SB Nation - James Johnson

Deacon Dump 12/9: Bring on the College Cup

MRickman84 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:05:49 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

Strange group of links today--a lot on Wake's matchup with UVA. It's snowing a lot right now, so I wouldn't be upset if I was back down in the Dash. It was great to see inspired games from James Johnson and Jeff Teague as they played each other last night. If they play like that, they will get more minutes. James easily had the best game he's had all year and it looked like Vinny Del Negro was trying out some things in the 4th quarter to test out Johnson's skill set. It worked.

Season wrap-up: Wake Forest - ACC Blog - ESPN
Much of this year’s struggles had to do with the rebuilding effort on defense, where coordinator Brad Lambert had to replace seven starters. The most noticeable difference was in the turnover category, where the Deacs led the nation with 37 takeaways in 2008. This year they had 15. They also dropped from the No. 1 punt return unit in the nation to No. 56. Skinner had another record-setting season, but he was inconsistent at times and finished with 12 interceptions, compared to seven last year.

Landon: MU search turns to names other than Jones - The Herald Dispatch
It's looking more and more like former Marshall assistant Brad Lambert is emerging as the most viable option in the Herd's head football coaching sweepstakes.

Previewing the College Cup - RootZoo Sports
Predictions: Akron 1-0 UNC: Akron stays undefeated Wake Forest 2-1 UVA: Hard to beat someone three times

FayObserver.com - Player who committed in eighth grade reconsiders
According to Tomcats coach Wendell Jeffries, in the past few months, coaches from Kentucky, Wake Forest, Miami, Baylor, DePaul, George Mason and Kansas State have all stopped by to evaluate Boatright's skills.

Deacons' soccer team will try to break through against Cavs
"I don't think there's anything we do in particular that's different against any other team," he said. Senior Austin da Luz of Wake Forest acknowledges that both teams are very familiar with each other. "It's always a tough game with them, and there's some bad blood, but we think this time we are going to try and forget the other games against them," da Luz said, "and just go into it as a tournament game, because if you lose you go home."

‘Hoos face Wake Forest in College Cup | Augusta Free Press
The teams have met twice this year, once during the regular season and once in the 2009 ACC Tournament. On Sept. 18, 2009 at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Cavaliers came away with a 1-0 victory on a goal by Mike Volk. At the ACC Tournament in the semifinal round, fifth-seeded Virginia advanced past the top-seeded Demon Deacons, 5-4 on penalty kicks, after the teams played to a double overtime scoreless draw.

Fun with Wake Basketball Stats: 12.9

MRickman84 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:45:09 -0000

Just messing around on this Wednesday afternoon before I try to drive through 60 mph winds to get home and I decided to take a look at some stats from the start of this season. I know, I know, it's early, but I found a couple interesting things.

Last year, Wake Forest shot 32% from 3pt as a team and had one player over 33% from deep (Teague).
This year, they are shooting 34.5% and have 3 players over 33% (Ari, Al-Farouq and CJ).
In the William & Mary game, Wake shot 36 threes. In the other 6 games combined, they took just over double that (74).
Everyone in the world was wondering how Wake would replace the loss of James Johnson and Jeff Teague. The two losses are two more than Wake had through the first 16 games last year, but statistically, the Deacs are not as far off as you'd think:

2009-10: Aminu+Harris+Stewart+Ish= 49.7 PTS, 20.1 REB, 9.3 AST, 8.9 TO

2008-09: Johnson+Teague+Aminu+Ish= 52.9 PTS, 22.7 REB, 10.4 AST, 10.4 TO

Thought that was a little interesting. Seven games does not a year make, especially when it comes to the contributions of freshmen, but it is of note that the youngsters are close to keeping pace thus far.

And if you look at freshman campaign comparisons:

2009-10

C.J. Harris: 25.7 MIN, 13.1 PTS, 1.7 REB, 1.6 AST, 1.6 TO

Ari Stewart: 15.6 MIN, 8.6 PTS, 3.3 REB, .3 AST, 1.4 TO

2007-08

Jeff Teague: 29.7 MIN, 13.9 PTS, 2.7 REB, 2.5 AST, 2.5 TO

James Johnson: 29.2 MIN, 14.6 PTS, 8.1 REB, 1.2 AST, 2.6 TO

It is not nearly as far off as I thought it would be. The main disparity is rebounds, but everything else is relatively close numbers-wise.

So, it really is a testament to just how well our freshmen have played so far this season. With the loss of two first-round NBAers, there was going to be a dropoff (and the disappointing loss to W&M and the tough loss on the road to Purdue show this), but it is nice to know that we have players who look like they are up to the challenge.

Learning more about the Demon Deacons: A few good questions with Blogger So Dear

Zach B — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:41:48 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

Wake Forest forward Al-Farouq Aminu (top left) has had a nice start to his year but the Demon Deacons are still struggling the mesh. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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Early season nonconference games are typically very unpredictable. No matter how many previews are written, you are never really sure how good a college basketball team is going to be until they put it all on the court. As we look toward tomorrow's opponent, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, they are one of the more unpredictable teams in the nation because they lost two first draft picks from a season ago but still return plenty of talent. Playing in the ACC, it's obvious that Wake has little room for error so they are hoping to get quality wins early that can boost them through to conference play. Tomorrow's game against Gonzaga has become increasingly important for Wake because they are on a mini-slide, having lost two straight games. To help us understand their team a bit more, we decided to do a little Q&A with one of our partners at SB Nation, Blogger So Dear, a website dedicated to Wake Forest athletics. They have provided us with some remarkably insightful answers to our questions. Enjoy!

The Slipper Still Fits: Jeff Teague and James Johnson leaving early for the NBA was obviously a huge loss for Wake on a number of different levels. How has Dino Gaudio adapted to make up for the loss of those two stars?

Blogger So Dear: It's obviously going to be difficult and the biggest thing to adapt to is the loss of scoring. With two go-to guys last year, Gaudio needs to find who will at least mask that loss. One way to alleviate some of that is with the growth of Aminu as he sees his role increase on the team. He has to learn how to become a leader and that is going to take a bit of time.

He is also toying around with different lineups. CJ Harris has been a pleasant surprise, so he is starting to get extra minutes and Gaudio is trying to see if he wants to go extra big (with Woods and McFarland at the 4 and 5) or with a three guard lineup, shifting Aminu to the 4.

the interview with BSD continues after the jump...

