Arizona is a heavy favorite against Wake Forest in the Wooden Legacy Tournament finals. But can the Demon Deacons pull off the massive upset?
TV schedule: Sunday, November 1, 9:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California
Coming into the 2019 Wooden Legacy tournament, the Arizona Wildcats (8-0) was viewed as a heavy favorite to win it all. Not only were they the only ranked team heading into the event, but they’re also the only likely at-large NCAA Tournament contender out of the eight (unless Providence gets it together).
From an offensive standpoint, Arizona has looked every bit of a Final Four contender. In the first two wins over Pepperdine and Penn, the Wildcats have scored 93 and 92 points respectively. However, they’ve struggled on the defensive end, giving up 91 and 82 points. It took a Nico Mannion layup in the final seconds to defeat the Waves while needing nearly all 40 minutes to pull away from the Quakers. But with the entire starting lineup reaching double figures in both games, the 3rd-ranked scoring offense can get away with a lack of defense.
Their opponent in the Wooden Legacy finals is a bit tough than the previous two. Wake Forest (5-2) found their way to the title game after wins against College of Charleston and Long Beach State. In the win over the Beach, six different Demon Deacons reached double-figures, led by Brandon Childress with 17. He’s the team’s leading scorer on the season and the lead guard, while 7’0 center Oliver Sarr (12.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg) is the key frontcourt player to deal with.
The biggest question in this game is whether or not Wake Forest has enough firepower to hang with Arizona. It’s good that they’ve been getting multiple contributors on offense recently but they’ll need one player, in particular, to go off. Childress is the best candidate but he’ll have to do a good job on Mannion on the other hand and not allow him to go off as well.
Although this is a battle of power conference teams, Arizona was projected as one of the top teams in the Pac-12, while Wake Forest is viewed as a bottom-tier ACC team this season. It’ll do the Wildcats well to not let this be a game late but I struggle to see how the Demon Deacons keep pace with an offense that is rolling on all cylinders.