1.12.2009

Wake Forest's Rapid Rise Continues


Dino Gaudio became head coach at Wake Forest under tragic circumstances 17 months ago, but has engineered a stirring turnaround for a program still mourning from the sudden death of Skip Prosser. Prosser was a beloved man in Winston Salem, and his passing created a huge void in the Demon Deacons basketball program that has been filled earlier than anyone could have imagined. Gaudio, a close friend and assistant of Prosser's, was promoted to take over a team that went 15-16, but has watched over as his rapidly emerging squad has gelled into a team that's becoming quite a force in the ACC. Taking part in the biggest home game since he became coach, the Demon Deacons beat third-ranked North Carolina 92-89 to send the reeling Tar Heels to their second consecutive loss to start conference play. At 14-0 and owners of a national number four ranking that will rise when the new polls come out, Wake Forest is coming back as a national power.

Roy Williams and the Tar Heels receive plenty of ink about their run-and-gun offense that relentlessly comes at you from all angles, but they were beaten at their own game by a deeper and quicker Wake Forest team. All-America point guard Ty Lawson was overshadowed by sophomore Jeff Teague, who is only beginning to scratch the surface of his immense potential. On Sunday night, Teague played like the All-American, ripping North Carolina's defense for 36 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Teague did all of this while playing 39 minutes, an astonishing figure considering the frenetic pace this game was played at. Lawson, meanwhile, struggled to hold up his end of the point guard showdown, scoring only nine points and missing all four of his shots from behind the arc while shooting 4-12 from the field.

Lawson's struggles from the field were indicative of North Carolina's shooting woes as a team. The Tar Heels shot a season-worst 35% from the field with Tyler Hansbrough (3-12), Wayne Ellington (4-13), and Deon Thompson (3-13) all firing brick after brick for much of the night. Hansbrough's numbers -- 17 and 11 -- say he had a good game, but further inspection reveals that Wake's big men were successful in frustrating the reigning Player of the Year. Psycho-T was 0-5 from the field in the second half and scored only four points while being subjected to constant double teams in the paint. The lack of points from the inside turned the Tar Heels into a jump-shooting team where they looked painfully average in comparison to their counterparts. Both teams hit six treys, but North Carolina had to jack up nine more attempts. Danny Green (21 points, 3-4 from downtown) single-handedly kept North Carolina in the game with his hot shooting and defense, but when he fouled out in the final moments, the Tar Heels just couldn't shoot their way back into the game.

Wake Forest, on the other hand, was able to handle the moment admirably by shooting 47%, forcing 18 turnovers and getting solid play from the frontcourt. Although two of their starting forwards fouled out, the front line for the Demon Deacons had seven blocks and consistently made life treacherous for any Tar Heel trying to get an easy basket inside. Wake's depth inside gave them plenty of fouls to legislate, with sophomore James Johnson and freshman Al-Farouq Aminu each using up all five. Even though Johnson and Aminu came up well short of their season averages in points and rebounds, it was another big man who came up big. Center Chas McFarland had a tough matchup inside facing off with Hansbrough, but responded by playing his best all-around game of the season pitching in with a season-high 20 points and nine rebounds. While extremely young, it has been the steady improvement of Teague, and the development of their three bigs that have launched the Demon Deacons into one of the nation's most explosive teams. The Tar Heels found out just how dangerous they are on Sunday night.

Joshi's Sweet 16

1. Pittsburgh (15-0): Panthers enjoy their first-game ever as the top-ranked team by routing St. Johns 90-67

2. Wake Forest (14-0): The question now becomes: How do the young Demon Deacons handle prosperity?

3. Duke (14-1): Blue Devils have had a propensity of blowing big leads up late, but have still been playing intense defense.

4. Connecticut (14-1): The Huskies are playing under the shadow of the top-ranked Panthers in the Big East, which may not be a bad thing for this group.

5. North Carolina (14-2): For the first time probably ever, the Tar Heels struggled to find the offense needed to win against Wake.

6. Oklahoma (15-1):
Sooners will have the opportunity to earn revenge for their football team with the Red River Shootout tonight.

7. Syracuse (16-1):
The opening to the Big East schedule has been kind to the Orange, with their first four in league against lightweights, but it won't last long as a trip to Georgetown awaits this week.

8. Michigan State (13-2): Izzo's Spartans look to be the class of the Big Ten as the only undefeated team left in league play.

9. Texas (12-3):
Leading scorer AJ Abrams is struggling, only reaching double figures once in his last five.

10. Clemson (16-0): Starting fast has become an annual ritual for the Tigers, but they must work on finishing the season in form.

11. UCLA (13-2):
Ben Howland has his team on a nice nine-game winning streak and the Bruins are doing it, as usual, with a stingy defense (58 ppg allowed).

12. Notre Dame (12-3):
Irish embark on just another road trip in the Big East, with games at Louisville and Syracuse upcoming this week.

13. Georgetown (11-3):
The Hoyas had a game with Providence sandwiched in between two treacherous three game stretches; the second three game set includes games against Syracuse, Duke, and West Virginia.

14. Marquette (15-2): The Golden Eagles are tied at the top of the Big East with Syracuse at 4-0, and get another week of cupcakes before the hard work starts.

15. Minnesota (15-1):
It hasn't taken Tubby Smith very long to turn the Golden Gophers back into a contender.

16. Arizona State (14-2):
Along with California, the Sun Devils are the best threat to UCLA's throne at the top of the Pac-10.

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