HOOPS Preview: Notre Dame At Wake Forest

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NOTRE DAME (16-12, 6-9 ACC) VS. WAKE FOREST (11-17, 4-12 ACC)

Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Winston-Salem, N.C.)

Rankings: Both teams are unranked.

Time/TV: 3 p.m. ET/ACC Network Extra

Last Meeting: Notre Dame 88, Wake Forest 81 (Feb. 7, 2017).

Series Info: Notre Dame leads the all-time series 4-3.

Notre Dame travels to the Tar Heel State this afternoon to face a Wake Forest team that ranks No. 14 in the ACC.

The Irish look to get back on track and continue any slim chance of making the NCAA Tournament while the Demon Deacons aim to get some momentum heading into next season with a strong finish.

Here is Blue & Gold Illustrated's preview of both teams along with a prediction of the outcome.

Despite shooting over 50 percent from the field, the Irish were unable to pick up what would have been a key win over a solid Miami squad to help boost its NCAA Tournament resume.

The Hurricanes went on a key 13-0 run during the second half to take the game over. Senior big man Martinas Geben led the Irish with 19 points while senior point guard Matt Farrell notched 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Sophomores TJ Gibbs (11) and John Mooney (10) put up solid performances while fellow sophomore guard Nik Djogo had seven points starting for the injured Rex Pflueger. Senior big man Austin Torres had eight points, but the contributions weren’t enough for the shorthanded Irish.

A deep run in the ACC Tournament is basically Notre Dame’s only chance at an NCAA Tournament bid unless the Irish pull off a massive upset of potential No. 1 Virginia on the road. Taking down the Cavaliers would go a long way, but it’s hard to bank on that even if Bonzie Colson is healthy and close to his normal self in terms of production.

An 8-10 record in the ACC along with a deep run that includes Colson could sway the committee given all the injuries the Irish have faced this season and would pose the question of what if. But, Mike Brey’s group still has three regular season games to navigate before worrying about a potential postseason bid.

It is simple though. Notre Dame HAS to go at least 2-1 during this final stretch of at Wake Forest, home against Pittsburgh then Virginia in Charlottesville. A 1-2 record would essentially mean Notre Dame winning the postseason tournament to get into the big dance. An 8-10 record may ease winning it to a deep run depending on the teams you knock off.

Pflueger is expected to be healthy for today, so the Irish will have eight rotation players rather than the seven they did against the Hurricanes with freshman DJ Harvey being ruled out for the year with a knee injury.

Simply put, Notre Dame has work to do and it starts in Winston-Salem this afternoon against Wake Forest.

It’s been a rough year for Danny Manning and the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest began the year 0-3 with losses to Georgia Southern, Liberty and Drake with two of those games coming at home.

The group bounced back winning seven of its next nine games before entering ACC play, but that’s where the good fortunes ended.

Wake Forest is second-to-last in the ACC with a 4-12 league record to go with an 11-17 overall mark. The Demon Deacons have picked up ACC wins against Syracuse. Florida State, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh with the first three coming at home.

Manning’s group is led by junior guard Bryant Crawford, who is averaging 16.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 28 games this season.

In the starting backcourt lineup, Crawford is typically joined by senior guard Mitchell Wilbekin (8.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG) and freshman guard Chaundee Brown (7.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG).

Wake Forest’s frontcourt is headline by 7-foot-1 junior center Doral Moore, who is averaging nearly a double-double this season at 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest. Marshall graduate forward transfer Terrence Thompson gets the nod next to Moore and puts up 3.7 points and 4.2 rebounds.

Two of the team’s top four scorers come off the bench in the form of junior guard Keyshawn Woods (12.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG) and sophomore guard Brandon Childress (9.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.6 APG). The frontcourt depth features another 7-footer in freshman center Oliver Sarr (3.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG) and sophomore forward Donovan Mitchell (2.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG).

Given the team’s record, it’s easy to realize Wake Forest doesn’t do a ton well as a team. Otherwise, their record would likely look much different.

The Demon Deacons do rank No. 65 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom.com, but No. 158 in adjusted defensive efficiency. Wake Forest hits on a solid 44.5 percent of its field goal attempts and 38.4 percent on three-point attempts (No. 40). But, the defense allows opponents to hit 43.9 percent from the field and 38.6 percent behind the arc.

Wake Forest has size, good guard play and can stroke it from deep which can make any team nervous when traveling to Winston-Salem even with the team’s dismal record.

A loss to Miami put a damper on this one for the Irish as this could have been a game to put the team back at .500 in ACC play with two games to go. But, the short-handed Irish fell just short against the Hurricanes.

The news didn’t get positive throughout the week with Brey announcing the status of Colson and Harvey. So, the mood around the program isn’t overly positive, but the return of Pflueger could help in this afternoon’s matchup.

Notre Dame should be able to take advantage of some of Wake Forest’s shortcomings on the defensive end while doing enough defensively to leave with a win. Or will the road blues creep back up on the Irish?

Prediction

Notre Dame 79, Wake Forest 72

Quite frankly, this would be a very bad loss for Notre Dame if the Demon Deacons pull off the upset. Probably not as bad a defeat at the hands of Pittsburgh, but kind of close. A loss would very likely force Notre Dame to have to win the ACC Tournament to keep advancing in March.

However, I don’t see Notre Dame losing this one. Getting Pflueger back should help the Irish on both ends of the court and Wake Forest doesn’t defend well enough on a consistent basis.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Irish struggle early in this one given it is a road contest. But, Notre Dame should come out with a win.

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