Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Overall record: 11-20, 2-16 in the ACC
Head coach: Danny Manning
Tenure at Wake Forest: 3rd season
Career coaching record: 62-67
Home court: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Starters: G Mitchell Wilbekin, G Bryant Crawford, F Austin Arians, F Greg McClinton, F Konstantinos Mitoglou
Bench: G Keyshawn Woods, C Doral Moore
Overview: Wake Forest was picked to finish tied for 13th in the ACC this year after a 2-16 campaign in conference play last season, and the Demon Deacons lost star power forward Devin Thomas from last year’s team.
Thomas averaged a double-double with 15.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game as a senior and was an honorable mention All-ACC selection. His production inside will be difficult to replace, with 7-foot-1 center Doral Moore likely set to slide into a bigger role. Wake Forest will also have to replace guard Codi Miller-McIntyre, its third-leading scorer and primary ball-handler.
But the Demon Deacons could surprise some of the ACC's best teams this year with their 3-point shooting ability. Returning starters Bryant Crawford, Mitchell Wilbekin and Dinos Mitoglou all attempted more than 130 triples last season, and although none of them shot better than 35 percent from long range, they could create the formula for an upset if they all get hot at the right time. Crawford averaged 13.8 points per game in 2015-16 and also led the team with 4.4 assists per game.
Graduate transfer Austin Arians knocked down 186 3-pointers in three seasons at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and averaged 11.4 points per game as a redshirt junior last year. UNC-Charlotte transfer Keyshawn Woods could also develop into a threat from the perimeter after leading Conference USA with a 46.6 percent clip from 3-point range as a freshman two years ago.
One thing that needs to go right: Wake Forest spreads the floor with Mitoglou at center in a small lineup of five sharpshooters, and 3-point barrages fuel a few upsets to propel the Demon Deacons to the top half of the ACC standings.
One thing that could go wrong: Without Devin Thomas as an interior threat, Wake Forest gets dominated on the glass and does not have a go-to option in crunch time that can create his own shot, resulting in a stagnant offense and a season to forget.
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