Welcome toย The Sports Bankโs fourth annualย college basketballย season preview series where we break 111 teams in the 111 days leading up to the opening tip-off of the 2013-2014 season.ย We will rank the 84ย power conference teamsย (including the newย Big Eastย andย American Athletic Conferences) and top 27 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order.ย Weโll break down rosters, transfers, incoming freshmen, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
Itโs been rough going for Jeff Bzdelik since taking over as head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.ย The team bottomed out finishing 1-15 in the ACC a couple of years ago, and while there has been steady progress since then, Wake is in no position to make any serious noise in the expanded ACC.
WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS
Last Season: T-11th, 6-12 in ACC, 13-18 overall
Predicted ACC Finish: 13th
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Devin Thomas (So)/Andre Washington (So)
F: Arnaud Adala Moto (So)/Tyler Cavanaugh (So)/Daniel Green (So)
SF: Travis McKie (Sr)/Aaron Rountree (So)/Greg McClinton (Fr)
SG: Codi Miller-McIntyre (So)/Coron Williams (Sr)/Miles Overton (Fr)
PG: Madison Jones (So)
Gone: PG-C.J. Harris, G-Chase Fischer (transfer-BYU)
2013-2014 Outlook:
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons were incredibly young last season, boasting a roster with eight freshmen.ย With a year under their belts and only two rotation players gone from a year ago, Wake should be more competitive this season.
Travis McKie is the elder statesmen of the group but after a terrific sophomore campaign, failed to take the next step as a junior.ย His versatility in the frontcourt will be a key factor for the Demon Deacons is his final go around at the college level.ย Devin Thomas had a solid freshman year and will start inside with Arnaud Adala Moto and Tyler Cavanaugh competing for the other starting frontcourt spot.
There is good size off the bench with Andre Washington and Daniel Green who missed all of last season with a torn ACL.ย The seven-foot Washington has plenty of potential but just wasnโt ready to contribute as a true freshman so it will be interesting to see if game has made strides during the off-season.ย Aaron Rountree III and Greg McClinton add more depth in the frontcourt along with whoever of the Moto/Cavanaugh duo that doesnโt end up starting.
Replacing C.J. Harris will be the biggest concern for Wake heading into the season but it appears sophomores Cody Miller-McIntyre and Madison Jones will split time stepping into his role.ย The duo could start together but Robert Morris transfer Coron Williams will compete for the starter minutes next to CM-M (does anyone call him that because they should.)ย Williams will help replace what Wake loss in transfer Chase Fischer since Williams is more than capable of stroking it from the outside.ย Miles Overton will probably get lost in the shuffle this season.
Player to Watch: Cody Miller-McIntyre
Every team needs a guy who they can put the ball in his hands late in the shot clock and let them make something happen.ย Harris was that guy last year and CM-M is his likely replacement.ย He can make things happen off the bounce and if his outside shot improves slightly, might be headed for a breakout year.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/28 vs. Kansas (Battle 4 Atlantis)
11/29 vs. Villanova/USC (Battle 4 Atlantis)
11/30 vs. Xavier/Iowa/Tennessee/UTEP (Battle 4 Atlantis)
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#90 Central Florida
#91 Rutgers
#92 Drexel
#93 USC
#94 Charleston
#95 Seton Hall
#96 Vanderbilt
#97 George Mason
#98 Clemson
#99 Penn State
#100 Nebraska
#101 West Virginia
#102 South Florida
#103 Mississippi State
#104 DePaul
#105 South Carolina
#106 Texas Tech
#107 TCU
#108 Virginia Tech
#109 Georgia
#110 Utah
#111 Auburn
David Kay is a senior featureย NBA Draft,ย NBA, andย college basketballย writer for the Sports Bank.ย He also heads up theย NBAย andย college basketballย material atย Walter Football.comย and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities.ย David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu to Milwaukee.ย He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and theย most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draftย on the internet , AND the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft. (Yup, nearly 3peat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter atย David_Kmiecik.
