Gameday Preview: Duke at Wake Forest – Sat Jan 25th 2025

The biggest matchup of the ACC season happens in Winston Salem on Saturday afternoon. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (15-4, 7-1 ACC) host the second ranked Duke Blue Devils (16-2, 8-0 ACC) at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. These teams sit first and second in the ACC standings and are the two hottest squads in the league.

The Demon Deacons are coming into Saturday’s matchup after a thrilling 67-66 win against Tobacco Road rival UNC Tar Heels. After an ugly first half which featured over 20 foul calls saw the Tar Heels take a 31-29 lead into halftime. The second half was a contested battle worthy of these two opponents. The Demon Deacons rode a 12-0 run to give them a 49-39 lead with just under 10 minutes left of play. The Tar Heels would battle back with their own 15-4 run to take a one point lead after timely threes from RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau, and Jae’lyn Withers. The Deacon’s Tre’Von Spillers and one basket gave the Deacs a 65-56 lead with a minute to go. The Heels RJ Davis drained a three at the buzzer to give the Heels the one point loss. After an extremely cold start, the Deacons Hunter Salis finished with 14 points and 9 boards, Cam Hildreth finished with 20 points (10-12 from the free throw line). The Heels were led by RJ Davis’ 21 points and Cadeau’s 14. RJ Davis passed Duke guard Jason Williams (313) by making his 315th three pointer good for 11th all time in the ACC.

The Blue Devils are coming off a week-long rest with their last game coming on 1/18 in Chestnut Hill against the Boston College Eagles. After chants of “overrated” Cooper Flagg and Blue Devils handled the Eagles 88-63. Flagg scored 28 points along with 5 boards, and guard Tyrese Proctor scored 20. Patrick Ngongba scored 16 points off the bench in relief of Khaman Maluach. 

Key Points:

Wake Forest

• Avoid the cold start they had Tuesday night against the Heels. If the Blue Devils are hot, they can bury the Deacs before the game even starts.
• Drive the paint and force the Duke D into fouling. The Blue Devils are still looking for a replacement for defensive star Maliq Brown, who is out for multiple weeks, off the bench. If the Deacs can get Flagg or Maluach into foul trouble, Scheyer will be forced to experiment with his lineups.  
• Enjoy home court advantage. The Joel will be packed and ready to explode. As long as the Deacs give them a reason to, the Joel should give them the advantage they need to make the Blue Devils sweat. 

Duke

• Start hot. A cold start could find the Blue Devils in familiar territory: fighting to come back from double digits early. Wake star Hunter Salis is coming off a below par game for his standards and will be looking to start off hot. 
• Take the crowd out of the game. The Deacons are undefeated at home in conference over the last 2 seasons making the Joel a tough place to find a win. If the Devils can play their brand of basketball they can neutralize the crowd, taking away a key advantage for the Deacs
• Build on Patrick Ngongba. The Freshman had his best outing in a Duke uniform Saturday in Boston. Coming off an injury, the Freshman needed a confidence boost which he has found. If he can repeat his performance while giving Khaman Maluach much needed rest, the Blue Devils talent should be able to give them the W in Winston Salem