Wake Forest Basketball

Wake Forest, Vanderbilt Get Big Wins, While Others Fall Out

... for their causes than SU, and others who played their way out of contention during a busy Saturday. In the most recent Bracket Matrix update from Saturday night, Syracuse was projected as a No. 11 seed, earning one of the last four at-large bids. National experts were mixed in their most recent projections. ESPN's Joe Lunardi  continued to label the Orange a No. 10 seed on Sunday morning, while CBS Sports' Jerry Palm  continues to place the Orange outside the field. 2017 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament bracket set: See game schedule, TV times. Here's a look at all the impactful games on a busy Saturday and what to watch for on Sunday. Syracuse 90, Georgia Tech 61: Syracuse, currently projected as a No. 11 seed, did all it could against Georgia Tech. The Orange won at home in impressive fashion against a team that started the day on the outside edge of the bubble. The effort, though, doesn't change the central argument about the Orange, which matches a strong array of quality wins with an inability to win on the road. Rutgers 62, Illinois 59: Three days after a fourth consecutive win turned the Illini into a strong ...

Wake Forest's Collins Named First-team All-acc, Finishes 2nd In Player Of The Year Voting

... Andrew Dye/Journal. Wake Forest sophomore forward John Collins (20) was voted first-team All-ACC and finished second to North Carolina's Justin Jackson in the voting for player of the year. The stellar season for Wake Forest sophomore John Collins was recognized on Sunday with the release of the All-ACC basketball teams and awards. Collins, who averaged 19.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, was voted first-team All-ACC, named the league’s most improved player and finished second to North Carolina’s Justin Jackson in the voting for the conference’s player of the year award. Collins’ 62.3 field-goal percentage led the league. Jackson received 24 votes for player of the year while Collins got 15. Bonzie Colson from Notre Dame got eight votes, Luke Kennard from Duke had five, and Donovan Mitchell received one. The 6-foot-8 Jackson is seventh among ACC scorers at 18.3 points per game, and his 85 made 3-pointers rank ...

Deacons Pull Off Rally Against Pittsburgh

... called time. After a few words from his father, Randolph Childress, the Deacons’ associate head coach, Brandon Childress sank the second to put the game away. “After I made the first one, it kind of hit the front rim and hit the backboard and it went in, and then they called the timeout,” Childress said. “Coach was talking about defense and on the way out I was trying to figure out what we were in. “Coach Childress said, ‘Just make the damn free throw, and we’ll be all right.’ I went ahead and made the free throw, and it was all right.”. PITTSBURGH (15-13)— Jeter 3-11 3-3 9, Young 7-14 8-9 24, Artis 3-11 3-4 11, Johnson 2-10 3-4 9, Jones 0-1 3-8 3, Nix 0-1 0-0 0, Milligan 1-4 0-0 3, Kithcart 0-1 0-0 0, Wilson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-53 20-28 59. WAKE FOREST (16-12)— Collins 10-16 2-5 22, Mitoglou 1-5 5-6 7, Arians 3-8 0-0 8, Crawford 3-11 4-7 10, Woods 1-9 0-0 2, Mc Clinton 1-1 0-0 2, Moore 1-1 2-2 4, Wilbekin 0-1 0-0 0, Childress 2-6 3-5 8. Totals 22-58 16-25 63. Halftime–Pittsburgh 36-24. 3-Point Goals–Pittsburgh 7-23 (Young 2-4, Artis 2-6, Johnson 2-8, ...

Duke Men's Basketball Holds Off Wake Forest 99-94

... Devil defensive stopper Matt Jones. The Demon Deacon guard blew by Jones with a hard drive to his right, creating an angle for a go-ahead layup that would have put Wake Forest on top with a chance to pull out a major road upset. By Jim Liu / The Chronicle. Freshman Jayson Tatum had another strong offensive game, posting 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including three 3-pointers. But the shot was too strong, rolling harmlessly off the rim into the waiting arms of Jayson Tatum as Duke dodged another bullet to keep its winning streak alive. Sparked by one of their best offensive performances on the season and a second-half surge, the No. 12 Blue Devils snuck past Wake Forest for a 99-94 victory Saturday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium, stretching their winning streak to seven games. Duke drained 13 3-pointers on just 27 attempts, exploiting the ACC’s second-worst scoring ...

