NC State hosts 2nd place Wake Forest | Preview, Breakdown and How to Watch

NC State Wolfpack vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Raleigh, NC
TV: ACCN
Line: Wake -3

Wake Forest comes in tied for 2nd place in the ACC, sporting a 19-5 record and sitting 9-4 in the conference.

They are winners of 6 of their last 7. A span that included a 22 point drubbing of UNC and a 8 point win over Florida State.

Meanwhile, NC State is the exact opposite. They have lost 6 of their past 7, with their only win coming against UVA during that span. They have now lost 4 in a row, and while most of their early-season losses were close, the recent losses have been by 7 or more.

To say that things are slipping away for NC State is being too nice. The chance for an at-large tournament bid have been over for weeks now, and at this point they are going to need to go on a run to qualify for the NIT. The only hope now is to somehow make major adjustments, reel off a historic late-season run, and cap it off with an ACC Tournament Championship.

Is that possible? Yeah, but you won’t find any stats to back it up.

Get to know Wake Forest

Wake is led by Alondes Williams, an Oklahoma grad transfer who is taking the ACC by storm. The 6’5 senior is averaging almost 20 points per game, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, all while shooting over 52% from the floor. (He leads the entire ACC in points per game and assists per game.)

Williams isn’t really a big threat from 3 point range, but he’s so slick with the ball and can beat you in so many ways. His ability to get in the lane and make things happen is really what has Wake sitting where they’re sitting.

While Williams has been getting all the hype, Jake LaRavia (Indiana State transfer), the 6’8 junior big man has been dominant as well. he’s averaging over 15ppg, 6.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists, while shooting 59% from the field and 39% from 3 point range.

Those two are just the tip of the iceberg for Wake. The Deacs are 2nd in the ACC in total points, 2nd in assists, 4th in rebounding.

They aren’t a team that lives and dies by the 3, either. They have a few shooters but Wake is only 9th in the ACC in that category, shooting 34% as a team from downtown.

Our Thoughts

This game has the chance to be a nightmare for NC State. The matchup isn’t good. LaRavia is a big who can score. Williams is a big guard who is going to get into the lane and create havoc. These are both the type of players that have dominated the Pack this season. NC State is going to need to get a huge performance out of their big 3 if they want to stay in this game, and they’re going to need some surprises as well. A hot game for Morsell or Cam Hayes finally breaking loose could put them over the top, but based on the stats coming in, this is going to be a very tough game to win for the Wolfpack.