The Deacs are finally off the schneid. After losing their last 5 games and going nearly an entire month without a win, Wake Forest got back in the win column tonight after taking care of a pretty bad Georgia Tech team 83-67. The game ended pretty late, so this recap is going to be pretty quick.
This game had the exact the feeling you would expect from a 9pm tip off between two 11 win teams—the atmosphere was mostly non-existent from the less than 5,000 in attendance,
and the teams looked pretty sloppy early on. In the first half, Wake and GT shot a combined 24-62 (39%) from the field. The only difference in the game was Wake’s 7 1st half 3-pointers, which gave them a slim 37-34 lead at the break.
The start of the 2nd half is where the game changed. Wake came out of the locker room on fire, while the Jackets couldn’t buy a bucket. The Deacs used a 13-2 run over the first 6 minutes of the second half to take a 15 point lead, and Georgia Tech never got it back down to double digits. Juke Harris scored 16 of his game high 23 points in the second half on 7-11 shooting, and it was very obvious that he was by far and away the best player on the court. He got some help from Mekhi Mason, who looked like the player the Deacs expected him to be this season. Mason finished the game with 17 points and shot 4-6 from beyond the arc—it was the most points he has scored in a game since dropping 20 on American in the season opener.
It feels great that the Deacs were finally able to get back in the win column, but this one isn’t going to move the needle that much. By the metrics, Georgia Tech is the worst team in the ACC and the 2nd worst major conference team in the nation ahead of just Rutgers. This was the first time in conference play where I thought the Deacs were simply more talented than their opponent at every position outside of GT’s Baye Ndongo, who finished with 14 points on 6-9 shooting and 9 rebounds. Still, credit the team for taking care of business on the road against an inferior opponent.
Where this game will have an impact is the ACC standings, as the Deacs now have 3 wins and escape from the pack of 2 win teams at the bottom of the conference. Wake now sits alone at 14th place, which is not good, but does put them in position to make the ACC Tournament at the very least. Looking ahead at the rest of the schedule, there is a realistic chance that Wake could finish the season 5-2 (losses at UVA and at VT) in their last 7 games to finish at 8-10 in the ACC. I wouldn’t call that a good season by any means, but considering where they started, it would be an strong finish to the season. If this win can give some much needed confidence to Spillers, Schwieger, and Mason, who combined for 43 points on 70% shooting from the field tonight, Wake should be able to be competitive in their remaining games.
It feels good to get a win again.
Go Deacs!
