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5 Keys To Beating Wake Forest

Garrison Brooks and the Tar Heels face Wake Forest on Wednesday night, and here are 5 Keys for UNC to earn a victory.
Garrison Brooks and the Tar Heels face Wake Forest on Wednesday night, and here are 5 Keys for UNC to earn a victory. (Jenna Miller/THI)

North Carolina returns home to face Wake Forest on Wednesday night at the Smith Center in a game the Tar Heels will be heavily favored.

The Demon Deacons have lost five consecutive games and have won just once since Nov. 27, when they defeated Division II Catawba by a 70-62 score on New Year’s Eve.

Wake, though, went a month between playing games because of COVID, but has played six times since returning to action. The Deacs have been fairly competitive in their ACC losses, as the average margin has been 10.4 points, but that includes a 16-point loss to Georgia Tech. So they've been even closer in the other league losses. They lost by just four points to No. 20 Virginia Tech on Sunday night.

UNC enters having won three of its last four, with the loss perhaps its best game since November, as the Tar Heels battled Florida State to the last minute in Tallahassee this past Saturday.

Wake enters at 3-5 overall and 0-5 in the ACC, while the Tar Heels are 8-5 and 3-3.

Here are 5 keys for UNC to defeat Wake Forest:


Take Care Of The Ball

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One thing Wake has consistently done well this season is force turnovers, as the Deacs’ opponents average 15.4 per game. At the same time, Wake is No. 22 in the nation averaging 8.9 steals per contest, so its overall defensive approach has caused problems for opponents taking care of the ball and running their stuff.

And since UNC has turned over the ball 19 more times than its opponents and its foes have registered 32 more steals, that suggests this is one aspect of the game Wake can exploit to its advantage. So, for Carolina to minimize any chance of Wake pulling off the upset, it must take care of the ball.


Get Good Shots

If the Tar Heels are successful in the task noted above, it should lead to them getting plenty of quality looks, especially inside the 3-point arc. Wake has been solid defending the perimeter, as opponents are shooting just 31.5 percent (No. 114 nationally), but teams have had plenty of success otherwise. Teams are shooting 54.9 percent against the Deacs inside the arc, and overall are at 45.7 percent, which is No. 268 in the nation. Wake’s adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, is No. 142 in the nation at 100.1.

Carolina has clear advantages in the paint, so the guards must be focused on getting the ball inside and the bigs utilizing movement and good spacing will free them up for entries and a high-low game that has at times been impressive of late.


Ant's Energy

No crowd and an opponent that might be more challenging than others to get up for could be at play Wednesday night for the Heels, but they now have their energizer in the mix, so whenever Anthony Harris gets into the game, he needs to infuse the Heels with his natural spirit and aggressive approach to playing the game.

He did that in Tallahassee and a year ago during his five-game season prior to suffering a knee injury. It is uncertain just how much Harris can give, but he had an impact in only nine minutes at FSU and should have more of one in increased time versus the Demon Deacons.

And, like they did a few days ago, the rest of the Heels must feed off of Harris’ energy.


Keep Them In Character

The numbers indicate Wake isn’t a very efficient offensive team. KenPom has the Deacs at No. 126 (104.1), and their national stat rankings are: No. 217 in scoring (70.0); No. 271 in assists per game (11.8); No. 237 in 3-point FG percent (31.9); and a decent field goal percentage at 44.8, which is No. 155 in the nation.

Wake assists on just 48.9 percent of its baskets and it’s not as if it’s scoring plenty off the offensive glass. The Deacs are averaging only 8.6 offensive boards and nine second-chance points per game in ACC play, and those figures got a healthy boost when they had 16 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points Sunday night versus the Hokies.

So, Carolina simply needs to keep Wake in Character. Don’t let it play out of character: a player going off inside versus suspect defense; excessive fouling; not effectively guarding the perimeter; and not turning the ball over leading to easy buckets for the Deacons.


Be Who You Are

The Tar Heels have played 13 games, and even though Anthony Harris just returned this past weekend at Florida State, the Heels should have a pretty solid idea of who they are and what they must do to have success. Not that they always do, but the growing understanding is there. Wake, on the other hand, is still sorting through this. In just eight games, 10 different Deacons have started at least one game, and nine players have started twice.

Clearly, new Wake Coach Steve Forbes is trying to find the right combinations and sparks to get things going. That Wake recently added early enrollee Carter Whitt and has started him twice is further indication of this.

So, the Heels must play within themselves. They are a young team but know each other better. Stick to Roy Williams’ plan and this should turn out just fine for them.


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