Wake Forest Basketball was a bubble team left off a season ago. Now, returning their leading scorer, as well as key returners and high powered transfers, Steve Forbes looks to get his squad on the other side of the bubble this season.
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Wake Forest basketball.
Wake Forest looked like they would make the tournament last season but fell just short. The Demon Deacons lost three of their last four regular season games to inferior opponents, and finally fell in the ACC Tournament second round to another bubble team in Pitt, virtually ending all postseason hopes in Winston-Salem.
Hunter Sallis is back though, and the senior is ready to cross the line into March Madness in his second year on campus. Sallis, the Gonzaga transfer from Omaha, Nebraska, is a versatile scorer who has a lot of options around him this year.
Omaha Biliew is a former five-star who transferred in from Iowa State. Ty-Laur Johnson should run the floor for Wake, the former Louisville guard. Tre’Von Spillers, who was knocked out by Wake in the first round of the NIT as a member of the Mountaineers of App State, should give valuable minutes off the bench. Lastly, Juke Harris is an interesting prospect for Wake, and the four-star has a lot of traffic in this years rotation but could carve out important minutes.
The goal is simple for Wake: make the tournament, make a run. The Demon Deacons have not made the field since 2017 and have not made it into the round of 64 since 2010. That is a long time coming, and Steve Forbes definitely has the squad to get it done this year.
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Head coach: Steve Forbes (4th season at Miami, 9th season overall)
2023-24 record: 21-14 (11-9)
2024 postseason finish: Lost to Georgia (72-66) in second round of NIT
Notable departures:
- Boopie Miller (15.6 PPG, 3.5 APG, 2.8 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 36.9 3P%)
- Andrew Carr (13.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.5 BPG, 52.6 FG%, 37.1 3P%)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Michigan (Nov. 10)
- at Xavier (Nov. 16)
- ESPN Events Invitational (Nov. 28-29)
- at Texas A&M (Dec. 3)
Projected Rotation
PG: Ty-Laur Johnson (6-0, 170, So.)
2023-24 stats: 8.7 PPG, 2.6 APG, 1.8 RPG, 1.4 SPG (Louisville)
SG: Cameron Hildreth (6-4, 195, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 35.1 3P%
SF: Hunter Sallis (6-5, 185, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 18.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 40.5 3P%
PF: Omaha Biliew (6-8, 225, So.)
2023-24 stats: 2.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.3 APG (Iowa State)
C: Efton Reid III (7-0, 250, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 9.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.3 BPG, 54.6 FG%
6: Tre’Von Spillers (6-7, 215, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 12.8 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 60.4 FG% (Appalachian State)
7: Parker Friedrichsen (6-4, 185, So.)
2023-24 stats: 5.1 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 36.5 3P%
8: Juke Harris (6-7, 200, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #88 ranked recruit
9: Davin Cosby Jr. (6-4, 200, Fr.)
2023-24 stats: 3.6 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.5 APG (Alabama)
10: Marqus Marion (6-9, 215, So.)
2023-24 stats: 1.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.1 APG, 40 3P%
Wake Forest Basketball team MVP: Hunter Sallis
Wake’s leading scorer from a season ago is back for his second year in Winston-Salem. Sallis, the former Gonzaga Bulldog, gave Wake a ton of versatility on both ends of the floor, but was especially magnificent with the ball in his hands.
Sallis shot over 40% from beyond the arc, an absurd turnaround from his numbers in Spokane, where he failed to eclipse a 26% mark from three. He was the Demon Deacons go-to player to make a bucket, and was a large reason Wake was in tournament contention all season.
Sallis is not a catch and shoot player like most other 40% shooters are. He is smart off the bounce, moves well without the ball, and is creative in making space. He also has the ability to attack the paint and is an extremely athletic finisher. This team goes as far as he takes them this season.
Wake Forest Basketball make-or-break player: Omaha Biliew
Biliew is a former 5-star recruit who only lasted one season at Iowa State before transferring to Wake Forest. Biliew did not play like a 5-star, albeit without the opportunity.
The 4 spot in Wake’s starting lineup is depleted, with Andrew Carr leaving for Kentucky in the offseason. They will not rely on Biliew to be the shooter that Carr is, but he will have to step up and make shots. The forward averaged just 2.4 points last season as a freshman, and that needs to take a drastic jump to break the seal for Wake and make the tournament.
Key analytic: Assist to turnover ratio
Wake Forest basketball averaged just over 1 assist per turnover last season, ranking them 145th in the nation. The turnovers were not necessarily the issue, but Wake did not crack the top 75 in that category either.
In order for Wake to get over the hump, sharing the basketball is needed. Iso ball with Sallis is definitely appropriate in some situations, but Steve Forbes has too many weapons this year to not want to move the ball.
Having Ty-Laur Johnson coming in and running point will be huge for this squad. Someone to distribute efficiently and protect the ball is what Wake desperately needs to finally crack the field of 68.
Wake Forest Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 3rd in the ACC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Exit