Wake Forest

Last season was quite the roller coaster for the Demon Deacons. After getting off to a sizzling 16-0 start and reaching No. 1 in the country, they stumbled down the stretch and still have a bitter taste in their mouth after suffering a shocking opening-round upset to No. 13 seed Cleveland State in the NCAA Tournament.

“The last game was disappointing, but the season as a whole was pretty good,” head coach Dino Gaudio said.

After losing two underclassmen to the NBA, Gaudio and Wake Forest hope they do not experience another disappointing year. Sharpshooting guard Jeff Teague and bruising forward James Johnson averaged 18.8 and 15.0 points per game, respectively, last season. Both were picked in the top-20 of the NBA draft, and their absence will likely be felt by the Demon Deacons.

Despite losing the 6-foot-9 Johnson, the Demon Deacons still have a formidable front line that can compete with the best in the ACC. With four players on their roster listed 6-foot-11 or taller, Wake Forest will look to outrebound opponents and score points in the paint.

“When you start the last game of the season with two freshmen and two sophomores, that is impressive,” Gaudio said about the development of his young players.

Sophomore power forward Al-Farouq Aminu, a returning starter, has the potential to be the most dominant low-post player in the conference. Aminu was one of the most coveted recruits in the country in the Class of 2008, and he showed flashes of brilliance last season. Aminu racked up 10 double-doubles last season while averaging 12.9 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game.

But unless freshman Ari Stewart, or senior guards Ishmael Smith and L.D. Williams greatly exceed expectations, it is hard to envision Wake Forest can finish in the top-five in the conference, and even harder to see it traveling deep in March.