Three Things to Watch In Wake Forest Basketball's Exhibition
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Despite being in the thick of football season, basketball is not too far away! Fans will get a much closer look at the team before the season tips off on November 2nd, thanks to an exhibition this Sunday against Georgetown. This gives fans the first opportunity to check out the squad and should be a good experience for this new-look roster before they get into the season.
Back in action 🍿
— Wake Forest Men's Basketball (@WakeMBB) October 1, 2026
🔗: https://t.co/PkKM8C9yZb pic.twitter.com/ECW0qGuhVX
This will be the first of three preseason opportunities for the Demon Deacons. They will travel to Rock Hill to play South Carolina on October 15th and will have a closed scrimmage against Elon as the season approaches.
Let's dig into three big things you should watch for in Sunday's exhibition.
Utilization of Frontcourt
Last season, it was clear to anyone who watched that the Deacs' biggest weakness was in the frontcourt. They were undersized, and some players expected to play big roles at those positions underperformed. It is very evident by the way this season's roster is constructed that acquiring size was a key priority.
The Deacs have six players at 6'9" or taller, and all of them should make a legitimate impact on this year's squad. Talented freshman Gavin Placide stands at 6'11" and is likely the main guy to watch out of the bunch. He is only a freshman, but has loads of talent. The question is, can the Deacs utilize this size effectively? Who will be the biggest contributors? We will get our first look at that question Sunday.
Guard Chemistry
Sophomore Isaac Carr is the only returning guard on this roster who saw meaningful minutes last season. This backcourt looks a lot different, being rebuilt with transfers and former walk-on Vincent Ricchiuti, who is looking to earn some minutes after a stellar summer.
Kevair Kennedy is the likely starting point guard and may be the key guy to watch out of this group after transferring in from Merrimack. Jamari McDowell brings Power Five experience after two years with the Kansas Jayhawks. How well do these guys fit together? Justin Ray comes in from Monmouth with an extremely impressive three-point shot. How do he and Isaac fit into the fold? These questions won't be answered on Sunday, but we will at least get some ideas of how they may attack this.
Defensive Rebounding
Last but certainly not least, a lack of defensive rebounding plagued the Deacs consistently last season and especially in tight end-of-game situations. This season, it's a problem Wake looks to correct with their added size and scrappy guards like Kennedy.
So far, it is an area that Forbes said the team needs to keep improving on in his Wake Media Day press conference. It was also evident in watching the open practice that it is an area this team will need to continue to emphasize before the ball is tipped off in November.
Basketball is back, and I am super excited to get an early look at this team against some Big East competition. Wake fans in the area should definitely come out to see it, and fans not in Winston can tune in on the ESPN+ platform.
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Justin is a student at Wake Forest University. He is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and aspiring finance major interested everything sports. In his freshman year, Justin completed an internship with the Wake Forest Ticketing Department where he gained some valuable insight into the sales and operations aspects of collegiate athletics. Before working with Wake Forest On SI, Justin was a contributing writer for Wake Forest’s student publication The Old Gold and Black. Currently, Justin serves as a student manager on the Wake Forest Men’s Tennis team. In his free time Justin enjoys spending time with his family and friends on the golf course and traveling.