Wake Forest Can't Overcome Nightmare First Half, Falls to Clemson
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On Tuesday night against Virginia Tech, we raved about how this team finally came together and showcased some of its
greatest strengths. Well, Wednesday night against Clemson showed some of the glaring weaknesses that have plagued this team all season. The Deacs tried to work their way back into this one, but dug themselves too deep a hole after the first half.
Against the Hokies, Wake had seven players score in double-figures. Last night, three players scored all but five points for the Deacs. The offensive balance was simply not there. Let's go through some of the major issues that brought Wake's ACC Tournament run to a screeching halt.
First Half Struggles
Wake Forest played about as poorly a first half as they could have in this one. Clemson pretty much subbed five guys in and five guys out the entire half, and this proved to be successful. After starting the half with a 5-2 lead, Wake got outscored 39-18 until halftime.
Why did this happen? Well, it was a combination of Wake Forest getting absolutely nothing offensively outside of Juke Harris and Clemson shooting red-hot from distance. Wake's transition defense was poor, and the Tigers made them pay by cashing in on open looks. They made nine threes in the first half while shooting 50% from deep.
The Deacs went 10-28 from the field in the first half, and five of those made field goals came from Juke. That means the rest of the team made just five field goals the entire half, the complete opposite of what we saw last night.
When it was all said and done, Wake trailed Clemson going into the locker room in a commanding 41-23 deficit.
Second Half Chances
In the second half, Clemson shot the complete opposite, going ice cold from distance. They shot 8% from three-point range and under 30% from the floor. Wake, on the other hand, shot 58% from three in the second half. They ended up winning the half by nine, but just could never get fully out of the hole they had dug in the first half.
A big reason for the incomplete comeback was something that has plagued the Deacs all season: rebounds. Clemson got 11 offensive rebounds in the second half alone, as opposed to Wake's three offensive boards. The Tigers missed shots, but were able to get the rebound and drain more clock to stall any comeback effort from the Demon Deacons.
If it is the last we see of them, a trio of Deacs went out very strong. Juke Harris, who is expected to go to the NBA combine in May, finished with 22 points on an efficient 7-12 from the field. Senior Tre'Von Spillers had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. He went 3-4 from three-point range, something not normally considered a strength for him.
Senior guard Nate Calmese, who has been plagued by injury for most of conference play, had a very strong offensive performance. He scored 20 off the bench, while trying to will the Deacs back in the game in the second half. He went on a personal 9-0 run at one point.
These three played well, but the problem was that the rest of the Deacs only combined for five points. The balance mentioned on Tuesday was just completely nonexistent. If this is it for the season, it's definitely a tough way to end the year for guys like Mekhi Mason and Myles Colvin, who both did not score.
What's Next?
This is the first postgame article of the season where my answer to this question is: I don't know. The Deacs have officially been eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention but await the announcement of other postseason opportunities on Sunday. Steve Forbes said the Deacs would accept an NIT invitation, and the team wants to continue playing.
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.