Wednesday, March 20
Winston-Salem, N.C.
8:00 p.m.
Wake Forest University
vs
App State
Photo by: Seth Seebaugh
No. 1 Seed Deacs to Host App State in First Round of 2024 NIT
3/19/2024 3:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Postseason basketball returns to LJVM Coliseum this week.
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Media Center | Gameday Information | Tournament Central | Online Bracket
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest men's basketball team's postseason journey will continue into the 2024 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) this week, as the team earned a No. 1 seed this past Sunday (March 17). Up first for the Demon Deacons (20-13) is a Wednesday night (March 20) matchup versus App State (27-6), inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The contest will tip off at 8 p.m. ET and be broadcast live on ESPN+.
This is the second postseason appearance in the Steve Forbes era, with Forbes in his fourth season at the helm of the Deacs. Wake Forest made it to the quarterfinals of the NIT in 2022, during Forbes' second year.
The Deacs most recently faced Pitt in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament (March 14).
Wake Forest requests that all fans in attendance at the game adhere to all Athletics events rules and protocols. This includes all postgame procedures that allow for the competing student-athletes, coaches, and officials to exit the court safely.
Ticket Information
Tickets are on sale now for $20 for reserved lower level and $15 for youth under 18. The first 1,250 Wake Forest students will receive a complimentary ticket and free food in the student pregame fan zone through the Screamin' Demon rewards app, courtesy of Wake Forest Deacon Club donors. After the first 1,250 student tickets are claimed, additional student tickets will be available for $10 each.
About the NIT
This year features the 86th edition of the annual NIT, as a new format for 2024 includes two exempt teams from each of six conferences: Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC.
For the third-straight season, the NIT seeded only the top half of the 32-team field. The bottom 16 unseeded teams were placed into the bracket by the NIT Committee as close to their area of natural interest as possible.
The full schedule layout can be found below:
Last Time Out
Trailing by 19 points with 13 minutes left in the second half, Wake Forest men's basketball fought hard in a near comeback versus Pitt last Thursday (March 14) before eventually falling to the No. 4 seeded Panthers, 81-69, in the ACC Quarterfinals at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
An Efton Reid III layup with 12:10 left in the game ignited a 26-10 run that brought the Deacons (20-13, 11-9 ACC) within three points of Pitt (22-10, 12-8 ACC) with 4:16 left in the game at 65-62. During the run, junior guard Hunter Sallis had 11 points while senior forward Andrew Carr added seven points during the stretch.
The Deacs were led in the scoring column by junior guard Cameron Hildreth, who notched 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Thursday marked his first 20-point scoring effort since having 25 points against Florida State on January 9th. It was also his eighth-consecutive game with double-digit points and 26th time overall this season.
Sallis finished with 15 points, with 12 coming in the second half, in addition to four rebounds, four assists and four steals. He has scored double-digits in all but one of his 33 games in a Wake Forest uniform.
Carr nearly had his second double-double in as many days at the ACC Tournament, posting 13 points including going 7-of-9 from the free throw line while alo pulling down a game-high nine rebounds.
Reid III scored in double-digits for the fifth time in the last six games and seven of his last nine games, as he contributed 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting with five rebounds, a block and a steal. Over the last six games, he is averaging 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Thursday marked Wake Forest's 57th appearance in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals since the tournament's inception in 1954. It also involved the first time since 2007 that Wake Forest made consecutive appearances in the quarterfinals. The Deacs have advanced in the tournament 32 times throughout program history.
Racking Up Accolades
Over the last week, Hunter Sallis has earned several postseason awards for his stellar play during the 2023-24 regular season:
Additionally, for the third straight year, Wake Forest has had a First Team honoree for the conference's postseason awards:
Sallis leads the Deacs in scoring for the season, averaging 18.1 points per game, while also contributing 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals a night.
The Omaha, Nebraska native is also a top-10 league individual in field goal percentage (.493),
Close to Entering the Club
Deacon guards Cameron Hildreth and Kevin Miller are 16 and 32 points, respectively, away from crossing the 1,000th-point plateau in their collegiate careers.
