st in field goal percentage (.491)
1st in scoring offense (78.6)
1st in fouls drawn (17.3/game)
2nd in field goal % defense (.416)
2nd in assists (15.6/game)
3rd in rebounding (36.9/game)
4th in made free throws (12.7/game)
5th in 3-point field goal % defense (.333)
5th in blocks (3.9/game)

Ticket Information
Single game tickets are still available with prices starting at $15.

Last Time
Wake Forest vs. Boston College (March 9, 2022)
Result: L, 82-77 (OT)

Series History
Versus Towson
Series: First Meeting

Up Next
With a victory over Towson, Wake Forest will advance to the second round and face either VCU or Princeton this weekend.

Tipoff in LJVM Coliseum and broadcast information will be announced when made available.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jake LaRavia

Isaiah Mucius

Dallas Walton

Alondes Williams

Daivien Williamson

Wake Forest Athletics