TSSF: Our blog was initially founded to cover different recruiting angles at Gonzaga. I think a class that will go down in our memories as one of the most special was the Wake Forest class of 2008. Obviously, on the surface the class was loaded with three five-star players all in the front court. It was also very special because all three stayed committed to the program following Skip Prosser's passing. Al-Farouq has been a player but I expected Tony Woods and Ty Walker to have more of an impact. Can you talk about their development and what is being expected of them?

BSD: This is a hot topic right now on our end of things too. Keeping AFA was a huge boost after losing Skip and the future looked really bright with those three and sophomores Johnson and Teague. Aminu has been what we hoped--he made great strides throughout the year and him coming back was huge for this team.

As to Woods and Walker, those two were very high in potential but were not polished. Woods needed bulk and post moves, and that is still in development. He worked very hard over the summer, but it still looks as though his brain is a step or two ahead of his body in terms of what he is trying to do.

Walker needed to gain a ton of weight too and has done some of that, but he is really a work in progress. In high school, he just needed to roam the middle and block shots and his height allowed him to get to the hoop easily against smaller high school defenders. But he has a lot to learn on both sides of the court and it is going to continue to take time. The potential is still there, but it is slow going.

TSSF: I wanted to get a bit more in depth regarding Al-Farouq Aminu. He seems like a dynamic character that is just oozing basketball skill and athleticism. Has he been asked to increase his leadership on this inexperienced team and has he made the jump you were hoping to see?

BSD: This isn't easy to answer in a few words. Aminu had it pretty easy last year because he was not asked to be the go-to guy on a team that had two stars, so he could develop and play without a whole lot of pressure on him. He got better every game, most notably by playing within himself and more under control. He was so used to dominating in high school that the nuances of the game did not exactly take center stage.

Over the summer, Aminu knew there were various things he needed to get better at, a big part of that being the reason that he came back for his sophomore season. He is working on his ball-handling and shooting a lot. The shooting looks better so far, the ball-handling still needs help. He is a very gifted passer and his athleticism allows him to make unbelievable plays. The one thing that he needs to do a better job of is to get into the takeover role that you see out of the elite players. He has shown spurts, but has not made himself "the" guy yet.

TSSF: We're big fans of freshmen making a big impact at Gonzaga. At Wake, you have two freshmen that have already made their way into the rotation and are producing. Talk about what our fans should expect from C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart and how they fit what Wake is trying to do.

BSD: CJ Harris has been an incredible surprise for the Demon Deacons. We knew he'd be a solid player this year but did not exactly know what his role would be. He has shown a ton of maturity, is shooting the basketball well and is playing decent defense. He does a good job of getting to the hoop on drives as well. He needs to get better at reducing his turnovers and not fouling as much, but those are really chaulked up to being a freshman.

Stewart has shown flashes, but is not quite used to the speed of the college game yet. He is an incredible athlete and a complete player and it is only going to be a matter of time before he becomes a big contributor.

Konner Tucker is our third newcomer. The Kentucky recruit played a year of JuCo ball at the point and has shown to be a good shooter with some size on the wing. He hasn't been healthy so we haven't been able to get an accurate read yet on what his impact will be.

TSSF: We feel like great teams always have four or five players that can toss a team on their back and take them to victory. I love what Ish Smith does for this team and obviously Aminu is a budding star. Is Dino Gaudio still waiting to see if any other players on this team take that step up and become consistently solid contributors?

BSD: He is. And that's why we are where we are right now. Ish is what he is, Aminu is there, but outside of that we need a couple more players to do more than what is expected of them. LD Williams is a tremendous defender, but tries to do too much sometimes on the offense side of the ball. When he settles down, he has a great game (see the Purdue game for example), but he needs to stick to what he does best--rebound, defend, get garbage buckets and use his athleticism.

CJ Harris is looking like he could be a big cog in all of this if he continues to play like he has been. If he keeps shooting well and can spell Ish at the point as well as playing with him at SG, this will really give the team better minutes and some more scoring.

So that leaves another player or two. And that's where our biggest problem and what could also be our biggest strength comes in. We have all these bigs but none of them are consistent. Chas McFarland is our most polished center, but he does not get enough touches to be effective, tends to have a bit of a temper and is really slow when he rotates on defense.

David Weaver is extremely athletic and quick, but has a tendency to try and do too much and is not a real scorer offensively. Woods has trouble catching the ball and has a propensity to travel, so he takes himself out offensively. And Walker does not get a ton of minutes (and did not even make it on the plane against Purdue). So for all this talent, someone really needs to step up for this team to be a "great" team.

I wish I could be in the stands tomorrow when Wake takes the court. After following their recruiting for the past few years, I would wager that this team will be the largest and most physically imposing team that has ever graced the McCarthey Athletic Center not wearing blue, white, and red. Wake has an abundance of height at each position and definitely pass the eye test.

It's still hard for me to believe that Coach Few and the staff got Dino Gaudio the Demon Deacons to agree to play at the MAC. It should be an outstanding match up between two teams that are obviously riding different waves but will bring plenty of emotion into the game. Tip off is at 2:30 PST, our game thread will be up at 2. Look forward to seeing you here! Go Zags!

Scouting Report: F Al-Farouq Aminu

MRickman84 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:45:25 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

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Our draft profiles went pretty well over the summer, so I thought I'd start to institute a similar style over the course of the year. They aren't draft profiles, but they'll give the deets on players for the Deacs. So, let me know what you guys think and give me your scouting reports as well.

The first thing that stands out about Aminu is his length. The guy has an incredible wingspan and he uses those arms to poke balls up out of the reach of defenders and tip it back to himself. He can also create separation down low, allowing him to get in closer to the hoop as well as keeping him from being blocked. His length, coupled with his size in general, also makes it incredibly easy for Farouq to shoot over the top of his defender.

Now, none of that matters if a player can't use that to his advantage. Luckily for Aminu, that is not a problem. Al-Farouq knew his strengths early on. Although it took him a few games to get comfortable, he is very good at establishing position down low and reading where the ball will come off the hoop. This has led to a ton of easy garbage buckets and putback dunks.

The biggest knock on Aminu coming into his freshman season was his outside shooting. And that was warranted--he shot 18% from beyond the arc last year. But, it is well-documented that Farouq worked tirelessly at his shooting during the season and during the summer. When I talked to him last year, he said he was constantly shooting in the gym with former coach Mike Muse.