Deacs Start To Feel At Ease

... years — was that coach Danny Manning’s team will now officially rest in front of the selection committee Sunday with the all-important benchmark of having no poor losses. The Eagles entered the conference tournament with 14 straight losses and an RPI above 200, and signified the last potential roadblock in that category for the Deacons. Tuesday’s win was Wake Forest’s fourth straight, and the team has an RPI rating of 32. (The lower the RPI rating the better.). No matter what happens for Wake Forest the rest of the week in Brooklyn, including during today’s second-round matchup with the seventh-seeded Hokies, the Deacons (19-12) will be considered for an NCAA Tournament berth with a perfect 10-0 record against teams currently outside the RPI’s top 100. Currently, Wake Forest’s worst loss, according to RPI, is an 81-76 defeat on the road at Syracuse. The Orange, who earned the No. 8 seed in the ACC Tournament and open play against No. 9 Miami today at noon, currently ranks 80 th in the RPI just one year after advancing to the Final Four. When asked after the victory over Boston College what this particular benchmark means for his team and its NCAA Tournament ...

Predicting The First Four

... 16 New Orleans. Bing Predicts winner: New Orleans (51 percent). Location: Dayton, Ohio. Opening line: NOR -1.5. Tipoff time: 6:40 p.m. EST (Tuesday). Thanks to an incredibly tough non-conference schedule that included road games against West Virginia, Iowa State, Minnesota, Michigan and Arkansas, Mount St. Mary's started the season 1-11. It has since gone 18-4 and won both the Northeast regular season and conference tournament titles. The Mountaineers struggle offensively, averaging just 68.3 points per game (ranked 284 th out of 351 teams) and rank 270 th in offensive rating (96.97) - a metric that estimates how many points a team scores per 100 possessions - according to Sports-Reference. New Orleans ranks 243 rd in offensive rating (98.36), so don't expect a ton of efficient scoring. Both teams like to apply heavy pressure on defense, which could lead to a track meet with plenty of fast break opportunities. Mount St. Mary's gets the bulk of its scoring output from guards Elijah Long (15.4 points per game) and Junior ...

Special Olympics Tournament Honors Riley Larue, Late Son Of Wake Forest Basketball Legend

... Riley was to them. One of the reasons he was so great was that he wasn’t just a coach to the athletes, he was their friend, said Harrison, who also coaches. “Riley was an incredible young man and he always had a huge smile,” she said. “He never saw them as any different, he saw them as equals.”. As Forsyth County player Chris Wudel, 25, sunk the winning shot against the La Rues, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. His face broke into a huge smile as he went to hug the La Rue siblings. “Riley’s been a big inspiration for me,” said Wudel, who also read a letter and prayer to Riley during the medal ceremony. “He was always fun to hang out with and laugh with.”. His teammates echoed his sentiments. “I really enjoyed it when Riley would come hang out with us,” player Haywood Edmundson, 26, said. “He always told me to never give up.”. Riley’s mom, Tammy, said her son would have been happy to know he made such an impact. The tournament was a ...

Virginia Tech Hokies Basketball Vs Wake Forest Basketball

... these four will have a great chance making Virginia Tech regret it. Austin Arians and Brandon Childress are the two other players that receive extended minutes for the Deacs, Austin being a combo forward and Childress a guard. Wake Forest has plenty of versatility in their lineup and should be able to adjust to any rotation that Virginia Tech puts out on the court. The question will be how much energy the Hokies can display at the start and if Ty Outlaw can continue his unbelievable shooting touch. Outlaw is coming off a record-setting evening, hitting 8-10 three point attempts in the Hokies victory over Miami. He might only be averaging 5 points per game over the entire season but he’s averaged 17 points in the last four contests. The floor spacing he brings and the pressure he takes off Le Day and ...

