Closer Look: Wake Forest

7:30 PM| PNC Arena| ESPNU| WatchESPN App

This Saturday NC State will square off against the Demon Deacons in an early ACC battle. Lets take a closer look at the Deacons and give a preview of what to expect out of them come Saturday.

Top Players:

Codi Miller-McIntyre | PG | 11.1 PPG | 4.3 RPG | 2.5 APG | 6-3 195lbs

Junior Guard that leads Wake Forest in scoring and is undoubtedly their most lethal option on the perimeter. Codi has the ability to create his own shot with a variety of moves off the dribble; however, he has struggled with his shot early as he is shooting below 40% from the field. State must be careful with Codi, he has shown the ability to score in bunches. Last season Codi scored more than 20 points in a grand total of 9 times (scored 20 and 15 versus the Pack last season).

Devin Thomas | PF | 10.8 PPG | 10.0 RPG | 1.5 APG | 6-9 245lbs

Bounds of energy and emotion are what drive Devin, as he tends to outwork his opponents. Averaging a double-double on the season he has proved that he is a force to be reckoned with underneath the basket. New coach Danny Manning has compared Devin to Kenneth Faried as he has had a nose for the ball.  On the offensive end Thomas has a solid face-up game and uses a quick first step to beat opponents to the cup. One area of weakness for Thomas has been his inability to control his emotions, as he has been called for a couple of technical fouls thus far. As long as he controls his emotions and stays focused he could cause problems for the Pack on the interior.

Konstantinos Mitoglou | C | 8.3 PPG | 5.3 RPG | 1.3 BLK | 6-10 225Lbs

Freshman out of Greece has been a pleasant surprise for the Deacons early. Sporting excellent touch and a decent mid-range game Mitoglou has the tools to become a weapon for the Deacons as he continues to adjust to the college game. A facet of his game that he uses well is ball fakes and footwork to get his defenders off balance, and then Mitoglou finishes well in traffic. Thus far he has shown a willingness to shoot the 3-ball; however, he is only converting 21% from distance. Look for Mitoglou to carve out space for Thomas, as he will space the floor to allow more room for him by pulling the help side defender out of the lane.

Offensively: 

The Deacons have been able to produce on the offensive end despite shooting under 45 % as a team. On the season they are averaging 72.1 points per game which ranks them 115th in the NCAA. Codi Miller-McIntyre spearheads the attack with Devin Thomas flashing the high post and getting put backs off of the glass. Codi and Devin have shown great chemistry creating opportunities for each other in the 2 man game off of pick and rolls.

Another strength for the Deacons offensively is their ability to crash the boards. Even though they are shooting a low percentage on the season they have made up for this by getting put backs off of misses.

Pace will be on display as the Deacons look to push the ball up the court as they look to hit Devin early in the shot clock as he races up the court. Wake Forest is at its’ best when they push the ball and hit Thomas cutting through the lane before opposing big men get down the court. Codi has also shown the ability to finish in transition using his lower body strength to over power thinner guards. The Deacons offensive attack will be even more efficient once they start knocking down their open looks.

Defense: 

Danny Manning has tried to ingrain into his team a defensive philosophy that caters on effort and heart. He has spoken at length about how important it is for his team to hang their hat on that end if they want to have any chance at being competitive this season. Thus far Wake Forest have been up and down on this end which has lead to four losses on the season. Look for the Deacons to come out and pressure the ball early to make up for their poor effort against Minnesota this past Tuesday.

Last 5 Out (2-3): 

Wake Forest-69 vs Minnesota-84 (L)

Wake Forest-65 vs Delaware State-72 (L)

Wake Forest-83 vs Mount St. Mary’s-49 (W)

Wake Forest-75 vs Nicholls St.-48 (W)

Wake Forest-81 vs Iona-85 (L)

Summary:

Wake Forest is a team in transition; Danny Manning has inherited a program that has been in decline for a number of years following Skip Prosser’s death. However State must not overlook the Deacons.  Codi Miller-McIntyre and Devin Thomas have the ability to carry Wake Forest and give the Pack problems both inside and out. If these two players get in a groove early the Deacons will not go away and will look to steal a game in the PNC. Also do not underestimate the intensity of a conference game! Blowouts and easy victories are few and far between in the ACC.