The improvement has shown already. Now it is a bit naive to think he'll keep it up, but he is shooting 57% from 3 through the first two games. If he can consistently knock down the spot up jumper as well as some pullups, he will be impossible to guard.

Another thing Al-Farouq needed to work on last year was tightening his handles. He was far too sloppy with the ball and too often tried to do too much when he should have given the ball to a guard. For 6'9", it is tough to complain about how well he does use the dribble, but it is still something that he needs to do a better job of this season as he does play on the perimeter a lot. His 2.5 TO/game should be down near the 2.0 range.

For all of his athletic gifts, the biggest advantage to Aminu's game is his work ethic. One quote I tell everyone is that after the game when he had his first double-double, I mentioned to Farouq that he had said all season that he wanted to get 10 rebounds. So I asked, what's next? He just looked at me and said, "11."

The fact that he came back to school alone shows this commitment. He knew there were things he needed to work on and he wasn't content leaving school without making those changes. Plus, he really does want to win. You could see that in the Cleveland State game. When most of the guys were hanging their heads, a switch seemed to click in Aminu. He did not want to leave that arena embarrassed. And his monster dunk and full-court chase down block really seemed to indicated that.

The only real thing he needs to make sure that he does this season is to start to take control more. In the ORU game, he had a stretch where he just went off, hitting threes and a sick drive down the lane finishing in a finger roll. He needs to bring that mentality into every game. He is the #1 scoring option on this team and although he is incredibly unselfish, he needs to demand the ball. As a freshman, it was easy to be third fiddle to James Johnson and Jeff Teague, but this could be his team, along with other veterans Ishmael Smith, L.D. Williams and Chas McFarland.

Plain and simple, Aminu is one of the best players in the ACC and can easily win Player of the Year in the conference. He has a good shot at All-American too. It is not inconceviable to think that Farouq can average 20 and 10 this year. If the Deacs are headed to the Big Dance, he will be leading the way.

Early Impressions: Wake basketball newcomers

MRickman84 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:41 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

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I'm not the type to get hyped in the first week of the season, but one thing I wanted to make sure and keep an eye on was the early play of CJ Harris, Konner Tucker and Ari Stewart. Two games does not a season make, but it seems pretty clear that the young ones will have a real impact this year.

Ari Stewart
11/13 vs. Oral Roberts: 11 points, 4/8 FG, 1/2 FT, 2/5 3PT, 3 Rebounds, 0 TO
11/15 vs. ECU: 9 points, 4/6 FG, 1/2 3PT, 2 Rebounds, 4 TO

Ari has shown already that he can shoot the basketball. 8/14 is a great start to the season as is 3/7 beyond the arc. The Deacs have been looking for a good three point shooter for years now and if Ari can provide that, he will be a big time part of the puzzle. His size makes it easy for him to get his shot off.

He has pretty decent handles but needs to make sure that he takes care of the basketball and does not fall into the same sort of traps that James Johnson did and that Aminu did at times his freshman season.

Ari can afford to play near the basket more and the lack of rebounds and assists might raise a bit of a flag, but it is clear that both he and Dino Gaudio are still trying to figure out what Stewart's role will be this year and where he is going to play.

At the very least, the hype surrounding Stewart has merit and it is pretty easy to see why everyone was so high on him over the summer.

CJ Harris
11/13 vs. Oral Roberts: 8 points, 3/3 FG, 2/3 FT, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 TO, 1 steal
11/15 vs. ECU: 6 points, 1/3 FG, 4/4 FT, 1 assist, 1 TO

CJ has been the biggest surprise so far among the newcomers. We weren't exactly sure what to expect out of Harris early on. When BSD took our field trip to see him with Mount Tabor in the state playoffs, he impressed us with his control, smarts, defense and ability to make plays when he needed to.

It was clear to us that Harris was a.) an ACC player and b.) eventually going to be a good one. But we thought that it might take him a little while to get established and earn minutes.

But the things Harris did well are the kinds of things that can help to get a guy on the floor and stay there. He plays within himself and takes the shots that are given to him without doing too much. This team has enough playmakers, so it is perfect that Harris can be the kind of guy to give it to those players.

I don't see Harris scoring over double digits a ton, but if he stays around the 6-8 point, 3+ assist range, he will be a big part of the Deacs success.

Konner Tucker

11/13 vs. Oral Roberts: 0 points, 0/1 FG, 0/1 3PT

11/15 vs. ECU: 7 points, 2/3 FG, 1/2 FT, 2/3 3PT, 1 rebound

This was another guy who had a couple question marks as to what his role will be. Konner was recruited for his shooting ability and the fact that he can play the point a little bit. At 6'4", Tucker has good size, and the fact that he has a year of experience in JUCO helps as well.

In the ORU game, Tucker did not get a whole lot of playing time and did not have any plays designed around him, so it looked like he was standing in the corner a bit, but against ECU he showed his shooting touch. Tucker is another kid that will not try to do too much. He is here to shoot and manage the game and I don't see anything that will prove to me otherwise.

If, between Tucker and Clark, there will be some outside shooting consistency, again, this will be a nice piece to the puzzle.

I still have to see more of the three newcomers, but it is easy to get excited when you see positive minutes out of guys early on. The fact that the Demon Deacons won their first two games by 25.5 points doesn't hurt either.

Deacon Dump 11/16: Can't complain about a 2-0 start

MRickman84 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:47:21 -0000

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I am tired. Work for four hours Friday, then I turned around and drove to W-S for the ORU game, went to the football game, drove to Chapel Hill on Sunday for the UNC-Valpo game and turned right around again to drive back to Cle-town so that I could work after three hours of sleep. The things I do for the ACC. But it is always worth it, and now I'm officially in college basketball mode.

A lot of random links today, so excuse me for the scatteredness. Today might be a bit slow, so again, I'll apologize in advance. Merci.

Orlando Sentinel - Bianchi: UCF's Brett Hodges is Stud of the Week, braggart FSU fan is Dud by
My early favorite for Stud of the Week is Brett Hodges and the UCF Knights, who defeated No. 13 Houston for the first victory over a ranked team in school history. Who would have ever thought that high-flying, Heisman-contending Houston QB Case Keenum would be outduelled by the low-key, unflappable Hodges?

