DEEP STATS: Wake Forest by the Numbers

Who is Wake Forest? One of the worst teams in the ACC.

What makes them bad? In one word: OFFENSE.

They rank last in the ACC in Offensive Efficiency, and 206th in the NCAA, with a rating of 98.0. Offensive Efficiency = points scored in 100 possessions. Basically, are you offensively productive when you have the ball in your hands.

There are two glaring factors in the Demon Deacons offensive struggles. They can’t shoot and they can’t take care of the ball. Sure, that’s extreme language. Extreme language fits extreme statistics. Their Effective Field Goal % (FGM + 0.5*3PM)/FGA) on the year is 46.7%, which ranks 217th nationally. Their ability to take care of the ball makes their shooting look good. The Demon Deacons Turnover % of 22.0% ranks 266th in the NCAA, meaning they turn the ball over a little over one out of every five possessions. This young team allows their opponents to steal the ball on 13.8% of their possessions, which ranks 342nd in the nation.

The two most important things a team can do offensively, is shoot the ball well and take care of the ball well. Hence the Demon Deacons early season woes, with a current record of 4-4.

Now, I’ve been a bit harsh. They aren’t half bad at crashing the offensive glass (60th), and are one of the better teams in the country at getting to the charity stripe (31st).

They are three times better at defense than they are at offense. They rank 70th in Defensive Efficiency. But that is because of one singular factor. They rank #1 in the country in Holding their opponent to a low Offensive Rebounding %. Their opponents only snag 21.1% of the possible offensive rebounds at their disposal. They don’t allow second chance points. Period.

When it comes to holding teams to a low shorting percentage, creating turnovers, and keeping opponents off of the free throw line, they rank 130th or higher in each of these areas.

This Demon Deacons are one of the youngest teams in the country. Each player has played an average of 1.24 years. They don’t shoot well, and they let other teams shoot well. They turn the ball over a lot, and don’t create turnovers on defense. They are extremely active on the glass at both ends. They aggressively attack the basket, and get to the line, but find that aggressiveness translating to foul trouble on defense.