Wake Forest vs Virginia Basketball Recap

Wake Forest 69, Virginia 57

Virginia 's presence as the last unbeaten team in the Atlantic Coast Conference wasn't going to last forever. On Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem, N.C., that distinction didn't just fall in an abrupt manner. It fell with a thud.

Coach Tony Bennett has worked wonders with his squad this season, but in Lawrence Joel Coliseum, he ran up against his team's lack of experience on the road against a quality opponent. A lopsided loss in the Carolinas showed how far the Cavaliers must travel before they can punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

In the first half, Wake's hounding defense punched Virginia in the mouth. Both teams started fairly slowly from the field, but at the 8:49 mark, the Cavs were stopped cold, floored and flustered by the energy of Coach Dino Gaudio's Demon Deacons. Virginia, under Bennett, has thrived because of the offensive patience the new coaching regime has demanded. That patience, however, wasn't in evidence on Saturday.

Wake didn't allow a single field goal to UVA in the final 8:49 of the first half, and when one includes the early minutes of the second half, the visitors from Charlottesville, Va., scored exactly one point in a 10-minute stretch. That's not a typo: one point in 10 minutes of basketball. Wake bolted to a huge second half lead, a cushion so thick that when UVA ripped off a 13-0 run, the Demon Deacons still owned a double-digit lead (55-44) with 4:22 remaining in regulation time.

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When Wake wasn't defending and pressuring the Cavs into submission, the Deacs used their potent point guard to shape the contours of this conference collision. Ishmael Smith, considered by many to be the fastest man in college basketball, dominated this game from start to finish.

It wasn't Smith's game-high 21 points that caught the eyes of observers. What stood out was the fact that Smith scored his points on 7-of-10 shooting and a 7-of-10 matching performance at the foul line. Smith created good shot opportunities drew fouls (Wake shot 29 foul shots to UVA's 16), set up his teammates, and even crashed the boards to boot. The 6-foot senior's excellence was so pronounced that Virginia often lost track of Wake center Chas McFarland. When Smith entered the paint, McFarland found the room he needed to operate near the basket. As a result, he hit 7 of 9 shots and provided a second source of scoring punch for the Deacs.

Welcome to the rigors of the ACC, Virginia. If Saturday's game was any indication, the Cavaliers have their work cut out for them as their season continues.

By: Matt Zemek
ACC-Fans Staff Writer

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