Virginia Basketball at Wake Forest Game Preview, Score Prediction

The Virginia Cavaliers journey right down to Winston-Salem on Saturday to tackle the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a pivotal ACC matchup. Each groups come into the sport with a 6-2 report in convention play, tied for second within the ACC standings, and driving a four-game profitable streak. One thing’s gotta give. 

Learn on for a full preview of Virginia at Wake Forest, together with particulars on the sport, an opponent scouting report, recreation notes, and a rating prediction. 

Recreation Particulars

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (14-3, 6-2 ACC) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (14-5, 6-2 ACC)

When: Saturday, January twenty first at 2pm ET

The place: LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Find out how to watch: ESPNU

Find out how to stream: fuboTV (Begin your free trial)

Find out how to pay attention: SiriusXM 158 or 193, SXM App 955 | Virginia Sports activities Radio Community – click on right here for associates

All-time sequence: Wake Forest leads 71-69

Final assembly: Wake Forest defeated Virginia 63-55 on January fifteenth, 2021 in Charlottesville

Opponent Scouting Report: Wake Forest

2022-2023: 14-5, 6-2 ACC
Notable outcomes: Georgia 81-71 W, Wisconsin 78-75 W, at Clemson 77-57 L, LSU 72-70 L, Rutgers 81-57 L, Duke 81-70 W, Virginia Tech 77-75 W, at North Carolina 88-79 L, at Louisville 80-72 W, Florida State 90-75 W, at Boston School 85-63 W, Clemson 87-77 W

The 2021-2022 season was a singular one for the Wake Forest males’s basketball program. Alondes Williams gained ACC Participant of the Yr and Steve Forbes was named the ACC Coach of the Yr and the Demon Deacons gained 23 video games within the common season. But, due primarily to the nationwide notion that the ACC was having a “down 12 months”, Wake Forest was not noted of the NCAA Match. 

It is a completely different-looking workforce for Wake Forest this season, as Daivien Williamson is the one returning participant from the workforce’s prime 5 scorers final 12 months. Of Wake’s prime 4 scorers this season, two got here off the bench final 12 months and the opposite two are transfers. Steve Forbes has discovered success in consecutive seasons selecting up key transfers to fill in at particular positions of want on the roster and this season has continued that development, as Forbes changed the losses of Alondes Williams and Jake Laravia with a pair of proficient transfers in Tyree Appleby and Andrew Carr. 

The primary month of the season was a little bit of curler coaster for the Demon Deacons, who survived an time beyond regulation upset bid in opposition to Utah Valley on November fifteenth solely to lose in one other time beyond regulation battle in opposition to Loyola Marymount 5 days later. Wake picked up a giant 78-75 win at Wisconsin within the ACC/Huge Ten Problem, however then suffered a 20-point blowout at Clemson within the subsequent recreation, adopted by a two-point loss in opposition to LSU. The Deacs ended up shedding three out of 4 video games in that stretch, capped off by a 24-point loss at Rutgers on December seventeenth. 

Since then, nonetheless, Wake Forest has caught fireplace to begin ACC play, profitable six of the final seven video games, together with an 11-point win over then-No. 14 Duke on December twentieth and most lately, a 10-point win over No. 19 Clemson, handing the Tigers their first ACC lack of the season. 

Wake Forest’s offense isn’t any joke. The Deacs have scored at the least 80 factors in every of their final 4 video games and are available into this recreation ranked thirty second within the nation in adjusted offensive effectivity and have the ACC’s 4th-best scoring offense at 77.9 factors per recreation. The defensive finish of the ground is not practically as sturdy, as Wake is ranked twelfth within the ACC in scoring protection at 72.1 factors per recreation allowed and the Demon Deacons are 139th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive effectivity rankings. 

This recreation options two of the ACC’s prime three groups when it comes to three-point capturing proportion. Wake Forest is third at 37.6% from three as a workforce and Virginia is second at 38.2% (Clemson is the ACC’s chief at 38.7%). The Deacs have three gamers who’re capturing above 40% from three on a excessive quantity of makes an attempt. 