Deacons win big
"We've got to be thankful and blessed for the way we did play, but we've still got to continue to work and push to get to the elite level," Smith said. "As well as we played, we've still got a long ways to go defensively. We didn't shoot free throws well or shoot the ball well.... We still can clean all that up, and we will. We've just got to keep working."

ACC Week in Review: Wake Forest starts strong behind Aminu | BaselineStats.com: College Basketball Stats and Analysis
Team of the week: Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons had a pair of impressive wins this weekend, starting Friday night with a 76-56 victory over Oral Roberts, a traditional power in the Summit League, and the coaches’ pick to finish second this year. On Sunday, Wake throttled East Carolina on the road, 89-58. Al-Farouq Aminu has emerged with the departures of James Johnson and Jeff Teague. After scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 boards against ORU, he had 23 points and nine boards against ECU.

FayObserver.com - 5 things to watch from college basketball referees
Still, many players are worried. Wake Forest's Ish Smith, for example, fears the energy and momentum generated from big plays may now be quickly negated by overly strict referees too eager to penalize unsportsmanlike behavior with technical fouls. Smith pointed specifically to a monster dunk Jeff Teague had over Maryland's Dave Neal last season during a game-changing Demon Deacons' run. "Jeff did what he's supposed to do: he pounded his chest and yelled to the crowd," Smith said. "He never disrespected Dave. He just let loose with his emotion. That got the rest of the team fired up, the crowd fired up. If the refs get too crazy with this new rule, it's going to be hard for guys everywhere to hold back that emotion."

MSNsportsNET.Com -- West Virginia University Mountaineers
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Three first half goals from 14th-ranked Wake Forest was all the Demon Deacons needed to finish off West Virginia, 3-0, Sunday afternoon in NCAA second-round action at W. Dennie Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. "My hat goes off to Wake Forest," said WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, whose team played its eighth-straight contest away from Morgantown – a program record. "They were clearly the better team today and found a way to put three goals in the back of the net." Wake Forest improves to 15-5-2 to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 to face South Carolina, the No. 2 seed in the North Carolina region.

FIFTH QUARTER: One division down, one to go – ACC Insider - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC - Archive
4. Senior Day disappointment: Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner broke down and cried in the interview room after his two interceptions led to a lop-sided loss to Florida State that didn’t just ruin his Senior Day celebration, but eliminated the slumping Deacons from bowl consideration.

Tar Heels beat Deacons
Wake Forest had a 13-8 advantage in shots and a 7-3 advantage in penalty corners, but No. 3 UNC won yesterday's NCAA quarterfinal game 4-1 at sun-drenched Kentner Stadium. "I thought my kids played a brilliant game plan. We had a game plan and they stuck to it from the first minute. I thought we executed it to a T," Coach Jennifer Averill of Wake Forest said. "If you look at the statistics it's frustrating, it's disappointing walking away outplaying, outshooting them."

Colts' Dwight Freeney could've been a two-sided hit -- latimes.com
Back when he was a college coach, Caldwell recruited Freeney to Wake Forest, floating the offer he could play both on the defensive line and in the offensive backfield. "That was the only way I could entice him, but obviously he didn't bite," said Caldwell, who wound up losing Freeney to Syracuse. "I don't think you could envision the great career that he's had to this point. But you knew he was special, there's no doubt about that. "He could run and catch, and he's powerful. We could put him to work back in those days. I made the promise to him, and if he had showed up we certainly would have done it, due to the fact that he's a little unusual in terms of his speed. . . . I don't know why that pitch didn't work. "But usually once a year he's in a conversation with one of his teammates, and he'll bring me over and say, 'Hey, Caldwell, tell 'em: Didn't you try to recruit me to play running back?' It always happens at least once a year."

ACC bowl predictions: Week 11 - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN
With each of their respective losses this past weekend, Wake Forest, NC State, Maryland and Virginia all lost their chances at a possible bowl bid. Florida State kept its hopes alive with a win over Wake Forest, and the Seminoles only need to beat Maryland at home this weekend to reach the postseason. Despite Duke’s loss to Georgia Tech, the Blue Devils could still reach bowl eligibility with a win at Miami on Saturday and at home during the regular season finale against Wake Forest.

Deacon Dump 11/13: A jam-packed Deacon sports weekend

MRickman84 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:39:09 -0000

Basketball starts tonight and I'll be making the trek down to the Dash to get my fix (plus it gives me the chance to see the seniors one more time). We all know the importance of the FSU game and make sure to check out Tomahawk Nation for our answers to their Q&A. Enjoy the links on your Friday.

Deacs set to tip off season
With last year's two leading scorers, Jeff Teague and James Johnson, now in the NBA, Coach Dino Gaudio said it will take stiff defense and relentless rebounding to keep the Deacons from sinking in the ACC standings. "That has to be our identity -- it really does," Gaudio said yesterday. "And if it is, we have a chance to win every game that we play."

Page 2 — College Basketball Futures - Odds to Win the ACC Championship — BetUS Locker Room
WAKE FOREST (+1500) was rated #1 in the country at one point last season, but dropped quickly, lost to Cleveland State in the NCAA's and watched as James Johnson and Jeff Teague left town. Because they have a nice leftover from last year's freshman class (namely forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Tony Woods) they can hang in there, and should be in the running for one of the conference's NCAA bids.

Today's College Basketball - CharlotteObserver.com
Oral Roberts (0-0) at Wake Forest (0-0) 8 p.m., Joel Coliseum This will be the teams' first meeting. The Golden Eagles return five letter winners, including two starters, from a squad that went 16-15 overall and 14-4 in the Summit League. The Deacons have won 15 straight openers, but only guard L.D. Williams, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Chas McFarland return as starters. This might be a test for Wake Forest without James Johnson and Jeff Teague. RB

CFB: The buzz, predictions of upcoming games | HonoluluAdvertiser.com | The Honolulu Advertiser
Florida State (4-5) at Wake Forest (4-6), noon, ESPNU THE BUZZ: Both teams are in desperation mode when it comes to becoming bowl eligible. Wake must win out over Florida State and Duke, while FSU has to win two of three while playing Wake, Maryland and Florida. FSU, which is without QB Christian Ponder, has lost three in a row to the Demon Deacons. THE LINE: Wake by 5. THE PICK: Wake 34-27.

Bowl list could be a bit short for ACC
If the ACC qualifies only seven teams, the No. 9 (Mobile) and No. 8 (D.C.) bowls will come off the list. If Wake Forest and Carolina are the sixth and seventh qualifiers, one might wind up in Charlotte and the other in either San Francisco or Nashville.

