NC State Wolfpack vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons Basketball Recap

NC State 90, Wake Forest 69

On a day that made little sense throughout much of the college basketball world, one of the conferences where order was maintained – and sanity was preserved – turned out to be the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In the ACC opener for both teams, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons traveled down Tobacco Road to visit the North Carolina State Wolfpack. After traveling that road, the Deacs quickly become road kill in what has been one unending nightmare of dreary, desultory and ultimately deficient basketball.

Jeff Bzdelik’s Demon Deacons have struggled early this season, including “bad” losses at home to Stetson, Winthrop, UNC-Wilmington, and Presbyterian. Sydney Lowe’s Wolfpack had rebounded from four early losses to quality non-conference opponents since the return of last season’s leader in scoring and rebounding, Tracy Smith. This was Lowe’s first home ACC opener in his five years with the Wolfpack. The crowd at the RBC Center in Raleigh was eager for a comprehensive clocking of the weakest Wake squad seen in quite some time, and on this afternoon in the Carolinas, the pro-Pack partisans weren’t disappointed at all.

NC State led by as many as 29 before the final 90-69 score. This is the first game that a Lowe-coached Wolfpack team has scored as many as 90 points in an ACC game. It’s part of the reason why the program hasn’t reached NCAA tournaments the way Lowe’s predecessor, Herb Sendek, managed to do.

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NC State out-shot Wake Forest 52 percent to 42 percent, out-rebounded the Deacs by a decisive 40 to 21 margin, and had 19 assists to Wake’s paltry total of just eight. These game-long totals were made possible by a first half whose contours and curves were noticeably similar. In the first 20-minute period, NC State led 28-20 before Wake answered with a 7-0 run to pull within one point, 28-27 with 8:20 remaining before halftime. The Wolfpack finished the half with strong defense and rugged play in the paint, outmuscling the Demon Deacons to fashion an 8-0 run which resulted in a halftime score of 40-30. NC State shot only 43 percent in the first half of play, but Wake Forest only hit 34 percent. Wake Forest was out-rebounded 22 to 12.

Tracy Smith led all scorers with 23 points and had 10 rebounds for the Wolfpack. C.J. Leslie had 19 points, and C.J. Williams shot an unexpected seven of eight from the field for 16 points and six rebounds. Ari Stewart and C.J. Harris had 12 points each to lead the Demon Deacons.

It is too early to say which teams might rise to the ACC’s second tier behind Duke, but Wake Forest is easily out of that conversation. The real question is if NC State can finally make some noise and show that this win was just a stepping stone to something bigger.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer