Duke vs. Wake Forest: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
After getting the team’s first true road win of conference play, Duke takes on Wake Forest at home. Do the Demon Deacons have a chance in this one?
TV schedule: Saturday, Jan 13, 12:00 p.m. ET. ACC Network
Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina
Despite arguably having the most talent of any team in the ACC, Duke 14-2 (2-2) was near the bottom of the league in the standings after a pair of surprising losses to both NC State and Boston College.
The common denominator was the defensive effort by the Blue Devils, giving up 89 and 96 points in the two conference defeats. Even having the No. 1 ranked scoring offense in the country, the lack of defense is troubling for a team with Final Four aspirations.
They looked better on Wednesday, albeit against a team in Pittsburgh that could very well go winless in conference play. The Blue Devils allowed just 52 points and had a 26 point lead by the half. No one player broke out for Duke with six players scoring in double figures.
Marvin Bagley III went for 16 points and 15 rebounds, and there a huge surprise from sophomore forward Justin Robinson, who scored 10 points on three made deep balls. He came into the game playing 33 total minutes and played 18 on Wednesday. With both Marques Bolden and Javin DeLauirer both questionable with injuries, it’s important that Duke can go deep into the team’s bench for more production.
He’ll likely be called on again when Wake Forest 8-8 (1-3) comes to town this Saturday. The Demon Deacons have been awfully inconsistent this season, with a six-game winning streak coming in the middle of the instances of losing four out of five games.
The latest loss came to Virginia Tech, with Wake Forest putting themselves in a huge hole early, down 15 at the half. Keyshawn Woods returned after missing the previous game with a knee injury to score 12 points, while Brandon Childress led the team with 17 points off the bench. Leading scorer Bryant Crawford had an off night, with 10 points on 4/13 shooting.
Next: Latest ACC power rankings
Despite the record, Wake Forest has the talent to make things interesting. They also average 77 ppg, making them a tougher test on defense than Pittsburgh was. But with the game at Duke, combined with the Demon Deacons on struggles on defense, the Blue Devils should be just fine.
Prediction: Duke 92 – Wake Forest 73