Wake Forest aims to avoid losing season - Sports - The News Herald
"As an assistant and a head coach I’ve been doing this about 35 years," Grobe said. "I’ve had two or three games in a season where we played right to the wire and came up short, but not this many times."

Central Catholic’s boys, girls hoop stars sign letters - BostonHerald.com
"Last season, it was tough with all the recruiting going on," said Desrosiers. "At some points I wasn’t 100 percent mentally for the team, thinking about recruiting things. Now, obviously it’s all over and I can just concentrate on this season."

Deacons announce three of their five
Three of Wake Forest's highly regarded five-man recruiting class signed letters of intent yesterday, and the other two are expected to sign today. Travis McKie, Carson Derosiers and J.T. Terrell signed their letters yesterday according to Steve Shutt, Wake Forest's assistant director of athletics for media relations. Although Wake Forest isn't allowed by NCAA rules to comment on a recruit until he has signed, sources familiar with the program expect Tony Chennault and Melvin Tabb to sign today.

My Take on Wake - The Starters Who Will Get it Started | JournalNow.com
Based on what I was hearing from the earliest days of practice, I half-expected Ari Stewart, a 6-7 freshman from Marietta, Ga., to begin his college career in the starting lineup. He’s the athletic wing with the ability to slash to the basket and help on both backboards that most college teams deploy. Gaudio said that the more Stewart progresses, the harder it will be to keep him on the bench. "He’s right on the fringe,‘’ Gaudio said. "We are just really excited about his raw talent. When he starts to figure out defensive positioning—we have a battery of sets and stuff that he’s still trying to get a grip on. When he does that, there’s no question he’ll be playing a lot of minutes for us.‘

My Take on Wake - Live Chat Set For Friday, 1 p.m. | JournalNow.com
This old dog is about to learn a new trick. On Friday (tomorrow) at 1 p.m., I’ll be your host ready to post on a live chat that can be accessed through our home page http://www.journalnow.com. Too bad there’s nothing to chat about pertaining to Wake Forest athletics these days, like the opening of basketball season or Saturday’s football game against Florida State that the Deacons must win to have any chance at a bowl bid. But I’m sure we can come up with something.

Tulsa World: Sports Extra - Blogs - ORU
The 6-foot-5 Craion will probably have to play much larger Friday when he guards Wake Forest's All-American candidate, 6-foot-9 Al-Farouq Aminu. Sutton said Craion and 6-foot-5 Kyron Stokes will probably take swipes at Aminu as the Golden Eagles open the regular season in Winston-Salem, N.C., facing the Demon Deacons of the Atlantic Coast Conference. "He's a great player, and it's a big challenge for whoever defends him," Sutton said.

SCACCHoops.com: Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2009-2010 Season Preview
Despite the departures of Teague and Johnson, Dino Gaudio has an experienced roster. Aminu is the type of player that can win games by himself, and don't be surprised to see a player like LD Williams step up his offensive game. In a season where the ACC is up for grabs, Wake has a chance at an ACC title. But, if the Deacs struggle shooting from the perimeter, they could be left in the middle of the ACC standings and outside of the NCAA tournament.

Life as a Rookie: Jeff Teague - Basketball News & NBA Rumors -
"I'm going to get him in there," Woodson said after Teague played less than two minutes in Wednesday's win over the Knicks. "Mo (Evans) was playing pretty well for us, but (Teague is) going to play. Trust me. I'll sit him down tomorrow and explain to him. He kind of knows what's happening." "Coming out of college, you play a lot," Teague said. "Here you have to wait your turn. You have a lot of veteran guys that have been in this league for a long time and they're really good."

Deacon Dump 11/12: Signing day notes, FSU previews

MRickman84 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:00:38 -0000

I am very happy with the amount of links we've been able to collect the last few days. It always makes me a bit giddy to see Wake in the news this much. I'll be heading down to The Dash on Friday, but before then, keep an eye out for our Q&A with Tomahawk Nation, as well as a new feature we are hoping to try out this week. Enjoy!

Veterans Day: Grobe Recounts Trip to Middle East - WAKE FOREST OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
"The trip itself was pretty demanding, we did a lot of travel," said Grobe upon his return. "We flew military aircraft everywhere we went. It was good for us because we got to experience what our service men and women do in their traveling. We flew on KC-135s, we flew on C-17s, C-130s. We had an opportunity to have a lot of different experiences. We went to lots of bases, a lot of different hospitals where we visited wounded soldiers. It gave us the chance to feel really good about our men and women in service, the sacrifice that they're making.

Top 25 college basketball recruiting classes - MaxPreps News
9. Wake Forest Top 100: No. 41 J.T. Terrell (6-2, 175, G), No. 74 Carson Desrosiers (6-9, 210, F), No. 76 Tony Chennault (6-2, 175, G) Supporting Cast: Travis McKie (6-6, 180, W), Melvin Tabb (6-8, 210, F) Analysis: Dino Gaudio has a bit of everything with this group.

Hoopinion: David Thorpe on Jeff Teague
In a loaded point guard class, there might be not be a quicker and more dynamic driver than Teague. But, and this is a big but, he needs to learn how to read where the help action is coming from before he starts his drive. A recent game against the Nuggets taught him that lesson, as he finished 1-for-9 with most of his misses coming on shots in the paint after strong dribble-drives. A floater, teardrop or simple pull-up jumper would serve Teague well here, because he's next to impossible to stay in front of.

My Take on Wake - No Experiments in Mr. Grobe’s Class | JournalNow.com
"I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when I was coaching high school football and I was making a little less than $9,000 a year as a head coach and an Earth Science teacher that had five Earth Science classes a day,‘’ Grobe said. "I thought I’d hit the lottery.‘’

Demon Deacons tire of same old results | tire, results, align - ACC Football - Burlington Times News
"Our guys are beyond pats on the back," coach Jim Grobe said. "Having people pat you on the back for playing good teams close doesn’t cut it much any more."

Bad luck binds both FSU and Wake Forest this season. -- OrlandoSentinel.com
"They're like us in a lot of ways," FSU Coach Bobby Bowden said on Wednesday. "Could have won every game they've played. They're the same way."

