The Virginia Cavaliers welcome the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the John Paul Jones Arena for an ACC clash on Saturday. UVA is coming off a hard-fought 54-52 win over Virginia Tech, while the Demon Deacons fell 76-64 in their final game against Duke in Winston-Salem on Wednesday night in Winston-Salem.
Game Details
Who: Virginia Cavaliers (10-6, 4-2) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (13-4, 3-3)
When: Saturday January 15th at 4.30 pm
True: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia
How to watch: Regional Sports Networks
All time series: Wake Forest leads 70-69
Last meeting: Virginia defeated Wake Forest 70-61 on January 6, 2021 in Charlottesville.
By the numbers
| Virginia | By the numbers | Wake Forest |
|---|---|---|
|
62.7 |
Points per game |
79.1 |
|
58.4 |
Opponent PPG |
69.1 |
|
45.4% |
Field target % |
47.7% |
|
40.4% |
Opponent FG % |
41.2% |
|
32.1% |
Three-point FG % |
32.3% |
|
34.7% |
Opponent 3PT FG % |
31.7% |
|
-16 |
Recurring Margin |
+54 |
|
+19 |
Sales margin |
0 |
|
83rd |
NET ranking |
55th |
|
90th |
RPIA |
82nd |
Opponent Breakdown: Wake Forest
remarkable results: Oregon State (80-77 OT W), LSU (75-61 L), Northwestern (77-73 OT W), Virginia Tech (79-53 W), Louisville (73-69 L), Miami (92-84 L ), Florida State (76-54 W), Syracuse (77-74 OT W), Duke (76-64 L)
Wake Forest started the season 11-1, including an impressive 80-61 win over Virginia Tech and the only loss was a 75-61 loss to the now 12th-ranked LSU Tigers on November 27. The Demon Deacons had more mixed results in ACC play, standing 3-3 with losses to Louisville, Miami and Duke, and winning against Virginia Tech, Florida State and Syracuse.
The Demon Deacons are led by Alondes Williams, who is currently the ACC’s top scorer with 20.7 points per game. The grad transfer from Oklahoma shoots 54.8% of the field and also averages 6.7 rebounds per game. In addition to Williams in double figures are junior striker Jake Laravia (14.8 ppg) and senior guard Daivien Williamson (12.5 ppg).
Like Virginia, Wake Forest isn’t very strong in the perimeter shooting division, as the Demon Deacons and Cavaliers are 12th and 13th respectively in the ACC in three-point shooting. However, unlike UVA, Wake still scores the ball within the arc at a productive speed. The Deacs score 79.1 points per game, trailing only Duke (82.8 ppg) in the ACC in that category. In addition to Williams, Laravia and Williamson, Wake Forest will receive significant contributions from role-players Isaiah Mucius, Khadim Sy and Dallas Walton.
Watch: Tony Bennett previews UVA’s match against Wake Forest
What to watch out for
Again
As usual, Virginia plays at the slowest pace in all of college basketball, averaging just under 62 possessions per game (358th of 358 D1 basketball teams). Meanwhile, Wake Forest is almost the complete opposite, averaging 74.0 possessions per game, 49th most in the NCAA and most in the ACC. Under Tony Bennett, the Cavaliers are usually quite successful at forcing their opponents to play at their slow pace, so it will be interesting to see how the run-and-gun Demon Deacon attack responds to the slow pace. Something to note is that when Wake Forest was playing at Virginia Tech, which also plays at a very slow pace (344th in pace), the Demon Deacons were still able to operate offensively at a high level, with 80 points on the ACC’s No. 1 defense at Cassell Coliseum.
With Alondes Williams
Alondes Williams has been a force to be reckoned with for Wake Forest this season. The ACC’s top scorer has scored 30+ points three times and 25+ points five times this season, including in each of the last two games. Williams is very much the driving force behind the powerful Wake Forest attack, as he is also the team’s leading assist man, averaging five helpers per game. Limiting Williams’ production and preventing him from heating up is the top priority for the Virginia defense on Saturday.
Virginia winning streak
Wake Forest leads the all-time series between these two programs with just one game, 70-69. Virginia has narrowed the deficit to just one by winning nine consecutive games against Wake and 10 of its last 11 encounters. The Cavaliers will aim for their tenth straight win over the Demon Deacons and tie the all-time streak with 70 wins apiece.
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