Wake Forest Basketball: Can Demon Deacons get to the Big Dance this season?

Wake Forest Basketball is off to a 1-0 start to the season. But the goal for the program is to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the Coach Steve Forbes era. Why will or won't they make it this time around? Here's a list of pros and cons on both sides.

1 – Hunter Sallis

An outstanding wing player at both ends of the court, Sallis adds a scoring punch and plays good defense.  Sallis is a pre-season All-American candidate and a first-team All-ACC player.  Sallis looked at his professional possibilities and decided to return to the Deacs this year.  If Sallis has the kind of year everyone is predicting for him, then Wake’s chances of an NCAA bid improve greatly.

2 – Veterans

Cam Hildreth, Efton Reid, and a few others have helped Wake move up the ranks of the ACC.   If Hildreth, Reid, Parker Friedrichsen, and Marqus Marion play well, then Wake seems to be ready to make the tournament.

3 – Steve Forbes

Forbes has excelled in the portal.  He brought in Sallis and Reid last year and they played an integral part in Wake’s success.  He has reached into the portal this year and has what on paper looks to be some outstanding talent.  This talent should help Wake back into the NCAA tournament.

Reasons Wake will be left out

1 – Where will the scoring come from outside of Sallis? 

Reid is not a scorer, so this role will fall to Hildreth and some of the transfers.  If they don’t provide enough offensive punch, then Wake will not get to the dance.

2 – Who will get the rebounds?

Wake has recently had problems with the glass at both ends of the court.  Giving up too many offensive rebounds while being one-and-done on offense has hurt the Deacs.  Better rebounding is a must for Wake, as a lack of rebounding will keep the Deacs at home this postseason.

3 – Bench

The bench is mostly made up of portal transfers. There is a reason these players all left their original schools. In most cases, weaknesses in their games caused them to look elsewhere. Forbes seems to be able to get the most out of transfers, but it remains to be seen if this group can produce.

I believe Wake can overcome its scoring and rebounding questions and the transfers will provide enough support to get Wake to the NCAA tournament.  It’s their time!