Hokie Hoops Central: Wake Forest (13-4) at Virginia Tech (8-9) 2pm ACCN

By: ltrepeter2000
HOKIE HOOPS WIZ
on January 18, 2025, 1:36 AM

Wake Forest (13-4)
at
Virginia Tech (8-9)
Cassell Coliseum
2pm ACCN

TV | ACCN
Anish Shroff, PxP
Scott Williams, Analyst

RADIO | VT Sports Network
Zach Mackey, PxP
Mike Burnop, Analyst

VIDEO STREAM
@HokiesMBB ESPN.com and ESPN app

LIVE STATS
stats.hokiesports.com

Momentum or Let Down

The Hokies thrilling come back against NC State left everyone breathless for a moment. Now the question will be can they avoid the droughts against a surprisingly better opponent.

The Hokies got a huge game from Tobi Lawal and Jaden Schutt and then an exclamation point finish from Ben Burnham.

Wake Forest comes in 13-4 and on a four game ACC winning streak all by double-digits. They are 5-1 in the ACC this season, with a loss to Clemson. Their other three losses this season were to Xavier, #18 Florida, and #22 Texas A&M.

Wake relies on Hunter Salis and Cameron Hildreth to drive the offense. The Demon Deacons also have no new transfers in their entire group of contributors and only two that did not start at Wake. Something rarely seen in college basketball these days.

As far as offensive focus they use a motion ball screen offense to create opportunities in the paint. They do the majority of their scoring within three feet of the rim. They are absolutely dreadful shooting outside at 28% but still attempt almost 22 per game. They do shoot 55% inside and almost 75% at the free throw line. They aren't really good rebounding (294th in D1.)

It's kind of surprising that they have been dominating ACC opponents. The answers lie on the defensive end. The Demon Deacons use most facets of the pack line defense. They have held ACC opponents to 39% shooting inside and 31% from outside. They are good at blocking shots and rarely allow clean looks. Transitions are smooth when switching defenders and they clog up the lane.

Wake will go eight or nine players deep but rely on their starters to an extreme for scoring. Any foul trouble for their top three will have a large impact on the game.

This is going to be a tough game for the Hokies. Given their penchant for scoring droughts and facing a top defensive pressure team, it's difficult to see this going well but the tenacity they have shown may stir something loose.

Hokies Starting Five
Toibu Lawal
1 JR F 6-8 200
12.6 Pts, 6.2 Reb, 0.7 Ast

Mylyjael Poteat
34 SR F 6-9 260
10.5 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 0.9 Ast

Jaden Schutt
2 SO G 6-5 185
8.2 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 1.8 Ast

Jaydon Young
3 SO G 6-4 205
6.9 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 1.5 Ast

Ben Hammond (Questionable)
11 FR G 5-11 170
5.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 2.2 Ast

Key Bench Players
Ben Burnham
13 SR F 6-7 200
7.8 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 0.9 Ast

Brandon Rechsteiner
7 SO G 6-1 185
7.1 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 3.2 Ast

Tyler Johnson
10 FR G 6-5 215
5.6 Pts, 5.0 Reb, 1.0 Ast

Patrick Wessler
5 SO C 7-0 245
4.6 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 0.1 Ast

Rodney Brown
4 SO G 6-6 180
4.3 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 2.3 Ast

Coach Young got his 100th win as a Hokie in dramatic fashion

Demon Deacons Starting Five
Hunter Sallis
23 SR G 6-5 175
19.2 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 3.0 Ast

Cameron Hildreth
6 SR G 6-4 195
13.5 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 3.4 Ast

Tre'Von Spillers
25 SR F 6-7 205
10.6 Pts, 8.9 Reb, 0.5 Ast

Efton Reid
4 SR C 6-11 238
7.8 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 0.9 Ast

Davin Cosby
1 SO G 6-5 205
5.9 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 0.9 Ast

Key Bench Players
Juke Harris
2 FR F 6-7 200
5.8 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 0.3 Ast

Ty-Laur Johnson
8 SO G 6-0 160
4.6 Pts, 1.9 Reb, 2.2 Ast

Parker Friedrichsen
7 SO G 6-3 195
3.6 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.9 Ast

Hokiesports trying to encourage student attendance is having a contest called Scan-a-thon. Students get buckets for every game attended for both men and women between tomorrow and the end of February. At the end there will be a lottery based on the number of buckets a student has with prizes like a PS5, a year of Netflix and others.

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