Wake Forest @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 12, 2019 ) Wake Forest 71, Miami-Florida 79

Two teams near the bottom of the ACC get together Saturday as Miami hosts Wake Forest in the only meeting between the teams this season. Both schools earned their fourth conference wins last time out, with the Hurricanes rolling over visiting Boston College 85-58 while the Demon Deacons dominated North Carolina 74-57.

"We're always excited to win an ACC game," Wake Forest coach Danny Manning told reporters afterward. "Whenever you play one of the Big Four schools (North Carolina, NC State, Duke and Wake Forest), you want to get that win as well. We're happy with the win and we want this to hopefully build some momentum for us as we close out our season." The Demon Deacons never trailed in the rout of North Carolina and at one point early in the second half, led by 26, their largest lead of the season. The Hurricanes also come off a dominant performance as their 27-point win over Boston College was their largest ACC victory since they defeated the Eagles by the same margin in Feb. 22, 2014. "I thought everybody was ready to play, I thought everybody gave great effort and I thought everybody executed the game plan," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. "Sometimes guys want to just go on their own, but tonight everybody was sharing the ball. We had 17 assists, which is a season high."

TIME: 2 p.m. ET. TV: Regional Sports Network

ABOUT WAKE FOREST (11-13, 4-10 ACC): Senior guard Brandon Childress remains the team's top scorer (15.0 points per game) after registering 14 points and a career-high 10 assists against North Carolina for his first career double-double. Andrien White led the Deacons against the Tar Heels with 15 points thanks to a team-best four 3-pointers, while Ody Oguama grabbed a team-best eight rebounds, but Wake Forest lost the battle on the glass 40-37. The Deacons held North Carolina to a mere 6.3 percent from deep (1-of-16), the lowest percentage by a Wake Forest opponent since 2004-05.

ABOUT MIAMI (12-12, 4-10): The Hurricanes were closer to full strength against the Eagles with Chris Lykes (16 points), Kameron McGusty (12) and Rodney Miller (11) back from injuries and all three scored in double digits. Freshman Isaiah Wong continues to show a hot hand, however, topping the team with 21 points to become the first Hurricanes freshman with back-to-back 20-point outings since January 2001 (Marcus Barnes) as he rang up 23 against Florida State. Miami registered its second-best shooting performance of the season against BC (57.7 percent), with a 40.0 percent showing from long distance, while defense yielded just 21.1 percent shooting from deep.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Wake Forest holds a slim 12-11 edge in this series, but Miami has won eight of the 10 meetings at home.

2. Childress is the only player in the ACC with a 30-point game and a 10-assist game in ACC action this season.

3. The Hurricanes embark on a three-game roadswing after this contest.

PREDICTION: Miami 74, Wake Forest 70