by Paul Jordan
GAME 36 – 3/20/2010
8:15 PM (APROX)- CBS TV
NEW ORLEANS ARENA, NEW ORLEANS, LA
WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS (20-11)
KENTUCKY LEADS ALL TIME SERIES 4-0
LAST MEETING:
3/23/1996: KENTUCKY 83 WAKE FOREST 63
I admit. I don’t follow the ACC much and I have pretty much a healthy disdain for all things ACC Basketball related, so I am not that familiar with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. I do know that the last time we played them, we crushed them to advance to the 1996 Final Four. We were a #1 seed then and Wake Forest was a #2 seed. We are still a #1 seed and Wake Forest is a #9 seed. Guess that does not bode too well for them eh?
I admit that my dislike for Wake Forest stems even deeper. They are the DEMON DEACONS. I think it’s pretty pretentious to have a two name mascot. Hell, we could be called the AWESOME WILDCATS and I would not blink an eye. But we are more traditional and just have that one name mascot. On the same mini-rant, I think it’s kind of silly to be a two name mascot when your actual mascot is a direct descendant of Herbert from “Family Guy”.
Another reason I dislike Wake Forest is because basketball icon Konner Tucker shunned the University of Kentucky and signed with the Deamon Deacs. Unfortunately, Konner deserted Wake Forest after just seven games and 31 total minutes to go wherever the Konner Tuckers of the world go to play basketball. Enough with the bashing though, let’s meet the Demon Deacons.
THE STARTERS
G – ISHMAEL SMITH – SR 6’0 175
13.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 6.0 apg
G – L.D. WILLIAMS – SR 6’4 210
8.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.8 apg
G – C.J. HARRIS – FR 6’2 175
9.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg. 1.2 apg
F – AL-FAROUQ AMINU – SO 6’9 215
15.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.3 apg
C – CHAS McFARLAND – SR 7’0 245
7.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 0.8 apg
BACKCOURT: Smith will be a handful to contain. He is about a step slower than John Wall fast and he can shoot and defend and he is among the ACC leaders in both steals and assists. He has a solid 2-1 A/TO ratio but is not very accurate from 3-point land (22.2%). He does have 19 blocks, which is the best for any player in the country that is 6’0 or smaller. Williams provides more senior leadership and he is one of the better defenders in the ACC and is a pretty efficent rebounder for a guard. His shooting range is limited and he is not that much of a threat beyond 15 feet. C.J. Harris is a pretty streaky shot from outside, but it seems to be hit or miss on his three-pointers (33%) but he has developed nicely into one of the better freshmen in the ACC. Gary Clark does not play much but his role may be expanded against UK since he is a good 3-point shooter (41.9%).
FRONTCOURT: Wake Forest led the ACC in rebounding during the regular season and the main reason was Aminu. He was the only player in the ACC to average a double double on the season. For a big guy that gets a lot of offensive rebounds, Aminu is not that good of a shooter. He averages just 44.7% on the season and he has never been up against a player like Cousins this year. McFarland is a pretty solid rebounder but as a seven footer, he should be doing more on the score board and in his rebounding totals. He only shoots around 44% from the field and has hit double digits in scoring just seven times on the season. Tony Woods (4.6 pts, 3.2 rebs) and David Weaver (2.7 points, 2.0 rebounds) are capable of quality minutes off the bench.
OUTLOOK:
This is a very experienced Wake team that has experienced a lot in their time together. Not a lot of it has been good — from the death of Coach Skip Prosser to last year’s as a #4 seed to #13 Cleveland State. Regardless, this is a senior driven backcourt and IF experience is a factor over Kentucky’s freshman backcourt, this can be a factor.
All in all, the Deacons have been a vastly underperforming team and in their last seven games, they have had lossed to NIT teams Virgina Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Miami. Aminu and Smith may be enough to help keep this game close for a while but in the end, Kentucky’s depth and pure talent should lead to a drama free afternoon: Kentucky 81 Wake Forest 63.
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans