Who is going to put this team on their back and carry them to the ACC Tournament?
This Deacon team has shown flashes of greatness over the past few months, while also falling into last year's mindset of playing to the level of your opponent. What's going to happen the rest of the way? Will we play with our opponents, or play at our own level and win these last three games in an impressive fashion?
We know what we are getting from Big Al (although he was absent from the 2nd half of the VT game), getting 17 and 11 is great for the team, we depend on it. Moving away from Al, we have to look to see what has worked in our wins: mainly Ish has played well, LD had played good defense and the freshmen have contributed.
Will LD step up and lock down the opposing team's scorer and maybe even contribute offensively himself? The biggest points in most of our wins are points scored by LD on a fast break, a huge dunk that changes the momentum of the game. LD knows that he is not an offensive force and we don't need him to be to win, but we do need him to play the best defense on the team and be the spark to start offensive runs.
With the freshmen, it's easy, score. CJ Harris and Ari Stewart score 6 more points a game in wins vs. losses. If Mt. Ari can hit his open threes and CJ can penetrate the lane, this team gets a bonus offensive threat. Can the freshmen get through "the wall" and play like they were 2 months ago? Is the strain of an ACC schedule catching up with them? I feel that while legs get tired over the course of a season, when everything is on the line they won't be thinking about their legs, rather they will be looking to drain the shot.
Finally, will Ish Smith be the guy to take this team to the postseason? Can he lead this team from the point guard position and facilitate a high powered offense? I think we will ultimately need Ish to step up and take responsibility for this team and take over on the offensive end. This team is at its best when Ish is playing his best. Look for this Wake team to go as far as Ish can take them.
side note: David Weaver, STOP GOING FOR EVERY BLOCK AND REBOUND, thank you