Resiliency Needed: Injuries have not been able to keep Griffin off the field
Griffin, a senior offensive lineman from Jacksonville, will play his 51st college game in Saturday's pivotal showdown with Florida State on Seniors' Day at BB&T Field. He'll share the distinction of veterans' veteran with defensive tackle Boo Robinson and linebacker Dominique Midgett, both of whom will also be playing in their 51st game. Nobody in the 107 seasons football has been played at Wake Forest has played in more. The record of 51 is currently held by four seniors from last season -- Aaron Curry, Alphonso Smith, Stanley Arnoux and Chip Vaughn -- all of whom were drafted in the first four rounds of last June's NFL Draft.

Gainesville's Carnes signs with Wake | AccessNorthGa
Gainesville High girls basketball star Jaymee Carnes realized a lifelong dream on Wednesday when she signed a letter of intent to play for Wake Forest. The senior wing/post picked the Demon Deacons over Virginia Tech.

Will Clemson Have a Letdown? That and Other ACC Predictions for Nov. 14 | Bleacher Report
The numbers tell me FSU will make this game very close, but those stats are based off a Ponder led offense. I will take Wake to win and cover the five points.

Florida State (4-5) at Wake Forest (4-6) - FSU - MiamiHerald.com
Wake's losing skid will come to an end this weekend. Expect a big effort from Skinner, who will make the type of decisions expected from a senior quarterback. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Wake Forest 31, Florida State 23

Bracketology - ESPN
It is never too early for March Madness

John Marshall's Travis McKie is officially a Demon Deacon (Great video highlights)
"You're going to see a big change in me this year." What Wake Forest supporters want to know is what they will get in the 2010-11 season and beyond. "I'm going to try to come in and contribute in any way I can to help the team get better," McKie said. "Hopefully get to that Final Four, hopefully win a national championship."

Wake Forest basketball capsule : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis
Projection: The Demon Deacons lost their two leading scorers, underclassmen James Johnson and Jeff Teague, to the NBA draft. And yet, a lot of talent remains with a pretty darn good blend of experience and youth. If a 3-point shooter emerges to complement the big men, and Wake commits to playing hard on defense, the Deacs could win 20-plus regular-season games, contend for the ACC title and have a legitimate shot at a Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight run in March.

State still looking for its point guard
Georgia State, which finished 12-20 last season, has some faces that will be familiar to ACC fans. Senior guard Shamaine "Joe" Dukes is a Wake Forest transfer who led the Panthers in scoring at 12.8 points and 4.3 assists a game last season.

Resiliency Needed
"It tells you how tough the guy is," Grobe said. "He's tough as a pine knot. He's played through a lot of injuries. His knee has really been bothering him for a couple of years now. And he just plays through it. "When he was younger I think he used to worry about it. As he's gotten older he doesn't even think about it. He knows after every game he's going to be beat up pretty good and he just accepts it. He keeps coming back every Monday with his lunch pall ready to go to work. "He's been special. We're going to really miss that guy."

Deacons blank Tigers in ACC soccer tourney opener
Freshman Andy Lubahn scored two goals to help Wake Forest defeat Clemson 3-0 yesterday in a quarterfinal game of the ACC soccer tournament at Cary's WakeMed Soccer Park.

STRAINING: Deacs try to stay above water
"Our backs keep getting put closer and closer against the wall," Skinner said. "Now, our backs are literally touching the wall. Surprisingly enough, in the last couple of years we have lost some tough games, and I think our team's really had a hard time bouncing back sometimes. It sounds odd to say we've bounced back really well when we've lost the last four games, but we really have in terms of the way we've practiced, the way we've prepared and the way we've come out and played on Saturday."

Wake defense proves problematic for FSU QBs | Tallahassee Democrat
"They do a lot of lateral movement," he said. "Instead of stunting one gap, they might stunt two gaps. … They really play it as a team. Those linebackers know where to fill. They are hard to fool." That approach, Fisher said, puts a lot of pressure on opposing offenses to show patience and keep attacking the field. "They make you make plays," Fisher said. "And they don’t give up the big play. When you do pop one, they are usually in zone coverage and they converge and do a good job making the tackle. They make you execute. When you get a chance to hit one, you have to make it count."

Wake Forest has owned Seminoles as of late -- OrlandoSentinel.com
"Very seldom do I see a defense that plays like they do," head coach Bobby Bowden said of Wake's three-man front. "It's not a drastic thing, but you better know what you're doing against them."

Orlando Sentinel - A Q-and-A with EJ Manuel: Part II by Andrew Carter
A continuation of the Q-and-A between Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel and members of the media. You read the first part yesterday.Here’s the rest:

Hawks still seeking some consistency - Sports - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington
Rookie Aaron Curry has been impressive at times, making explosive plays, but he’s also shown some growing pains. He has 44 tackles, along with two sacks and two forced fumbles.

Top NFL Rookies From WhatIfSports.com
#7. Aaron Curry, LB, Seattle Seahawks Curry has been a monster and a huge weapon for a Seahawks defense that has been banged up all year. He already has two sacks and two forced fumbles. Playing along side Lofa Tatupa helped for a while, but now with Tatupa out and Seattle struggling, Curry will have even more pressure on him the second half of the year. Projected Final Stats: 86 total tackles, 4 sacks

Fox Sports > goodmanonfox > ACC HARD TO PREDICT; 10 THOUGHTS FROM WAKE

Sophomore Aminu to carry the load for Deacs : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis
"We didn't go that far in the tournament," Aminu said. "Growing up, you always have dreams of going to the Final Four and maybe winning a national championship. So it really left a sour taste in my mouth when we got knocked out in the first round. Plus, it's important to my mom and dad that I get a degree. If you only stay one year, that makes it tough to come back and get your degree. So the more schooling I get, the better off I am."

Deacon Dump 11/11: Links, links links

MRickman84 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:28:54 -0000

So much today, I won't even bog you down with pointless paragraphs. Just get reading! Oh and Happy Vets and Signing Day!

Finding the ACC favorite is no easy task | tallahassee.com | Tallahassee Democrat
Wake Forest returns a future NBA player in Al-Farouq Aminu as well, but the Demon Deacons lost their two leading scorers (Jeff Teague and James Johnson) early to the draft and — like every other team in the conference — have some question marks as the season gets under way.

