There might not be much on Wake Forest’s plate in terms of the pecking order in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the last week of the regular season. But a game against a league cellar dweller still looks crucial for the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest tries to bolster its late-season resume Wednesday night when it finishes its schedule against visiting North Carolina State in Winston-Salem, N.C.
“We’ve got to keep winning, keep stacking the wins,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. “It’s just taking care of your business, playing the game that’s right there in front of you.”
Wake Forest (22-8, 12-7 ACC) could move to the No. 4 seed for the ACC Tournament, needing a victory over the Wolfpack and Miami losses at both Boston College and Syracuse this week.
Yet it could be critical for the Demon Deacons’ NCAA Tournament aspirations, particularly with last week’s loss at Clemson still relatively fresh even though they beat visiting Louisville since then.
“We needed to bounce back and we did,” Forbes said. “(Our players) showed resiliency.”
NC State (11-18, 4-14) enters the final week with two games to play, sharing last place in the conference with Georgia Tech. The Wolfpack finishes Saturday at Florida State.
Wake Forest’s Alondes Williams could be heading for some awards in the coming weeks. After transferring from Oklahoma after last season, he leads the ACC in scoring (19.4 points per game) and assists (5.1).
“He’s a guy who can score and pass, and that’s a big issue to defend him,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said. “When you stop him, he’s a willing passer.”
When these teams met on Feb. 9, Wake Forest notched a 69-51 victory, but that margin is deceiving because the Demon Deacons posted the game’s final 16 points.
Wake Forest has rung up a 15-2 record at home. Three of NC State’s four conference wins have come on the road.
“I have no idea (why),” Keatts said. “But it’s weird.”
–Field Level Media
