Megan Gebbia Has a Three-Tier Plan for Wake Forest to Move Up the ACC

ACC Tipoff revealed some telling information on Wake's mindset that helped them improve

Feb 12, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Laura Ziegler (0) shoots against Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Opal Bird (9) and guard Aurora Sørbye (2) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Wake Forest 86-67. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During the ACC Tipoff, lots were shared by notable Wake Forest women's basketball coaches and players about the mindset and strategy entering the new season. For the Demon Deacons, the focus was on showing their identity and how they hope to carry themselves in the ACC.

Players Opal Bird and Breauna Ware had valuable insights, but coach Megan Gebbia spoke directly about the framework the Deacons use to approach games in the ACC. Gebbia explained that this way of thinking helped Wake make the ACC tournament last season, and she hopes it will continue to help them improve as the seasons go on.

With a relatively easy non-conference schedule, much of Wake's focus will be on their ACC opponents and competing against teams at their level. This was revealed to be the key to Gebbia's plan for constant improvement.

Three Categories of Opponents

Wake Forest women's basketball head coach Megan Gebbia celebrates with her team after defeating Morgan State. The win marked the 200th career victory for Gebbia. | Wake Forest Athletics

Gebbia described how Wake's opponents are divided into three categories: teams Wake needs to beat to be in the top-25; teams it needs to beat to make the NCAA tournament; and teams it needs to beat to make the ACC tournament. Each section has about 5 teams, and Wake's goal is to move from the third tier to the second tier, where they are competing to make the NCAA tournament.

When explaining the rationale behind this system, Gebbia explained that it really helps the team focus and understand the reality of what they are facing. While big wins would help their resume come March, the middle-of-the-pack teams are what Wake needs to focus on being competitive with if they wish to rise to the next tier of ACC basketball.

Winning these games against these kinds of opponents will help the Deacons improve this season. They cannot afford to miss opportunities in these games, as they did plenty of times last year. If they can bring more energy and focus against tier 2 teams, there is a much better chance they will be dancing in March.

How Will Wake Become More Competitive?

Wake Forest head coach Megan Gebbia, left, forward Opal Bird And guard Breauna Ware, right, at the 2026 ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Nell Redmond/ACC Photo) | Nell Redmond/ACC

It was clear that Gebbia hopes to see a more aggressive team on both sides of the ball this season. Wake played a lot of zone defense last season, but they are hoping to play more man this season and use some press to force more turnovers.

With this change in defense, they hope to turn these turnovers into transition offense. With forcing turnovers being identified as a big issue last year, this defensive switch will hopefully lead to a more disciplined team and mindset overall.

Wake's switch in mindset will hopefully lead to better competition with some of the better teams in the ACC. If they can keep on building on their recent improvements and enter ACC play with confidence, the Deacons will be a sleeper team that could be alive and playing in March.