Wellman defends Grobe's salary
Wake Forest is paying Jim Grobe the going rate to coach football, in part, to keep him from going elsewhere to coach football. That's how Ron Wellman, Wake Forest's director of athletics, explained a report published in yesterday's USA Today that Grobe made $4.2 million during the fiscal year of 2007-08 -- more than twice as much as any published report. First off, Wellman said that the figure was grossly misleading because it included a deferred compensation package that vested that year and was thus reported for the first time, as well as a restructuring of the contract that involved a substantial back payment.

Out-of-state schools come calling The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper
USC is checking out junior PK Matt Ehasz of Kingsland, Ga. He's also drawing interest from Wake Forest, North Carolina and Virginia. Going into Friday night, Ehasz was 6-for-6 on field goals with a long of 37 yards, and he was 32-for-34 on extra points.

TheTandD.com | ACC men's basketball race 'wide open'
"I tell everybody," Gaudio said, "the ACC is wide open."

Letter of intent week starts Wednesday | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/10/2009
Guards Tony Chennault (Wake Forest), Tyreek Duren (La Salle), and Mustafaa Jones (Hartford), and forward Danny Stewart (Rider) are expected to sign binding letters of intent Wednesday, the first day of the one-week November period for winter and spring sports players to sign a national letter of intent with a Division I or II school.

ACC teams luring top guards - Sports - TheSunNews.com
Wake Forest Commitments: Carson Desrosiers (6-11), C, Lawrence, Mass.; Travis McKie (6-6), F, Richmond, Va.; Melvin Tabb (6-8), F, Enloe; Tony Chennault (6-1), G, Philadelphia; J.T. Terrell (6-3), G, Charlotte. Wish list: None Analysis: The class has big-time depth, which coach Dino Gaudio needs as he faces the prospect of losing sophomore Al-Farouq Aminu to the NBA Draft, along with four seniors. Only Chennault isn't rated in the top 100 nationally by scout.com.

Andy Katz's Daily Word: Taking a shot at ranking all 32 conferences - ESPN
3. ACC: This shouldn't come as a shock, but North Carolina and Duke are likely going to be 1-2 in the league -- and with the nonconference schedules they play, will be in position to challenge for a top-two seed. Then there is a drop-off, with the rest of the league wide open. Georgia Tech has the talent to challenge for the title, and being the only team in the league to play Duke and Carolina twice means the Yellow Jackets will have a chance to affect the race in their favor. Maryland, Boston College, Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech are all starting the season believing they can make the NCAA tournament. That's 10 of the 12 teams in the league that are in play for bids. That could be a generous number, and it probably won't be more than seven, but the competitiveness from 1-12 has greatly improved.

Top College Basketball Teams Get Called for Fewer Fouls Than Their Opponents - WSJ.com
After scanning more than 4,000 boxscores from the past five years, one statistician concludes that teams that finished the season in the Top 25 got called for fewer fouls.

Wake's Vidovich named coach of the year
"It's a great honor but it's a testament to the players," Vidovich said Tuesday morning on his way to the ACC Tournament in Cary. Voting for All-ACC was done by the conference coaches.

Pahokee pipeline still paying off for Wake - ACC - ESPN
Former Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith continues to have an impact on the Demon Deacons. Smith, former wide receiver D.J. Boldin, and former defensive end Antonio Wilson are all products of Pahokee High, and despite Wake's 4-6 record heading into Saturday's game against Florida State, the program hasn't become any less attractive to the players from Muck City. Wake has received three commitments from Pahokee, including linebacker Zachary Allen, athlete Merrill Noel, and defensive tackle Antonio Ford. Allen is the top prospect of the group, and was also recruited by Pitt, Auburn, Rutgers, Vandy and Purdue to name a few. Noel is the No. 36-rated athlete by ESPN.com's Scouts Inc. and decommited from Florida State. He should take a particular interest in this week's game. And Ford chose the Deacs over West Virginia and Oklahoma State.

Christian Ponder still has role to play with FSU -- OrlandoSentinel.com
"Yeah, that'll be [very] comforting," Manuel said. "Just knowing that he'll be able to give me some tips or he might see something on the sidelines that I don't see out on the field and I know he'll tell me once I get to the sidelines. He'll let me know what's going on."

Smith races to front of Deacons line-up - CharlotteObserver.com
His greatest asset is his speed. There might be no player in college basketball quicker from end to end than Smith, who can sometimes outrun his teammates on the break. The challenge is maximizing his effectiveness as a point guard. "Sometimes he has to go 80 miles an hour rather than 100 miles an hour," Gaudio said. "Sometimes he's going so fast that he'd be better served to slow down."

Former Owen star David Weaver in last season at Wake Forest | Asheville Citizen-Times
"Senior year? It's a little bittersweet," he said at ACC Operation Basketball. "When you are a freshman or sophomore, you don't think about this is going to be your last time going to the Smith Center or Cameron (Duke's Indoor Stadium) or playing in the Joel (Coliseum, Wake's home court). "Now, it's settling in that this is it. It makes you want to give it all you have because you don't want to leave it behind with any regrets."

Deacs go for soccer crown: Storied program has won one ACC title, taken back in 1989
"It's been 20 years, so it will be nice to break it this year," said goalie Akira Fitzgerald, who is part of the winningest senior class in school history with a record of 74-10-9. "The '89 team was here earlier this year, and they want us to bring it back. It's definitely one of our goals."

My Take on Wake - Lombardi Leftover Served Up on a Bed of Bytes | JournalNow.com
Lombardi was plenty complimentary of the Deacons after the game, and had an interesting thing to say on the subject of synergy—something that he apparently felt was in short supply last season at Wake Forest. "I have a sense they have a really good team attitude and their whole may be greater than their parts,’’ Lombardi said. "Watching tape from last year, I’m not sure that was always the case.’’

2009-10 Team Previews: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Zach B — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:45:06 -0000

Former five-star recruit Tony Woods (55) will be expected to make a significant jump this season if Wake Forest is going to pose a serious threat in the ACC.

View full size photo »

Gonzaga's inability to attract big-time BCS college basketball programs to the Kennel has been well documented. Heck, the Zags have struggled to even get mediocre BCS programs into the Kennel (I'm looking at you, Washington). Before this season, Mark Few has basically been relegated to compromising with other programs and playing in the larger and less intimate Spokane Arena. However, this has all changed as Gonzaga fans will soon be spoiled with some excellent home and home series. Next season, Gonzaga will welcome Wake Forest into the Kennel and in coming years Michigan State and Xavier will venture into what has become one of the toughest places to play in the nation.

