Virginia vs Wake Forest Basketball Preview
By Josh Burton
Coming off the mid-week bye, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team (11-4, 2-2 in ACC play) heads to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest on Saturday (1/13). The game is set to tip at 2 PM EST and will air on ESPN2.
About Wake Forest
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are led by Steve Forbes. In his fourth season at Wake, Forbes has gone 61-43. He is 191-86 overall in his head coaching career. Wake enters Saturday's game with an 11-4 record (3-1 in ACC play) this season. They are coming off an 87-82 loss at Florida State on Tuesday night.
Under Forbes, Wake Forest has become known as a program who thrives on transfers. Their starting lineup includes four transfers. Wake has 9 players who are averaging double-digit minutes. They generally line up as follows:
PG - Kevin Miller (6’0” Sophomore) Averages 17.9 points and 4.1 assists, hitting 38.8% from three
G - Cameron Hildreth (6’4” Junior) Averages 16.9 points, hitting 45.6% from three
G - Hunter Sallis (6’5” Junior) Averages 17.8 points
F - Andrew Carr (6’10” Senior) Averages 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds
F - Efton Reid III (7’0” Junior) Averages 8.1 points and 9.3 rebounds
Wahoo fans may remember Efton Reid, Coach Bennett and the staff recruited the Richmond product out of high school. Efton ultimately committed to LSU. He transferred out after one season and went to Gonzaga, where he again transferred after one season to now be at Wake Forest. After being granted a late waiver to play this season, Reid has appeared in eight games and is the starting center for the Deacs.
Matching Size
Getting Reid’s waiver allows Wake to play with plus size in the frontcourt. I wouldn’t be surprised to see UVA counter with the “three bigs” lineup that had success against Louisville last week. Wake guards Sallis and Hildreth will be players the Cavaliers will look to keep in check Sliding Ryan Dunn down to the three spot will allow them to not only put more length on either of them but also get more size up front with both Jake Groves and Blake Buchanan playing together.
Dynamic Guards
Sophomore guard Kevin Miller has done a great job of making the Demon Deacons offense go. They rank as a top 40 offense, and he’s the main catalyst. Miller went for 21 points and 5 rebounds on Tuesday night. Reece Beekman will draw the assignment for most of the day, and he'll have the size advantage, This could also be a matchup where Dante Harris could thrive if he is cleared to play. Dante hasn’t been in action since the West Virginia game before Thanksgiving, but his recent social media post makes a return seem close.
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— Dante Harris ߙ (@danteeharris1) January 5, 2024
But it’s not just Miller the Wahoos will have to contend with His starting mates Hildreth and Sallis have also been dynamic. Hildreth erupted for 25 points on Tuesday night. Isaac McKneely, Andrew Rohde and the rest of the Cavaliers guard rotation will certainly have their hands full keeping the trio in check.
Road Woes
The Cavaliers have been downright bad on the road so far this season. They’ve played three games on an opponent's home court, and all three contests have been double digit defeats. But this past weekend’s game at NC State showed some promise behind another dreary day.
Second-year guard Isaac McKneely looks to have broken his slump. I had mentioned leading up to the Louisville game that Isaac was a great player whose slump would hopefully end soon, and it now appears it has. He has scored 18 points in each of the last two games, while going 4-7 from three in both outings. That's the type of production the Wahoos need from him to reach the levels of success they aspire to.
Another positive trend for the Wahoos has been finding better use offensively for Ryan Dunn. Starting with the Notre Dame game, Dunn has been used almost exclusively inside the three point line and around the basket. It's led to his best production of the season. Three straight double digit scoring performances. Look for them to continue to try and get him the ball in close to the basket, as good things have consistently happened when they do.
Commonwealth Clash
Following Saturday’s game, the Cavaliers will be back in action at JPJ to take on Virginia Tech on Wednesday (1/17). Follow the Commonwealth Clash with the Locker Room Access crew!
(Featured Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)