Wake Forest In For Nervous Selection Sunday

... vs. Miami in the ACC tournament, and it did not go well for the Orange. Below we also break down a full bubble list of who’s likey in, on the fence, and out at the moment. Wednesday’s bubble games. Miami 62, Syracuse 57. The Orange did what the Orange do - lose away from Carrier Dome. Syracuse finishes the season a woeful 2-11 away from home after losing to the Hurricanes.  If the tournament could be played on home courts, the Orange would be a No. 1 seed.  Oh, wait. there is one played on home courts: the NIT. That is likely the postseason destination for Syracuse now. Virginia Tech 99, Wake Forest 90. Wake Forest finished the season well with wins over Louisville and at Virginia Tech in their final two regular-season games. The Demon Deacons lost the rematch in the ACC tournament but still have a chance to play in the NCAAs. Wake Forest played a strong schedule and picked up eight top-100 wins, including four on the road. They are also without a bad loss. Selection Sunday will be nervous for Wake, but the Deacons have a chance. California 62, Oregon State 57. Cal did what it had to do, although the Bears were not all ...

Wake Forest Eyes Another Chance At Clemson

... Devils sophomore Luke Kennard, the Deacons loss to Clemson, at home, just six weeks ago, could be the one that haunts Wake Forest the most if it finds itself on the outside looking in come NCAA Tournament time. While the Duke loss represents a missed opportunity for a signature win over a top-25 opponent — something that is currently lacking on the Deacons’ resume — the loss against Clemson signifies a blown chance for a quality win over a fellow bubble team, much like Wake Forest, that would be considered on the cusp of an NCAA Tournament berth, if the season ended today. Luckily, for Wake Forest fans, coaches and players, the season doesn’t end today. And the Deacons get one more crack at Clemson tonight (7 p.m., FSCR), before a rematch with Duke awaits on the horizon this weekend. And while it would be natural to enter one of both of this week’s game with heavy amounts of revenge and retribution on the minds of everyone dressed in black and gold, Wake Forest assistant coach Randolph Childress said he is hopeful that is not the focus. “You don’t want your ...

Kansas State’s Crisp Offense Eliminates Wake Forest In First Four Game

... Tournament victory since moving to Manhattan in 2012. This was a play-in game for a pair of No. 11 seeds hoping to reach the main bracket and to play No. 6 seed Cincinnati on Friday in Sacramento, but it felt every bit as tense as any other NCAA Tournament game. In some ways, it felt bigger than your typical first-round game. Neither team could have asked for a better atmosphere. A capacity crowd crammed into the historic arena that has hosted more NCAA Tournament games than any other site and made the game feel just as important as the Wildcats and Demon Deacons treated it. The game started with energy, and sharp execution from K-State. The Wildcats jumped to a 9-4 lead behind aggressive plays from Wesley Iwundu, D. J. Johnson and Dean Wade. They are a team that plays their best when they start well, so the first few moments were a positive omen. Indeed, K-State played well enough to win this game from the start. But it ...

Wake Forest's John Collins And 3 More First Four Guys You Need To Know

... a double-double this season (18.9 points, 9.8 rebounds). He doesn’t have a bulky frame at 6-10 and 220 pounds but he’s as athletic as any center in the nation and uses every ounce of muscle to his advantage in the post. There’s a reason he’s going to be considered among the NBA ’s top big man prospects very soon. North Carolina Central Eagles (16) vs. UC Davis Aggies (16), 6:40 p.m. ET, tru TV. NCCU: Leading scorer Patrick Cole could be the reason the Eagles find their way into the first round. The onetime Siena transfer is averaging 19.5 points and seven rebounds and was named the MEAC Player of the Year. The 6-5 senior guard has scored 20-plus in nine games since January. UCD: The Big West champ has never been dancing, and might struggle because of its offense. If the Aggies are to advance, they’ll need a big night from senior guard Brynton Lemar , who’s averaging 16.1 points. Providence Friars (11) vs. Southern California Trojans (11), approx. 9 p.m. ET, tru TV. PROVIDENCE: You will never guess who Providence drew in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season? Yup, Southern Cal. Last year the Friars won a 70-69 thriller. But Vegas currently favors the ...