When we look at Wake Forest, it is hard to imagine a team the had as many ups and downs and Dino Gaudio's squad last season. We'll get into more detail about Wake's season last year later in the post but they became only the 2nd team in 25 years to complete a feat that no coach ever wants to have on their resume. To put it plainly, Wake entered the season with a bang and left with barely a whimper and things did not get any easier in the offseason. Wake Forest's top two players departed for a lucrative career in the NBA and they are left as a 2009-10 team that will take some time to locate their identity. Although Jeff Teague and James Johnson are now making buckets in the NBA, Wake Forest is not short in terms of size or talent. I can't imagine a physically more imposing team ever coming to the Kennel. Five players on the Wake Forest roster check in at 6'9'' or taller and they can all play. They have a player in Al-Farouq Aminu that passed up serious NBA $$$ by returning to school and he is a sure fire bet to wind up on someones All-American team by seasons end. With all that being said, the loss of Jeff Teague and James Johnson means that Wake has lost 34 points of production from a season ago and the two guys that were looked upon in big moments. There's no doubt that Aminu and Co. can make up for the lost production, but in the always competitive ACC, their game with Gonzaga could be huge for them in dictating their NCAA future.

Last Season: As I said in the introduction, Wake Forest became the second team in 25 years to be ranked #1 in the AP Poll and then proceed to lose their opening game of the NCAA Tournament. "Lose" is also a very nice way of putting what happened to Wake Forest in March Madness. After losing to Maryland in the opening round of the ACC Tournament, Wake entered the tourney as a three seed and still a pretty sexy pick to go to the final four. Before they could even get started, Cleveland State handed them an 84-69 whooping in the first round. By the time the game ended, I don't think anyone watching the two teams play felt that there was an upset happening. Looking back on a happier time for Wake fans, the beginning of the season was bliss. By no means did they play a difficult nonconference schedule but they were tested early in the ACC. Games against North Carolina and at Clemson in January gave Wake Forest two wins to hang their hats on and by mid-January, they were the top team in the land having won their first 16 games. The ACC slate was tough for Wake as they tended to play up and down according to the skill of their opponents. Case in point, they only lost one conference game to a ranked opponent (Duke) but suffered painful back to back losses at the hands of Georgia Tech and Miami. This makes their confusing losses in late March to Maryland (ACC Tourney) and Cleveland State (NCAA Tourney) a little more understandable but it is safe to say that Wake Forest fans are anxiously awaiting the 2009-10 season to get that taste out of their mouths.

New Faces: I feel like no matter what happens in my life, I'll always remember the 2008 Wake Forest recruiting class. Skip Prosser was one of the most well-respected coaches in all of college basketball but he had never recruited a class like the one he did in 2008. When Prosser suddenly passed away in July of 2007, basketball was the farthest thing from the minds of college basketball fans but many wondered what would happen with the unbelievable 2008 recruiting class he had scheduled to come to Wake. The administration at WFU decided to promote from within basically guaranteeing stability in the program and the 2008 class honored their commitments to the program. Now those three players, Aminu, Tony Woods, and Ty Walker will be central to the program as they welcome a very solid 2009 class. The gem of the recruiting class is four-star small forward Ari Stewart. Like I mentioned earlier, Wake's frontline is loaded with outstanding height and length and I think that Stewart will provide a little more versatility to that literally enormous frontline and he could work his way into the starting lineup because of it. Junior college transfer Konner Tucker and freshman CJ Harris will probably be called upon at some point this season as the Deacons are very thin in the backcourt after Teague's departure. While Wake Forest would like to nurture Harris with a redshirt season, the odds of that happening are unlikely.

Players to Watch: Many are predicting this season to be one of the most topsy-turvy and inconsistent seasons in ACC history. With so much lost production and star power from a season ago, no team is safe from implosion but most teams in the conference could make team tournament runs as well. Wake Forest, in particular is an interesting case study as they will be relying on a number of unproven kids to bring them back to the tournament. Leading the charge for Wake Forest will be Al-Farouq Aminu. Draft experts were stunned and Wake Forest fans were celebrating when Aminu decided to return to Winston Salem for his sophomore season. Aminu has star potential written all over him and he was ridiculously efficient in his freshman year. He shot 52 percent from the field, averaging 13 points and 8 rebounds a game, a statline which landed him on basically everyone's Freshman All-American list. He really does everything well on the court and as long as he continues to add strength, he will develop into one of the tougher match ups in the entire nation. After Aminu, there is a number of players vital to Wake's success. The three most important players besides Aminu will be Ish Smith, Ty Walker, and Tony Woods. Ish started his freshman and sophomore seasons at Wake before getting injured and clearing the path for Teague. He is an assist machine and will have to provide a calming force for the Demon Deacons in the backcourt. Ty Walker and Tony Woods are kind of a package deal as they made up the rest of the 2008 recruiting class with Aminu. They were both five-star recruits and will have to make huge strides in their game as they were very inconsistent a season ago.

Concerns: Gonzaga has rarely welcomed a team with as much talent to the Kennel as Wake Forest will bring. I know for a fact that no team ever to come to Gonzaga will be physically as imposing. With five players over 6'9'', they are going to test the mettle of the Bulldog's frontcourt. Aminu and Chas MacFarland are both proven scorers in the paint for Wake and will be a tough test for whoever Mark Few decides to put out there. If Walker and Woods are able to contribute more consistently this season, it could be a long night for the Zags. The key for Gonzaga will be to stay out of foul trouble. This could be a tough task as it will be one of the first real front court tests for inexperienced guys like Andy Poling, Elias Harris, and Rob Sacre. This could really turn out to be one of the first games where Will Foster will be expected to contribute in a noticeable way.

What we are watching for: As I outlined in the concerns, the battle for Gonzaga will be the frontcourt but they should have the advantage in the backcourt. Ish Smith is joined in the backcourt by LD Williams and neither are really outstanding scoring guards. I'd expect the pair to average about 20 points a game combined but they really do make up for it in other ways. Smith is a tremendous assist man and LD Williams is one of the better defenders in the ACC. With that being said, Gonzaga will have to win the battle of the backcourts to win this game. I doubt they have enough to stop Aminu, MacFarland will get his points no matter what, and the rest of the Wake front court will contribute but if Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray can establish themselves early and Demetri Goodson can frustrate Ish Smith defensively, it could be a favorable outcome in Spokane for the home team.