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Deacs Win With Strong Effort from Harris
The Deacs trailed with just under three minutes to go, but a 9-2 run by Juke Harris down the stretch powered the Demon Deacons to a win. In the absence of star player Nate Calmese, other player have had to step up, none more than Juke Harris. Harris not only had a big night for Wake Forest in the box score, but he was the spark of energy this team needed against Stanford. Wake Forest held a lead for just 7% of todays game, per ESPN.
Juke Harris. Again.
Have you heard this one before? Juke Harris was absolutely everywhere today for the Deacs. Harris finished with 25 points on 6-15 shooting while going 1-6 from three. Most importantly, Juke went 12-13 from the line, including some clutch free throws in the final minutes. Harris also had 7 rebounds and an assist, while also playing the full 40 minutes. Despite being only a sophomore, Juke Harris continues to show us that he is a player that can lead a program. We should consider ourselves lucky if he stays in Winston-Salem beyond this year.
As A Team
The Deacs turned in arguably their best team performance of the season, even if the box score may not be the prettiest. Only 7 of the 18 baskets the Deacs made were assisted, good for just under 39%. This is also the second time in as many games that the Deacs have outrebounded their opponent. As a team, the Deacs shot 42% from the field, 24% from three, and 88% from the free throw line.
The key to this game was free throws. Wake Forest got to the line 32 times compared to Stanford only getting 14. Wake Forest went 28-32 from the line, and this was more than enough to make up the difference on the scoreboard. All but one player for the Deacs that shot a free throw finished with at least 75% from the line. Stanford only had 4 players attempt free throws.
Mekhi Mason had a big night off the bench as well. Mason led the bench in scoring with 10 points on 4-8 shooting and 2-6 from beyond the arc. Mason also had 2 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Omaha Biliew only had 5 points, but 3 of those came off some very big free throws.
Moving Forward
This was a much needed win for Coach Forbes and crew. This moves the Deacs to 13-12 on the season and 4-8 in conference play. More importantly, this moves the Deacs into sole possession of the 14 seed in the ACC standings. This means that Wake Forest is one spot above the cut line to make the ACC tournament. And yes, the ACC tournament has a cut line now, due to the additions of Cal, Stanford, and SMU. If the Deacs want any chance of dancing in March, making the ACC tournament is the first step.
Up next, the Deacs take on the #20 Clemson Tigers on Wednesday at 7pm EST on the ACC Network. Clemson is coming off a tough 67-54 loss to the Duke Blue Devils. Clemson is currently 3rd in the ACC standings, and would represent a colossal upset if the Deacs can pull off the win come Wednesday. The big matchup against 15% Virginia is also still on the schedule, so the Demon Deacons have a couple of chances left to boost their tournament chances.
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