Wake Forest’s basketball team has become one of the early surprises of the NCAA basketball season. While the team garndered much praise in the pre-season for the potential of being a great team in the future based on the incoming freshmen class and the previous year’s freshmen’s class, no one expected the team to be among the elites of the teams in the rankings. With a 13-0 record, the team is now ranked 4th in the nation in the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls.
There is some questions on whether the team is getting too much a favorable bias in the rankings as the opponents they have faced so far this season like Radford and UNC Wilmington are not exactly in the top elite schools. But winning the 76 Championship in November and beating BYU on the road, ending BYU’s 56 game home winning streak, the Deacons have proven that are up to the challenge.
They are a young team but one that will prove itself over time. Of course the time is now as the team starts ACC conference play starting with a premiere matchup this Sunday against North Carolina. North Carolina is looking to recover from its loss to Boston College which knocked the Tarheels out of the number one ranking it held for the entire season until this week. The Tarheels are loaded with veterans like Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson but as BC demonstrated, the team can be beaten with the right kind of play. The Deacons will counter with Jeff Teague and James Johnson.
Both teams have plenty at stake in this match. A win by either team will move them into the number two ranking while a loss will put the other team somewhere around the 8th through 10th position. For Wake Forest, a victory will almost ensure a tournament selection in March.
The pressure will be on the team and media spotlight on the game featuring two of the top ranked teams in the nation will be intense. Let’s see if the team is up to it.
Game Time: 11th Jan 2009
TV: FSN
After a superlative season last year that saw them with a 9-4 record and a Meinke Car Bowl win, a more mature team is ready to step onto the field with several pre -season polls putting them around 23rd – 24th position and the third highest ranked team in the ACC. Rivals have them at 24th, USA Today Coaches poll has them at 23rd, and Sporting News has them at 24th overall.
A college football team is one that is by neccessity has to rebuild itself every year. The great programs have been able to do for decades but with teams from colleges that are not among the elite football colleges, it is usually the case that a star player would carry the team to great heights for a year or two but then the team fades away when the player moves on. While Wake Forest has had its share of notables over the past several years, it remains foremost a team effort where everyone makes a contribution but no player could consider themselves indispensable.
So while stars like Steve Justice and Ken Moore have moved on, there are others to take their place. There may be a shift in emphasis this year. Whereas the offensive line was top notch last year, this year the defensive line looks to be the best in the ACC anchored by cornerback Alphonso Smith and linebacker Aaron Curry. Whereas the big plays centered on Kenny Moore with his ability to run, receive and return kicks, the offense may see more of the running option centered on Josh Adams and newcomer Brandon Pendergrass. But commanding it all will be junior Riley Skinner. Not the flashiest of quarterbacks nor one equipped with a bazooka for an arm but is steady in the pocket and is quick enough to read the field in front of him to make the best of the situation.
So all of the pieces are in place for another successful season this year by Wake Forest. Unlike last year’s start which had them facing Nebraska and Boston College early, the Deacons will have two games against weaker ranked teams before meeting a rebuilding Florida State. Week 5 will be critical as that will be the game against Clemson, touted by all sources as the team to beat in the ACC. Ff the team can pull out a victory there at home, then their chances to win the ACC championship again will look very good.