Miami Travels to Wake Forest & Looks for Eighth Straight Win

The Miami Hurricanes look to continue their winning ways against Wake Forest in their first ACC road challenge. UM hasn’t lost a game in over a month and will try to get a hard-fought win to open the new year. They have won their last seven games and got off to a great start to the conference season.

Last Tuesday, the Canes overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Pitt 76-69. The team switched to a zone defense, which caused a collection of Panther mistakes. Malik Reneau continued to lead the team offensively as he scored 28 points. Tre Donaldson also became aggressive in the second half to pour in 19 points. Now, Miami shifts focus to the Demon Deacons, who defeated Virginia Tech at home last Saturday.

Game Info:

Date: Wednesday, January 7

TV: ESPNU

Time: 7:00 PM E.T.

Venue: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)

FanDuel Odds: Wake Forest -1.5; O/U 155.5

ESPN Analytics Matchup Predictor: Wake Forest wins (53.1% chance)

Wake Forest Demon Deacons Overview:

The Demon Deacons are in their sixth year under head coach Steve Forbes. He got the Wake Forest job just before the 2020-21 season. That followed a successful five-year run at tiny East Tennessee State. When leading the Buccaneers, Forbes guided ETSU to two Southern Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

He was also the last coach to take the school into the NCAA Tournament, back during the 2016-17 season. Since then, they have yet to make the tournament again. He has rebuilt Wake Forest into a solid ACC team after it was mired in losing throughout the 2010s.

Still, the Deacons have yet to make the NCAA Tournament under his stewardship. Their last appearance was in 2017. As for this year, Wake Forest has gotten off to a decent start. They currently have a 10-5 record through their first 15 games and are 1-1 in ACC play.

Unlike Miami, this team has played more power league opponents during the non-conference slate. In November, they dropped games to No. 6 Michigan and No. 15 Texas Tech by a combined two points. However, things took a turn in December.

Despite beating West Virginia in an unofficial road game, they got blown out by Oklahoma and No. 13 Vanderbilt at home. Fortunately, they didn’t suffer an upset loss to a mid-major opponent. To start conference play, Wake Forest lost by 13 points to NC State before getting the recent bounce-back victory over Virginia Tech.

When it comes to their roster makeup, Wake Forest’s leading man is sophomore wing Juke Harris from nearby Salisbury, North Carolina. He has taken tremendous strides in his second collegiate season as he’s evolved from a bench warmer to a stat sheet stuffer.

The 6’7”, 200-pound forward has been WF’s leading scorer in eight of the squad’s 15 games. He’s averaging 19.4 points per game, but on okay shooting splits of .442/.316/.780. While not a great perimeter shooter, Harris isn’t afraid to let shots fly, as he’s attempted 98 3-point shots.

He is their top offensive weapon and has the highest usage percentage amongst all regulars at 26.8%. There isn’t much depth in the scoring department for Wake Forest. There are only two other players on the Deacons’ roster who average double figures. Junior Myles Colvin (13.3 PPG) is a two-guard who is a knockdown shooter from three (37.3%)

Senior Tre’Von Spillers (12.2 PPG) is Wake Forest’s best inside presence, usually being inserted at the power forward position. Going back to Colvin, he is the Deacons’ best long-range shooter by percentage. However, there are a couple of other notable marksmen who are on Coach Forbes’ roster.

Senior point guard Nate Calmese is the team’s starting point guard. He fits more in the traditional mold of point guards. Think of legendary Utah Jazz floor general John Stockton as a comparison in terms of play style. He leads the team in assists (5.1 APG) but has shot 36.7% from the perimeter, even though he’s not a high-volume shooter.

Another junior, Omaha Biliew from Waukee, Iowa, also shoots 36% from 3-point land and is usually one of the first players off the bench for Wake Forest. Cooper Schwieger is also a capable rifleman. Colvin is the team’s leader in steals, averaging 1.5 per game, and Spillers blocks over a shot per game.

