CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Wake Forest’s 71-56 win at Boston College on Saturday won’t make national headlines at all. It was a win over a team that most figure will battle to stay out of the ACC cellar. But the Demon Deacons are fresh off a bad year and in the midst of one with a lot of ups and downs, so they’re not about to downplay what this win means for them.
“This is another big step for us in our journey to be the type of team we all want to be,” said head coach Jeff Bzdelik.
Added forward Travis McKie: “I think it’s very good for our confidence, seeing that for many of us, it’s our first ACC road win. I think it builds our confidence up a lot and helps us continue to believe in our system and each other. As long as we play together for 40 minutes, we can play with anybody in this league.”
On several occasions in the second half, the Demon Deacons fended off rallies by Boston College. The Eagles never awakened in the first half, and while they played better in the second half they never got closer than three. Each time they did, Wake Forest had an answer at both ends, at times forcing turnovers and other times getting stops. The consistent result was a basket to open the lead up again.
Boston College started the second half well and got within 38-35 before the first media timeout. They would trade baskets, then later BC got within 44-40 on a three-pointer by Matt Humphrey. The Demon Deacons responded with eight unanswered points, and led by double digits for most of the remainder of the game.
Bzdelik said the team moved on to focus on Boston College as soon as Thursday night’s loss at Duke was over. That seemed apparent from the outset, as Wake Forest looked much more hungry than Boston College, who appeared to sleepwalk through much of the game. It was clear the Demon Deacons wanted to put an end to a three-game losing streak and a stretch where they had lost four of five.
There are plenty of areas where Wake Forest could use improvement. They shoot over 43 percent from the field, which is eighth in the ACC, and struggle from long range. They have more turnovers than assists and get out-rebounded by about four per night, the latter stat a bad one for a team not lacking size up front and having a solid rebounding small forward in McKie. It all adds up to them having the second-worst scoring margin in the conference, including the worst by a good margin in ACC play.
With the offensive issues, the Demon Deacons will need to keep up the defense they showed against Boston College. They held the Eagles to just over 31 percent shooting and blocked ten shots, and big men Ty Walker and Carson Desrosiers formed a presence that BC tried to steer clear of on several occasions. Walker blocked six shots and hauled down 11 rebounds, continuing to give them a presence they missed in the first nine games while he sat out due to a university suspension for violating the student code of conduct.
“It gives the guards confidence to get up into a guy, knowing that (Walker) is back there to help out,” said C.J. Harris.
The Demon Deacons don’t have much of a bench, which speaks to the talent shortage in the program at the moment. Part of that is a result of off-court issues, and it’s hurting this team right now. The bench has scored six or fewer points in five games this season, and part of that is inexperience since the three primary reserves are a pair of freshmen and a sophomore. In those five games, the Demon Deacons are 2-3.
On Saturday, it was basically freshman Chase Fischer and Desrosiers who produced, but that was enough. Both gave them different things, and just what they needed, as Fischer came in during the first half and hit a couple of three-pointers en route to 13 points, while Desrosiers had eight rebounds and gave them a presence BC didn’t want to drive inside against when Walker wasn’t in the game.
“I think our bench came up huge,” said McKie. “We’re not a deep team, and it’s well-documented. We’ve got to continue to fight, we’ve got to work with what we’ve got. If everybody contributes in their own special way, we can be a good team.”
Wake Forest is still a relatively young team despite five seniors. The core of the team is found in the younger classes with McKie, Harris and point guard Tony Chenault. Walker is the only senior who plays significant minutes.
Saturday’s win won’t make Wake Forest an NCAA Tournament team by a long shot. At this point, the only way that happens is if they win on Selection Sunday in Atlanta. But it will help them continue to try to improve on last year’s nightmare of a season and contend for one of the other postseason tournaments, something that would provide a boost to their rebuilding efforts.