For the year, the duo has stood out within the Wake Forest roster to combine for 952 points, 202 assists and 78 steals.
Cameron Hildreth
More Time at Home
Wake Forest holds an impressive 47-6 record at home since the start of the 2021-22 season, including a 16-1 mark this season. This year has seen the most single-season home wins in program history since the 2021-22 campaign when Wake Forest finished with a mark of 18-2. Additionally, it is the first time since the 2008-09 season that the Deacs have had one or fewer losses at LJVM Coliseum. The Demon Deacons overall wins since the start of the 2021-22 season rank tied for second in the country and leads the ACC during that time frame.
Single-Season Home Wins in Program History:
Series History
Versus App State
Series: Wake Forest leads, 21-0
Last: Dec. 14, 2022
Result: W, 67-66
The Scout
App State enters the NIT with a 27-6 overall record and went 16-2 versus Sun Belt competition during the regular season, setting program records for both most overall and conference wins in a single year. The Mountaineers are coming off an appearance in the semifinals of the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, suffering a 67-65 loss to Arkansas State, after winning the Sun Belt regular season title.
Last season, Wake Forest faced App State inside LJVM Coliseum on Dec. 14, 2022 – a showing that ended in thrilling fashion with an Andrew Carr buzzer beater, giving his Deacs a 67-66 victory. That night featured Carr contributing a team-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor, along with five rebounds. Cameron Hildreth added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Up Next
The winner of Wednesday's matchup will face the winner of Georgia-Xavier in the second round of the tournament. A day and time for the contest will be determined at a later date.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest men's basketball team's postseason journey will continue into the 2024 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) this week, as the team earned a No. 1 seed this past Sunday (March 17). Up first for the Demon Deacons (20-13) is a Wednesday night (March 20) matchup versus App State (27-6), inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The contest will tip off at 8 p.m. ET and be broadcast live on ESPN+.
This is the second postseason appearance in the Steve Forbes era, with Forbes in his fourth season at the helm of the Deacs. Wake Forest made it to the quarterfinals of the NIT in 2022, during Forbes' second year.
The Deacs most recently faced Pitt in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament (March 14).
Wake Forest requests that all fans in attendance at the game adhere to all Athletics events rules and protocols. This includes all postgame procedures that allow for the competing student-athletes, coaches, and officials to exit the court safely.
Ticket Information
Tickets are on sale now for $20 for reserved lower level and $15 for youth under 18. The first 1,250 Wake Forest students will receive a complimentary ticket and free food in the student pregame fan zone through the Screamin' Demon rewards app, courtesy of Wake Forest Deacon Club donors. After the first 1,250 student tickets are claimed, additional student tickets will be available for $10 each.
About the NIT
This year features the 86th edition of the annual NIT, as a new format for 2024 includes two exempt teams from each of six conferences: Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC.
For the third-straight season, the NIT seeded only the top half of the 32-team field. The bottom 16 unseeded teams were placed into the bracket by the NIT Committee as close to their area of natural interest as possible.
The full schedule layout can be found below:
- First-round games – March 19-20
- Second-round games – March 23-24
- Quarterfinals – March 26-27
- Semifinals are at 7 p.m. (ESPN) and 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2) on April 2
- Championship game is at 7 p.m. ET on April 4 on ESPN
Last Time Out
Trailing by 19 points with 13 minutes left in the second half, Wake Forest men's basketball fought hard in a near comeback versus Pitt last Thursday (March 14) before eventually falling to the No. 4 seeded Panthers, 81-69, in the ACC Quarterfinals at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
An Efton Reid III layup with 12:10 left in the game ignited a 26-10 run that brought the Deacons (20-13, 11-9 ACC) within three points of Pitt (22-10, 12-8 ACC) with 4:16 left in the game at 65-62. During the run, junior guard Hunter Sallis had 11 points while senior forward Andrew Carr added seven points during the stretch.
The Deacs were led in the scoring column by junior guard Cameron Hildreth, who notched 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Thursday marked his first 20-point scoring effort since having 25 points against Florida State on January 9th. It was also his eighth-consecutive game with double-digit points and 26th time overall this season.
