There was no stopping Wake Forest last season.
The Demon Deacons averaged 83.5 points in the nation, third best. The problem was that Wake wasn’t very good at stopping anyone either. Teams just flashed their E-Z Pass at the Deacons, who opened the gates, allowing 76.1 points per game.
That fatal flaw was evident in the Demon Deacons’ season-ending loss to St. Joseph’s in a second-round NCAA tournament game. They scored enough to win, putting up 80 on the Hawks. And they gave up enough to lose, 84.
Since that loss, coach Skip Prosser has sounded like a broken CD.
“This year we’re all about defense, defense, defense,” said Wake point guard Chris Paul. “That’s why it doesn’t matter if we’re the No. 1 team in the country or 4 or 5. Teams are going to give us their best shot, so we have to give them our best shot.”
Which is exactly what the Demon Deacons did Wednesday night in their 79-67 win over Providence in a Preseason NIT semifinal game that propelled them into tonight’s championship against Arizona at the Garden. The Wildcats advanced by edging Michigan 61-60 in overtime.
Before Friars fans had a chance to down their second beer, the Demon Deacons had opened a 28-10 lead. Wake held Providence without a point for six minutes and limited the Friars to one basket and two free throws in almost 14 minutes.
“They stunned us early,” Providence coach Tim Welsh said. “They stunned us with their defense. That’s the first time we played against a team that attacked us like that. We talked about it, but until you face it, you don’t know what’s it like.”
The 67 points, which the Demon Deacons also held Virginia Commonwealth to in a 14-point win, were the fewest Wake allowed since Feb. 12. Only twice did the Demon Deacons hold an ACC team to fewer than 70 points last season – woeful Clemson.
This season the Deacons, who return five double-figure scorers from last season, are averaging 89 points. But they’re giving up 70.5, 13 fewer than a year ago.
Of course, three of the wins have come against mid-major competition. North Carolina, one of several high-powered ACC teams Wake will face this year, scored 106 points Wednesday night in a 14-point win over Iowa in the Maui Invitational championship game.
“Skip now has a veteran team,” Welsh said. “Look at the numbers. Last year when they got beat, they didn’t get beat because of their offense. They have as much firepower as any team in the country. They got beat on defense. We looked at the tapes and this is a different team. They understand they have to play defense and they’re doing it.”