North Carolina A&T @ Wake Forest preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 10, 2018 ) No.Carolina A&T 78, Wake Forest 90

Wake Forest will wrap up a difficult non-conference schedule and look to enter the full ACC on a high note when it hosts North Carolina A&T on Saturday. All bodes well for the Demon Deacons to start a winning streak after snapping a three-game losing streak with an impressive win against Xavier.

Despite being perhaps the easiest opponent on the Demon Deacons' non-conference schedule, head coach Danny Manning said his team is not overlooking the Aggies. “It’s sitting down, staying in front of the ball with wide hands, keeping them out of the paint. They do a good job of going to the glass too and keeping balls alive, and they’re just really active,” Manning told the Winston-Salem Journal. The Demon Deacons have forced just 130 turnovers, 317th in the nation and third-worst in the ACC, but the North Carolina A&T has coughed the ball up over 16 times per game. The Aggies have also struggled to score, even in victories, averaging just 57 points on the season, leaving them at a measly 342nd in the nation.

TV: noon ET, ACC Network.

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA A&T (3-9): Senior forward Ronald Jackson has been the most consistent Aggie, scoring nine or more points in every contest, posting four double-doubles and is third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with 8.7 boards per game. Freshman Fred Cleveland Jr. is heating up, averaging over 15 points in his last three contests, highlighted by a career-high 21 in the team’s most recent game against Kent State. While not typically lighting up the scoreboard, junior point guard Kameron Langley has been a key facilitator, leading the MEAC with 58 total assists and 4.8 per game, in addition to hauling in 5.3 rebounds per contest despite his 6-foot-2 stature.

ABOUT WAKE FOREST (6-5. 0-2 ACC): Leading scorer Brandon Childress has been red-hot, breaking the 20-point threshold each of the last two games, and his 30-point performance against North Carolina State was the first of such for a Demon Deacon since 2017, all while averaging over four assists. French 7-footer Olivier Sarr, who averages just under a double-double with 13.1 points and 9.5 rebounds, has been cleared to return after missing the Xavier contest with a concussion. Chaundee Brown scored a career-high 26 against the Musketeers, leading to him being named ACC Player of the Week.

TIP-INS

1. Wake Forest leads the ACC in free throw percentage (75.7) and free throws attempted (23.9 per game). Brown is second in the conference with an 89.7 free-throw percentage.

2. The Demon Deacons have won every matchup against the Aggies by double digits with an average 24-point margin of victory.

3. The Aggies have the second-best scoring defense in the MEAC, limiting opponents to 68.4 points per game.

PREDICTION: Wake Forest 85, North Carolina A&T 55