Wake Forest Set to Square off with West Virginia in Holiday Hoopfest
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Despite the college basketball season just ending, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons' first nonconference matchup for the year is set for the 2026-27 season. The Deacs will take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro on December 19.
This is the second game of the Deacons and Mountaineers' two-year Holiday Hoopfest series. Last year, the two met in Charleston, West Virginia, and now they will meet in Greensboro, both teams having a travel advantage in the neutral-site series. The time and television network for the game will be announced at a later date.
Matchup #1
In the first matchup this past season, Wake Forest got the better of West Virginia, beating them 75-66 in Charleston, West Virginia, on December 6. Juke Harris had a huge performance in this one, putting up 28 points in the victory. He hit seven three-pointers.
This game propelled Wake to 7-3 while it moved the Mountaineers back to 7-3. West Virginia was on the bubble for a little while, finishing the regular season 18-13, but did not make the NCAA Tournament. They did, however, go play in the College Basketball Crown Tournament and won the entire event.
They beat ACC-foe Stanford in a tight 82-77 overtime battle in the quarterfinals, before beating Creighton in the semifinals and then beating Oklahoma in the championship in yet another overtime battle. Winning this tournament should certainly send the Mountaineers into next season with some momentum.
Coach Ross Hodge will be back at the helm for his second season as Mountaineers' head coach, while Steve Forbes will be in his seventh season as head man for the Demon Deacons.
Year 2 of the series takes us to Greensboro 📍
— Wake Forest Men's Basketball (@WakeMBB) April 9, 2026
📰: https://t.co/pbiYDwtBmG pic.twitter.com/AdTNHDV47S
What's Next for the Deacs?
Wake Forest continues to navigate the choppy waters of the college basketball transfer portal. With Tre'Von Spillers, Mekhi Mason, and Nate Calmese all out of eligibility, as well as Juke Harris, Myles Colvin, Cooper Schwieger, and others hitting the portal, it will be a hard-reset offseason for the Deacs.
Today is the first day in-person visits are permitted, so we should start getting a better idea of where things stand and who the coaching staff is positioning to bring in.
As far as returners go, guard Isaac Carr looks to be coming back for his sophomore year in Winston-Salem. Four-star twins Gavin and Gallagher Placide should provide some reinforcements in the front-court as the Deacs continue to round out their roster for next season.
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.