Catawba @ Wake Forest preview

Catawba at Wake Forest

Wake Forest hasn't played a basketball game in more than a month, but that idle time has come with plenty of change for the Demon Deacons.

They return to action with a nonconference game against Division II opponent Catawba on Thursday afternoon in Winston-Salem, N.C. This matchup was added last week once it appeared that Wake Forest finally was ready to resume competition.

"We're so far behind, it's scary," Demon Deacons coach Steve Forbes said. "Offensively, we'll be OK because we do have guys who can make baskets."

Wake Forest (2-0) hasn't played since defeating Longwood on Nov. 27. The Demon Deacons called off games because of positive COVID-19 testing, and later had at least one game nixed because of similar situations involving a would-be opponent.

The Demon Deacons have had several games either canceled or postponed, including Atlantic Coast Conference home games against Virginia (Dec. 16) and Syracuse (Wednesday). Now, they're slated to open ACC play Sunday night at Georgia Tech.

"No one, except the coaches and players within their respective programs, fully understand what each college basketball team is experiencing or has experienced over the past few months," Forbes said.

So getting back on the court against any sort of competition is deemed crucial at this stage. The Demon Deacons are 2-0 for the first time since the 2016-17 season, but they'll look different than a month ago.

Redshirt freshman Tariq Ingraham will miss the rest of the season and guard Ian DuBose is out indefinitely. Ingraham is recovering from COVID-19. DuBose is out because of an unspecified medical condition.

Ingraham scored 19 points on 7-for-7 shooting from the field in the opener against Delaware State. Two nights later, DuBose posted 14 points and five assists against Longwood.

DuBose said in a statement issued through the university that he hopes to return to game action this season.

There has been an addition for Wake Forest as well. Carter Whitt, who enrolled as a mid-year freshman instead of completing a full senior year of high school, is expected to make his collegiate debut in the Catawba game, Forbes said.

Forbes, a first-year coach at Wake Forest, has guided a team to a 2-0 start for the fourth time.

Catawba is 2-3, with its most recent game an 83-81 overtime victory at Mars Hill on Dec. 19. That was a South Atlantic Conference game.

This has been designated as an exhibition game for Catawba, which will be in its third competition of the season away from home. So the result won't count on the record for seventh-year coach Rob Perron's team.

Catawba, which is located about 45 miles away from Winston-Salem, went 20-10 last season and gained a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second year in a row before that event was scrapped. The Indians were picked to finish fifth in this season's SAC preseason poll.

Terrence Whitfield averages 17.2 points per game to pace Catawba, which has six players averaging double-figure scoring totals -- though two of those players have played three and two games, respectively. Ace Carter received the season's first SAC Player of the Week honor.

--Field Level Media