MEN'S HOOPS - Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest Game Preview
NOTRE DAME (18-10; 9-8 ACC) vs. WAKE FOREST (12-15; 5-12)
Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (14,407), Winston-Salem, N.C.
Time/TV/Internet: Today (4:00 p.m., EST); Available on Raycom Sports Regional Network (check local listings), UND.com, Sirius/XM Radio Channel 989
Line: Notre Dame -1 (149 over/under)
Prediction: Notre Dame 72, Wake Forest 69
Game Notes Links: WAKE FOREST … NOTRE DAME
ACC Standings: Link is here
Series Facts: The Irish arrived in Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday after staying on the East Coast Wednesday night after a late-game with Boston College.
This meeting with the Deacons is a rematch from earlier this season when Notre Dame scored an ACC season-high 54 second-half points on the way to a 90-80 victory, the first win of what became a three-game winning streak that put this Irish season back on track.
This series doesn’t feature much history.
Notre Dame and Wake Forest have played only 10 times, nine coming in ACC play since 2014 and the other game in March of 2000 when the Deacons beat the Irish in the championship game of the postseason NIT Tournament.
Notre Dame leads the all-time series 6-4.
NOTRE DAME OVERVIEW
As the late-season push for NCAA Tournament consideration presses on, the Irish wrap up the road portion of the regular-season schedule today.
On a roll and playing well, a win would give Notre Dame its fourth straight victory and its eighth in the last 10 tries. It enters this game tied with Syracuse for fifth in the league standings.
If Notre Dame can win today, and then secure its final two regular-season games at home before the ACC Tournament begins on March 10, it would finish with six straight victories — and wins in 10 of its final 12 games — and a 12-8 league record.
It’s hard to believe that wouldn’t be good enough for serious NCAA Tournament consideration, even without a strong showing in the ACC Tournament.
Dragging down the Irish postseason profile is that Notre Dame has only one Quad 1 win (at Syracuse), the premier games the selection committee will pay most attention to come decision time.
Here is where the Irish stand in terms of BPI, Sagarin and the all-important NCAA Net indices.
WAKE FOREST OVERVIEW
*Even after losing 10-of-13 games and 4-of-5, Wake Forest found its mojo and secured a moment of momentum Tuesday when it secured a 113-101 home overtime victory over No. 7 Duke.
The Deacs rallied from down nine points with 1:15 to play in regulation — when they were given only a 0.6-percent chance of winning by KenPom.com — then scored a school-record 34 points in overtime.
The 113 total points tied for the most allowed by Duke during the era of its head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
*Wake Forest is led offensively by senior guard Brandon Childress, who’s 10th in the ACC in scoring at 15.1 points per game. Defensively, 7-foot junior center Olivier Sarr leads his team and ranks fourth in the league with 8.5 rebounds per game.
GAME OUTLOOK
*In what could be considered the ultimate trap game, Notre Dame faces a must-win today, while at the same time it peeks ahead to its most important game in years Wednesday at home against No. 6 Florida State.
Lose to Wake Forest, and the only hope for the Irish to secure an NCAA berth will be securing an automatic bid by winning the ACC Tournament, so staying in the moment will be crucial.
*The Irish are looking to win eight out of 10 ACC games for only the third time in program history and for the first time since 2015-16.
QUICK HITS
*Wake Forest is 3-1 all-time on Leap Day. Notre Dame is 6-1 all-time, its most recent game on Feb. 29, coming in 1992, a 79-70 win over St. John’s.
*Another sidelight today is the added motivation of playing on Senior Day at LJVM Coliseum. Deacon seniors Torry Johnson, Andrien White and Childress will be honored before the game.
*The 9-8 Irish record in conference play marks the first time since January of 2018 that the Irish have been above .500 in ACC play.
QUOTEABLE: “I’m proud of our group how they’ve grown. We couldn’t win games like this, or the North Carolina game, in early January. We have a poise about us and our seniors are leading us.” — Irish head coach Mike Brey after the 62-61 over Boston College, his seventh win in nine games after starting 2-6 ACC play.
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