Sallis finished with 15 points, with 12 coming in the second half, in addition to four rebounds, four assists and four steals. He has scored double-digits in all but one of his 33 games in a Wake Forest uniform.
Carr nearly had his second double-double in as many days at the ACC Tournament, posting 13 points including going 7-of-9 from the free throw line while alo pulling down a game-high nine rebounds.
Reid III scored in double-digits for the fifth time in the last six games and seven of his last nine games, as he contributed 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting with five rebounds, a block and a steal. Over the last six games, he is averaging 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Thursday marked Wake Forest's 57th appearance in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals since the tournament's inception in 1954. It also involved the first time since 2007 that Wake Forest made consecutive appearances in the quarterfinals. The Deacs have advanced in the tournament 32 times throughout program history.
Racking Up Accolades
Over the last week, Hunter Sallis has earned several postseason awards for his stellar play during the 2023-24 regular season:
- First Team All-ACC (March 11)
- Associated Press ACC Newcomer of the Year (March 12)
- Associated Press All-ACC First Team (March 12)
- NABC Division I All-District 2 First Team
Additionally, for the third straight year, Wake Forest has had a First Team honoree for the conference's postseason awards:
- Hunter Sallis – 2024
- Tyree Appleby – 2023
- Alondes Williams – 2022
Sallis leads the Deacs in scoring for the season, averaging 18.1 points per game, while also contributing 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals a night.
The Omaha, Nebraska native is also a top-10 league individual in field goal percentage (.493),
Close to Entering the Club
Deacon guards Cameron Hildreth and Kevin Miller are 16 and 32 points, respectively, away from crossing the 1,000th-point plateau in their collegiate careers.
For the year, the duo has stood out within the Wake Forest roster to combine for 952 points, 202 assists and 78 steals.
Cameron Hildreth
- 13.7 PPG – Third on the team, T-20th in the ACC
- .808 FT% – 12th in the ACC
- 34.1 minutes/game – 4th in the ACC
- 4.7 RPG
- 15.2 PPG – Second on the team, 14th in the ACC
- 3.6 APG – Leads the team, 10th in the ACC
- .459 FG% – 11th in the ACC
- .833 FT% – 6th in the ACC
- 1.4 SPG – 14th in the ACC
More Time at Home
Wake Forest holds an impressive 47-6 record at home since the start of the 2021-22 season, including a 16-1 mark this season. This year has seen the most single-season home wins in program history since the 2021-22 campaign when Wake Forest finished with a mark of 18-2. Additionally, it is the first time since the 2008-09 season that the Deacs have had one or fewer losses at LJVM Coliseum. The Demon Deacons overall wins since the start of the 2021-22 season rank tied for second in the country and leads the ACC during that time frame.
Single-Season Home Wins in Program History:
| Rank | Wins | Season |
| 1. | 18 | 2021-22 |
| T-2 | 16 | 2023-24 |
| T-2 | 16 | 2004-05 |
| T-2 | 16 | 2002-03 |
| 5 | 15 | 2007-08 |
Series History
Versus App State
Series: Wake Forest leads, 21-0
Last: Dec. 14, 2022
Result: W, 67-66
The Scout
App State enters the NIT with a 27-6 overall record and went 16-2 versus Sun Belt competition during the regular season, setting program records for both most overall and conference wins in a single year. The Mountaineers are coming off an appearance in the semifinals of the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, suffering a 67-65 loss to Arkansas State, after winning the Sun Belt regular season title.
Last season, Wake Forest faced App State inside LJVM Coliseum on Dec. 14, 2022 – a showing that ended in thrilling fashion with an Andrew Carr buzzer beater, giving his Deacs a 67-66 victory. That night featured Carr contributing a team-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor, along with five rebounds. Cameron Hildreth added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Up Next
The winner of Wednesday's matchup will face the winner of Georgia-Xavier in the second round of the tournament. A day and time for the contest will be determined at a later date.
Players Mentioned
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