Wake Forest Demon Deacons: 11-19, 4-14 in the ACC
Head coach: Danny Manning (4th season)
Players to watch: Bryant Crawford (16.7 PPG, 4.9 APG); Doral Moore (11.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG); Keyshawn Woods (12.1 PPG, 39.4 3PT%)
Season recap: Underperforming preseason expectations, the Demon Deacons have struggled this season, with only four wins in the conference and 11 in total. Coming off a close 64-56 loss against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest will enter the ACC tournament as the 14th seed and face off against No. 11 seed Syracuse Tuesday.
The Demon Deacons rely on veteran upperclassmen to create scoring opportunities for their guard-heavy offense. Led by junior captain Bryant Crawford, head coach Danny Manning has frequently employed three- or four-guard lineups using a combination of Crawford, Brandon Childress, Keyshawn Woods and Mitchell Wilbekin.
Offense has not been a problem for the Demon Deacons. Although Wake Forest has shot a pedestrian 44.2 percent from the field, the team has averaged an electric 38.2 3-point percentage. Wilbekin, Woods and Childress are all shooting better than 39 percent from deep.
The lone true big man in the rotation, Doral Moore, has made significant contributions individually on the defensive end, averaging 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. But Moore’s presence has not been enough on the defensive end for the struggling Wake Forest squad, which allows 74.4 points per game.
How they make a run: Wake Forest carries its hot 3-point shooting into the tournament and manages to get stops defensively. The Demon Deacons slow the game down and utilize their drive-and-dish offense to get open trey in their halfcourt offense and find a way to earn at least a second game in Brooklyn.
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