Series History: Wake Forest Basketball vs Appalachian State
Wake Forest basketball has a chance to rebound from a tough loss against LSU when they take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Wednesday. App State is not known for their basketball program, but there’s no doubt the in-state rivalry will bring out the best in both teams.
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These two programs have faced off frequently on the basketball court. Wake Forest has played App State 17 times, good for the 19th most of any school. The Deacs have won all 17 matchups.
Of the 31 teams that Wake has played over ten times, the Deacs have the largest average point differential against App State. With an average margin of victory of 21.5 points, the Demon Deacons have dominated the Mountaineers in men’s basketball.
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The first Wake Forest-App State basketball matchup was in 1974. It was the first year of the App State basketball program, so there was no surprise that the top-25 ranked Demon Deacons won 106-60.
Although the two schools have played 16 more times since that first meeting, they have only faced off twice in the 21st century. In 2005, the No. 24 Demon Deacons hosted the Mountaineers in late November. A trio of seniors led the way for Wake Forest in this one — Trent Strickland shot 8 of 11 from the field and put up 25 points, while Justin Gray and Eric Williams also finished in double-figures. In the end, Wake Forest rolled to a 91-78 victory.
The most recent App State-Wake Forest basketball game occurred during the following season. On Nov. 25, 2006, the Mountaineers came to the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum to take on the undefeated Demon Deacons. Wake Forest was led by senior center Kyle Visser, but freshman Ish Smith turned in a solid outing as well.
Smith and Visser led the Deacons in this game like they did all season. Visser finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Ish Smith had 14 points and eight assists. This contest was closer than the previous year —Wake Forest won 88-78, one of only four matchups between the two schools decided by ten or fewer points.
And that brings us to the 18th matchup between Wake Forest and App State. Two vastly different programs facing off for the first time in over 10 years — if history tells us anything, the current line (likely to favor Wake by double digits) should hold true.
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