Florida switch Tyree Appleby is the catalyst for Wake Forest’s total offense. The 6’0″ graduate guard is second within the ACC in scoring at 19.1 factors per recreation and leads the convention in assists with 6.1 helpers per recreation, simply forward of Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman, who rank second and third in assists, respectively. A veteran in his fifth season of school basketball, Appleby makes nice selections with the ball and takes good photographs. He shoots 47.0% from the ground, 42.6% from three, and 82.4% from the free throw line, the place he takes greater than six foul photographs per recreation. Stopping Appleby would require wonderful on-ball protection from Reece Beekman and Kihei Clark and sound team-defense from the remainder of the Cavaliers on the ground. 

Becoming a member of Appleby on the guard positions are redshirt junior Damari Monsanto and sophomore guard Cameron Hildreth. A 6’6″ sharp-shooter, Monsanto is capturing 40.5% from three on greater than seven three-point makes an attempt per recreation and averages 12.0 factors per recreation. Hildreth, a 6’4″ guard from England, is within the midst of great sophomore leap, averaging 13.1 factors per recreation on 48.4% capturing from the ground and main Wake Forest in rebounding at 6.3 boards per recreation. 

6’10” junior ahead Andrew Carr, a Delaware switch, can stretch the ground, capturing 34.8% from three, and averaging 11.9 factors and 6.0 rebounds per recreation. His matchup with Ben Vander Plas and Jayden Gardner can be key on this recreation. Rounding out Wake’s regular beginning 5 is 7’1″ heart Matthew Marsh, one other England product, averaging 6.1 factors and 4.6 rebounds per recreation. 

Wake Forest brings in one other seven-footer off the bench in junior heart Davion Bradford. The presence of Marsh and Bradford might imply that Kadin Shedrick might see extra enjoying time on this contest. Shedrick has scored simply two factors within the final three video games, enjoying a mixed 9 minutes over the past two video games as Virginia has discovered success with a small-ball lineup that includes 4 guards and both Ben Vander Plas or Jayden Gardner at heart. Shedrick can reassert himself into the rotation with a powerful efficiency at Wake Forest on Saturday. 

6’0″ graduate guard Daivien Williamson, who averages 8.9 factors per recreation and a shoots 40.0% from three, and 6’10” freshman ahead Bobi Klintman, who was recruited by Virginia out of highschool, provides Wake Forest extra scoring choices and flexibility off the bench. 

Recreation Notes

• Wake Forest leads the all-time sequence 71-69 and the Demon Deacons have a 41-16 benefit over the Cavaliers in video games performed in Winston-Salem.
• Virginia had a nine-game profitable streak going in opposition to Wake Forest till a 63-55 loss to the Demon Deacons final season in Charlottesville. 
• UVA has gained every of the final 4 conferences in Winston-Salem, together with a 65-63 time beyond regulation victory again on January twenty sixth, 2020, the final time these two groups met at Wake Forest.
• Virginia is 10-5 in opposition to Wake Forest below Tony Bennett.
• Wake Forest is 10-0 at dwelling this season and a mixed 28-2 at dwelling over the past two seasons.
• Virginia is 3-2 in true highway video games this season.
• Tony Bennett is one win away from his four-hundredth profession victory as a head coach.
• Kihei Clark is 9 begins away from turning into UVA’s all-time begins chief and he wants 44 assists to go John Crotty for first on Virginia’s all-time assists listing. 
• Armaan Franklin is 35 factors away from reaching the 1,000 profession factors milestone.

Prediction

The LJVM Coliseum has become one of many hardest locations to win within the ACC over the past couple of seasons as Wake Forest is 28-2 at dwelling over the past season and a half and 10-0 at dwelling thus far this 12 months. With two groups tied for second place battling it out on a Saturday afternoon, count on a giant and energized crowd to provide Wake Forest a house courtroom benefit. 

With that mentioned, the Cavaliers come into this matchup having gained in every of their final 4 journeys right down to Winston-Salem. Each of those groups have executed at a excessive degree on the offensive finish this season, particularly throughout their present four-game profitable streaks. However on the defensive finish, Virginia has a transparent and distinct benefit. Protection travels. If the Cavaliers can ship a traditional Tony Bennett defensive efficiency on Saturday and do sufficient to disrupt Tyree Appleby and the Wake offense, the Hoos ought to be capable to acquire the higher hand and are available away with a monumental ACC victory. 

Rating prediction: Virginia 73, Wake Forest 71

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