Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (17-8, 7-5 ACC) vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-19, 1-11 ACC)
When: Tuesday, February 22 @ 7:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Where: Lawrence Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem, NC
The Opponent: The Hokies begin a crucial week of ACC play with a trip to Winston-Salem to take on the lowly Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Deacs are just 1-11 in the ACC with the lone win being a 76-61 victory against Virginia on January 29. Wake is losing their conference games by an average of 20 points per game, and that includes a one-point defeat to Miami two weeks ago.
The Deacs currently have an RPI of 245, which is only better than five of Tech's opponents: Campbell, UNCG, Cal State Northridge, USC-Upstate, and Longwood. Needless to say this game is a must win. A loss in Winston-Salem tonight would be the proverbial nail in the coffin for Tech's at-large hopes.
Here’s a look at Wake Forest’s starting lineup:
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | J.T. Terrell | G | 6-3 | 175 | Fr. | 11.8 | 2.1 |
| 11 | C.J. Harris | G | 6-3 | 185 | So. | 10.7 | 3.7 |
| 2 | Gary Clark | G | 6-4 | 200 | Sr. | 10.6 | 2.3 |
| 30 | Travis McKie | F | 6-7 | 205 | Fr. | 12.6 | 7.5 |
| 33 | Carson Desrosiers | F | 7-0 | 235 | Fr. | 4.2 | 3.5 |
Wake is young, as I pointed out in the preview the first time these two met. The only change in the starting lineup is the insertion of J.T. Terrell for Ari Stewart (6-7, 205). Terrell and Travis McKie are Wake's leading scorers as freshman, while C.J. Harris is third on the team in scoring in his third year. Stewart averages just under 10 ppg and is the fifth-leading scorer on the team. These five guys give Wake 80 percent of its offense, as they don't really have much production off the bench.
The last time these two met, the Hokies blew the Deacs out of the water by 29, and it wasn't even that close. Tech had six guys in double figures and Paul Debnam played four minutes of an ACC game. Even Prince Parker scored a basket. It was that bad.
Things haven't gotten much better in Winston-Salem, as Wake ranks last or next to last in 15 of the 21 categories listed on their site. The Deacs are last in scoring defense (81.7 ppg), scoring margin (-18.8), field goal percentage (39.3%), rebounding margin (-5.8), and turnover margin (-4.5), among other. Wake is 11th in the ACC in scoring offense (62.7), offensive rebounding (9.2), and assists (10.6). On the bright side, WFU does lead the conference in blocks per game with 5.6.
The biggest question coming into this game for the Hokies is the status of backup wing Jarrell Eddie, who was arrested last week for possession of marijuana. Reports have said that Eddie is cleared to play as he has denied that the marijuana was his and he passed a drug test, but there has been no official word from the athletic department.
Tech also needs to get the bad taste out of its mouth from Saturday's contest at UVA. This week has the potential to be one of the best or one of the worst in Tech basketball history. A loss tonight fully diminishes the value of College Gameday and #1 Duke coming to Cassell on Saturday, but a thrashing of the Deacons could set Tech up for the showdown this Saturday.
