Wake Forest @ Davidson preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 17, 2018 ) Davidson 63, Wake Forest 67

Wake Forest looks to rebound from a second loss and gain some confidence back when it meets in-state rival Davidson on Friday night in a non-conference contest at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. The Demon Deacons, who are in the middle of six straight games away from home, rallied to tie the game at the end of regulation before falling 67-65 against Charlotte last time out on Sunday.

Coach Danny Manning said Wake Forest showed some fight and clawed back in the road game, but did not have “enough juice” to finish it with a victory after shooting 37.5 percent from the field and being outscored by 11 at the free-throw line. “We have to put more pressure on teams,” Manning told reporters after the loss. “We didn’t have our first free throw until 5 ½ left in the first half. We’ve got to have more paint touches. Then when we get our paint touches, we have to reward ourselves. We missed 11 layups throughout the course of the game and three in overtime.” Davidson comes in off a terrific performance after rolling to a 91-71 victory over Nevada in which the Wildcats connected on 55.9 percent from the field and 12-of-25 from 3-point range. Davidson, which dropped a 67-63 decision at Wake Forest last season, boasts five players averaging more than 11 points in the early going.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT WAKE FOREST (2-2): Senior guard Brandon Childress leads the team in scoring (17.8) and assists (5.5) after pouring in 19 points against Charlotte - his second-best output behind the 24 he recorded on opening night against Boston College. Junior guard Chaundee Brown is the only other player averaging in double figures scoring (15.8) and tops the Demon Deacons in rebounds (9.8). Center Olivier Sarr, a 7-foot junior, is filling up the stat sheet while averaging 9.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks and sophomore forward Isaiah Mucius has contributed 8.3 points per contest - but just five versus Charlotte.

ABOUT DAVIDSON (2-2): Junior guard Kellan Grady led the scoring onslaught for the Wildcats against Nevada with 24 and tops the balanced offense at 16 points per game to go along with a team-high nine steals. Sophomore Luka Brajkovic is averaging 12.3 points on 61.8 percent shooting from the floor with 5.3 rebounds while senior guard Jon Axel Gudmundsson (12.0 points, 4.0 assists) scored a season-high 18 versus Nevada. Junior guard Carter Collins (11.7 points) is also contributing along with sophomore guard Luke Frampton (11.5), who has drained 13-of-24 shots from 3-point range.

TIP-INS

1. Wake Forest freshman F Ismael Massoud had a season-high eight points against Charlotte, including a 3-pointer to tie it at the end of regulation.

2. Gudmundsson, last season’s Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, is the only player in school history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists.

3. Childress has 146 career made 3-pointers and needs five more to tie for 10th in team history.

PREDICTION: Davidson 78, Wake Forest 72