Key Players to Watch

Miami: Malik Reneau

If it seems like an easy choice, that’s because it is. Malik Reneau needs no introduction to much of the college basketball world, and certainly not to Hurricanes fans. The hometown hero is Miami’s leading man and the face of the program.

So far, the former All-Big Ten Honorable Mention has lived up to the billing of being Jai Lucas’ first acquisition from the transfer portal. He has improved several aspects of his game, such as shooting. That, along with his great skills for an interior player, has allowed Reneau to blossom into a 20-point-per-game scorer.

Now, the challenge for the veteran is to fend off defenses and continue to carry most of the offensive load. In the conference opener against Pitt, Reneau began to face the daunting difficulty of having two or three defenders draped around him. Still, he was able to score efficiently, especially as the game went along.

If the Hurricanes are to improve to 2-0 in the ACC, they will need all they can get from the talented swingman. He will have his chances to stamp his mark on the outcome, especially when being pitted against a defense that isn’t considered top-notch. Look for a big outing from the Indiana star.

Wake Forest: Juke Watts

If you’re a fan of big man battles, then this game is for you. As mentioned earlier, Juke Watts is Wake Forest’s main outlet for offensive production. He is in the same boat as Reneau. However, one can argue that Watts’ output is more impressive, given the limited scoring talent around him.

He truly is one of the most impactful players in America. Without him, the Demon Deacons might be in a horrendous situation. His improvement as a player hasn’t been recognized by many just yet. He has flown under the radar, which is understandable given the fact that his team came into this season with modest expectations.

If Wake Forest were to make the NCAA Tournament, his impact on the program would be recognized by more in the college hoops world. Miami’s plan on defense will be centered around limiting the highly athletic swingman. It won’t be easy, but with UM’s great size and rim protection, it can be done.

However, it’ll still be difficult to fully shut him down. By the end of the game, Watts might post another 20-point night. The matchup between the two starting power forwards in this contest will produce eye-popping combined numbers. You might even catch some nasty highlights from Watts in this contest as well. With more seasoning, he can become a top NBA prospect.

Miami’s Keys to Victory

Take advantage of Wake’s poor defense: Miami has been one of the highest-scoring and best-shooting teams in the ACC so far. The Canes average 88.5 points per game, third in the conference. They post the best field goal percentage in the league as well (51.8%).

They have had some decent tests already and have excelled in putting the ball in the cup. They will have their grade-A chances against a Demon Deacons defense that has struggled all year. Wake has the fourth-worst opponent field goal percentage in the ACC (42.9%) and has allowed the third-most points to the opposition (74.3 PPG).

Miami has to have an efficient night and needs to take what the defense gives them. The lineup is saturated with capable scorers from each area of the floor. Take the best shots possible and avoid long scoreless droughts. If the Canes can score consistently, they will put themselves in the best position to grab another league victory.

Take care of the basketball: Now, while Wake Forest gives up plenty of shots and points. However, they also force their share of turnovers. The Deacons have posted the second-most turnovers (238) in the ACC and have the fourth-best turnover margin (+3.60).

Miami can’t afford to make a collection of mistakes if it wants to avoid a loss. At times, UM has had problems taking care of the ball. In fact, they have racked up 162 turnovers so far, tied for seventh in the ACC with Duke. Five of their top players average over a steal per game.

Miami can’t afford to be careless with ball-handling and passing. Everything needs to be executed to the level of winning basketball. The backcourt of Tre Donaldson and Tru Washington must take care of the rock more than anyone else, as they will face heavy pressure from Wake guards Colvin and Calmese.

Free-Throw Shooting: This game figures to be a close contest that will be decided at the line. This is the biggest area of concern for the Hurricanes. Now, Jai Lucas’ squad has emphasized that they need to get better in this aspect. Slowly, they’ve shown strides.

In the recent win over Pitt, Miami shot 77% from the charity stripe, as they connected on 20 of 26 foul shots. However, the team still ranks second to last in the ACC in free-throw shooting percentage (67.2%). On the other hand, Wake Forest ranks fifth in free-throw percentage (76.1%). Miami can’t mess up in key situations at the line.