Basketball starts tonight and I'll be making the trek down to the Dash to get my fix (plus it gives me the chance to see the seniors one more time). We all know the importance of the FSU game and make sure to check out Tomahawk Nation for our answers to their Q&A. Enjoy the links on your Friday.
Deacs set to tip off season
With last year's two leading scorers, Jeff Teague and James Johnson, now in the NBA, Coach Dino Gaudio said it will take stiff defense and relentless rebounding to keep the Deacons from sinking in the ACC standings. "That has to be our identity -- it really does," Gaudio said yesterday. "And if it is, we have a chance to win every game that we play."
Page 2 — College Basketball Futures - Odds to Win the ACC Championship — BetUS Locker Room
WAKE FOREST (+1500) was rated #1 in the country at one point last season, but dropped quickly, lost to Cleveland State in the NCAA's and watched as James Johnson and Jeff Teague left town. Because they have a nice leftover from last year's freshman class (namely forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Tony Woods) they can hang in there, and should be in the running for one of the conference's NCAA bids.
Today's College Basketball - CharlotteObserver.com
Oral Roberts (0-0) at Wake Forest (0-0) 8 p.m., Joel Coliseum This will be the teams' first meeting. The Golden Eagles return five letter winners, including two starters, from a squad that went 16-15 overall and 14-4 in the Summit League. The Deacons have won 15 straight openers, but only guard L.D. Williams, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Chas McFarland return as starters. This might be a test for Wake Forest without James Johnson and Jeff Teague. RB
CFB: The buzz, predictions of upcoming games | HonoluluAdvertiser.com | The Honolulu Advertiser
Florida State (4-5) at Wake Forest (4-6), noon, ESPNU THE BUZZ: Both teams are in desperation mode when it comes to becoming bowl eligible. Wake must win out over Florida State and Duke, while FSU has to win two of three while playing Wake, Maryland and Florida. FSU, which is without QB Christian Ponder, has lost three in a row to the Demon Deacons. THE LINE: Wake by 5. THE PICK: Wake 34-27.
Bowl list could be a bit short for ACC
If the ACC qualifies only seven teams, the No. 9 (Mobile) and No. 8 (D.C.) bowls will come off the list. If Wake Forest and Carolina are the sixth and seventh qualifiers, one might wind up in Charlotte and the other in either San Francisco or Nashville.
Wake Forest aims to avoid losing season - Sports - The News Herald
"As an assistant and a head coach I’ve been doing this about 35 years," Grobe said. "I’ve had two or three games in a season where we played right to the wire and came up short, but not this many times."
Central Catholic’s boys, girls hoop stars sign letters - BostonHerald.com
"Last season, it was tough with all the recruiting going on," said Desrosiers. "At some points I wasn’t 100 percent mentally for the team, thinking about recruiting things. Now, obviously it’s all over and I can just concentrate on this season."
Deacons announce three of their five
Three of Wake Forest's highly regarded five-man recruiting class signed letters of intent yesterday, and the other two are expected to sign today. Travis McKie, Carson Derosiers and J.T. Terrell signed their letters yesterday according to Steve Shutt, Wake Forest's assistant director of athletics for media relations. Although Wake Forest isn't allowed by NCAA rules to comment on a recruit until he has signed, sources familiar with the program expect Tony Chennault and Melvin Tabb to sign today.
My Take on Wake - The Starters Who Will Get it Started | JournalNow.com
Based on what I was hearing from the earliest days of practice, I half-expected Ari Stewart, a 6-7 freshman from Marietta, Ga., to begin his college career in the starting lineup. He’s the athletic wing with the ability to slash to the basket and help on both backboards that most college teams deploy. Gaudio said that the more Stewart progresses, the harder it will be to keep him on the bench. "He’s right on the fringe,‘’ Gaudio said. "We are just really excited about his raw talent. When he starts to figure out defensive positioning—we have a battery of sets and stuff that he’s still trying to get a grip on. When he does that, there’s no question he’ll be playing a lot of minutes for us.‘
My Take on Wake - Live Chat Set For Friday, 1 p.m. | JournalNow.com
This old dog is about to learn a new trick. On Friday (tomorrow) at 1 p.m., I’ll be your host ready to post on a live chat that can be accessed through our home page http://www.journalnow.com. Too bad there’s nothing to chat about pertaining to Wake Forest athletics these days, like the opening of basketball season or Saturday’s football game against Florida State that the Deacons must win to have any chance at a bowl bid. But I’m sure we can come up
