Wake Forest assistant Brooks Savage talks Deacs' NCAA Tournament aspirations
With five games remaining in conference play, Wake Forest sits — for a second-straight year — squarely on the bubble looking in at a potential NCAA Tournament berth. At 17-9 overall and 9-6 in ACC play, the Demon Deacons hold sole possession of sixth place in the conference.
Yet, despite wins over traditional powerhouses North Carolina and Duke, along with an impressive victory against Clemson, Wake Forest ranks 74th in KenPom and 73rd in NET, both eighth in the ACC.
In turn, Duke and North Carolina are each over 30 spots higher than the Demon Deacons in NET. And Virginia Tech — a 5-9 ACC team that Wake Forest downed in late December — is ranked No. 56 despite being a non-factor in any “Bracketology” discussions.
READ: Week 14 ACC Basketball Power Rankings
“I don't think anybody really understands how [NET] works,” Wake Forest assistant coach Brooks Savage said in the ACC’s weekly teleconference. “I think it's probably designed that way.”
Savage, filling in for head coach Steve Forbes, who was away on a recruiting trip, also noted that his thinking was aligned with Forbes’ on the matter.
“We just try to play as best we can every night and try to win first and foremost,” Savage continued. “I don't know how much it really rewards winning. That would be my kind of question.”
Along with the impressive conference wins and close losses to Duke, NC State and Pitt — all by two points — Wake Forest played a tough out-of-conference schedule that included a win at Wisconsin. The Deacs also beat Georgia — a team that stunned blue-blood Kentucky — by 10.
Regardless, with recent developments, Wake Forest doesn’t hold a single Quad 1 win. Victories over Duke and Wisconsin have fluctuated back and forth between Quads 1 and 2 throughout the season.
While it’s hard not to take rankings into account as a coach, that is not the primary focus for Wake Forest. Winning is paramount down the stretch, and nothing else matters more.
“There's been talk about how much they are going to or not use [NET] in the room on Selection Sunday,” Savage said. “We just try to keep our head down and focus on the task at hand. When we look up at the end, our body of work will speak for itself.”
Being on the bubble is stressful. It’s a constant worry, and, at this point in the season, puts incredible value on every game. But with where Wake Forest has been over the past decade — going 42-104 in the ACC before the hiring of Steve Forbes — competing and fighting is exactly where they want to be.
READ: Three ACC teams stay in AP Top 25, Duke and North Carolina left without votes
“This is what we expected to do when we came here,” Savage said. “To get this program back where it belongs in the national conversation and go to the NCAA Tournament. We're close and we’ve just got to keep going.”
After the midweek bye, the Deacs have just the opportunity to force themselves even further into the NCAA Tournament conversation. Wake Forest’s next two games will be Quad 1 efforts against ranked teams — Miami and NC State — away from home.
“Everybody's really aware of where we're at,” Savage said. “We know we've got some work to do. There’s a lot of ball left. We’ve got to take care of business, one game at a time.”
Wake Forest tips off in Miami at 2 p.m. ET Saturday on RSN.
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