The Wake Forest Demon Deacons earned their sixth-straight victory as they defeated Presbyterian Blue Hose 91-68 at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in their final non-conference game.
Senior guard Andrew Carr led the Deacons with 21 points and 9 rebounds, putting him 1 rebound shy of his third double-double of the season. Junior guard Samage Teel led the Blue Hose with 17 points.
Here’s what you need to know about the game:
Takeaway #1: Balanced offensive attack propels Wake Forest
The Deacs went into this game with four players averaging over 14 points per game. This trend continued with Wake scoring all but six points from their starting five. The surprise addition to this statistic was junior forward Efton Reid. The transfer from Gonzaga hadn’t started a game since March 2022.
Fourth-year head coach Steve Forbes was pleased with the team’s offensive balance. Reid started because “he [needed] to get his legs under him.” Forbes also stated that Reid was starting off now, due to the fact that he didn’t play in many games last season for Gonzaga.
Although most of the points were scored by the starting five, Forbes didn’t see this as an issue as they prepare for ACC play. “I don’t think scoring [is] a problem. We’re one of the top offensive teams in the country. I think that it’s kind of overrated when you have guys that can score,” said Forbes.
Forbes went on to say that whether or not they could defend, rebound, and win the right games would determine their success in ACC play.
Takeaway #2: Offensive aided by Kevin Miller distributing the ball
The sophomore guard transfer from Central Michigan, who was described as the heartbeat that gets the team going, led the team with 7 assists. He was one shy of this season high of 8, which he had against LSU.
“He just has that presence of mind,” said junior guard Hunter Sallis when asked about what Miller meant to the team. “He orchestrates everything and gets us all in check.”
Miller got the team going early with two assists on Wake’s first two baskets of the game. Then, as the game was close to start the second half, his assists became highlight reel worthy. He assisted on two alley-oop dunks that helped balloon the Deacs lead to 24 points.
Takeaway #3: Paint domination put the game out of reach
Going into this game against the Blue Hose, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons only averaged 8.9 offensive rebounds and 25.8 defensive boards. Both stats have them ranked in the bottom half in the NCAA.
Wake Forest used their six offensive rebounds against Presbyterian to aid in scoring 38 points in the paint. On the defensive end, Reid and Carr combined for 13 boards. Those defensive rebounds directly led to 18 points for the Deacs.
The Deacs needed a game like this on the boards. This should give them more confidence going into the gauntlet that is the ACC, where they are at the bottom of the league in both rebounding categories.
Forbes addressed this in his opening statement. “We need to finish the game defensively, which I don’t think we did,” said Forbes.
Next game for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons: vs. Virginia Tech (Dec. 30 – 2 p.m.)
Next game for the Presbyterian Blue Hose: vs. Johnson & Wales (Dec. 30 – 2 p.m.)