Wake Forest vs South Carolina State: Preview and Prediction
Wake Forest hosts South Carolina State on Wednesday night at the LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem North Carolina.
Gameday Info:
Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ACCN
Spread: Wake Forest -26.5
Over/under: 145.5
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Wake Forest Overview:
Record: 4-1
KenPom Ranking: 75th (58th Offensive, 91st Defensive)
The Demon Deacons were undefeated heading into the Championship game of the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic, and found themselves trailing by 10 at halftime to Loyola Marymount. Wake found their footing in the second half, building an eight point lead with under two minutes to go. But Tyree Appleby turned the ball over three times in the final two minutes, and the lead slipped away. Loyola’s Cam Shelton drilled a three pointer in the final moments of regulation to send the game to overtime. Matthew Marsh missed a put back chance in the final moments of OT and the Deacs lost 77-75.
READ: ACC Basketball Power Rankings Week 2
Appleby has been fantastic all year (19.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.4 apg, 2.0 stl) but his late game decision making was inexcusable for a fifth-year point guard. Loyola is a tough team so it isn’t a horrible loss because of the opponent, but it could be one that comes back to bite the Deacs in March. Before that game, Wake had been solid down the stretch of games, using a bit of magic to take down Utah Valley, and executing late to pull away against Fairfield and Georgia.
Daivien Williamson was dealing with an injury and didn’t play in the final quarter of the game. His status for tonight’s game is unknown.
Click the links below for our thoughts on the last three games played of by the Deacs:
Takeaways from Wake Forest's 77-75 loss to Loyola Marymount
Takeaways from Wake Forest's 75-63 win over La Salle
Takeaways from Wake Forest's 68-65 win over Utah Valley
South Carolina State Team Overview:
Record: 0-5
Conference: MEAC
KenPom Ranking: 348th (342nd Off, 337th Def)
South Carolina State was the last team in Division to find a new head coach this offseason. Tony Madlock bolted for Alabama State this summer after one year of being the head coach for the Bulldogs, leading them to their best conference record since 2016 (7-7). Now in charge is Erik Martin, a former assistant at West Virginia under Bob Huggins.
Martin didn’t arrive on campus until July 13th, making it pretty difficult to build a competitive group in such a short time. Unsurprisingly, South Carolina State is struggling this season and has not won a game.
The Bulldogs only lost by three to South Carolina in their season opener, but things have been rough since. A 19-point loss to Tennessee State (KenPom 268), and a 25-point loss to Duquesne (116) shows how this team has failed to compete against some not-so-intimidating teams.
Martin isn’t afraid to look to his bench, usually going 11-deep. That depth combined with the fact that the Bulldogs aren’t very good is the reason why they don’t have a double-digit scorer. Their go-to guy is 5-10 sophomore guard Rakeim Gary, averaging 9.6 points a game on an abysmal 28.8% mark from the field. He’s averaged 14 points per game in his last two contests and leads the team with 12 made three balls this season.
READ: "The Conductor": The many talents of Wake Forest DT Kobie Turner
Why Wake Forest will cover:
South Carolina State only averages six made threes per game, and they only convert on a 30% clip from long range. Not having a single player average a double figure scoring output says more about their lack of talent than it does about a balanced attack. This is one of the worst teams in the country, so it shouldn’t be close at all. Wake could easily be up 20 at halftime and stretch that lead enough to cover the number in the second half.
Why South Carolina State will cover:
The Bulldogs have only lost by more than 25 points once this season and that was a 43 point drubbing at the hands of Kentucky in Rupp Arena. In their 80-77 loss to South Carolina, the Bulldogs connected on 11-26 threes, only turned the ball over 10 times and they were active defensively with five steals and six blocks. They are going to have to reach similar marks if they want to be competitive in this one, but they have put on display that they aren’t afraid to compete with a power conference school.
READ: Wake Forest vs Duke: Football Series History
Score Prediction: Wake Forest 82 South Carolina State 60
I’ll take the Deacs in a blowout but I have a hard time laying the 26.5. That’s a big number for Wake to cover against any team if Daivien Williamson isn’t good to go. Steve Forbes should have his guys locked in at home coming off of a pretty bad loss, so I’m expecting an easy victory. It can be pretty difficult to pick against big spreads, but I’d feel more comfortable taking the points here.
The Pick: South Carolina State +26.5
Season prediction record
2-3 ATS
4-1 Straight up
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