Takeaways from Wake Forest's 66-58 win over Notre Dame
Wake Forest got a much needed win over Notre Dame on Saturday night, toppling the Irish 66-58. The rotation shifted with Damari Monsanto out of the lineup for the first time since his injury — here’s what we learned from the victory.
Lucas Taylor should continue to see major minutes
Before having his name called on Saturday, Taylor hadn’t seen game action since Wake Forest’s Dec. 14 matchup with Appalachian State. Taylor stepped away from the team for a while due to a personal matter, returning to the sidelines a few games prior to Monsanto’s injury. With Monsanto leaving a gaping hole in the team’s scoring production, some fringe players were required to answer the call. Taylor did exactly that, finishing with six points on 2/4 shooting beyond the arc to go along with two rebounds, two assists, a steal, and two turnovers en route to a +9.
Beyond the numbers, though, Taylor played with high energy the entire time he was out there and gave the team a noticeable spark off the bench after a sluggish start early in the first half. He played like a guy who was genuinely thrilled to be back on the court after a multiple-month absence. The team — and the home crowd — fed off his energy. After the game Steve Forbes even said Taylor gave the team a “good lift” in the first half.
Taylor and the rest of the bench will need to continue this high level of play down the stretch in Monsanto’s absence. Obviously, it’s a small sample size thus far, but grinding out a win immediately after your most impactful player suffers a season-ending injury is certainly encouraging.
Bobi Klintman is a starter
This takeaway is as simple as it sounds — Bobi Klintman belongs in the starting lineup the rest of the year, and I’d argue that’s the case even if Damari Monsanto was still healthy.
In his first collegiate start, Klintman finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two assists on 4/12 from the field (2/6 3PT) for a +5. The shooting numbers weren’t great, but I believe that’s actually encouraging in the grand scheme of things. Good players find a way to positively impact the game even when they aren’t able to score at an efficient clip, and Klintman did that in a number of ways, hitting the glass hard and coming down with a dozen boards.
The two blocks are also a major positive. One of Wake Forest’s defensive shortcomings this year has been a lack of rim protection. With Klintman’s 6-10 frame and exceptional wingspan, he could help plug this hole down the stretch and round out a Wake lineup that’s much harder to scout for defensively.
Klintman’s growth this year has been a lot of fun to watch and it’s clear he’s going to be a fantastic college basketball player when all is said and done. Right now, Wake Forest has their backs against the wall essentially need to run the table to find their way into the NCAAT field. With the odds stacked against them, I see no reason not to unleash Klintman for the stretch run.
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