Gameday Preview: Wake Forest at California – Sat Feb 8th 2025

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (17-6, 9-3 ACC) continue their West Coast trip as they take on the California Golden Bears (12-11, 5-7 ACC).

The Deacons are coming off an impressive win against Stanford (15-8, 7-5 ACC) in a battle of ACC bubble teams. Cam Hildreth led the Demon Deacons with 22 points, Hunter Salis added 19. In a back and forth battle, the game featured 12 ties and 17 lead changes. The biggest difference in the game was the Deacs ability to make free throws down the stretch. Wake Forest went 25 for 33 from the line for the game and 15 for 16 in the second half including 8 consecutive after the Cardinal tied the game at 69 with 1:42 left in the game. The Deacs closed out the game, winning 79-72. The Cardinal were led by Maxime Raynaud with 16 points, 10 boards, and 6 assists. 

The California Golden Bears defeated the NC State Wolfpack (9-13, 2-9 ACC) Wednesday night snapping a two game losing streak. The Bears rode a 10-0 run to take a 72-57 with 90 seconds left to put the Wolfpack to bed. Jovan Blackshear Jr. scored 18 points for the Bears, Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 14 points. The Wolfpack have lost seven in a row.

Key Points:

Wake Forest:

• Keep Cam Hildreth out of foul trouble. Hildreth has been flirting with fouling out over the past few games. Hildreth is the heart of the Deacs, and their intensity goes as he goes. He is also their consistent free throw shooter, needed in close games. 
• Win the defensive battle. Cal has issues with turnovers. The Deacs need to turn them over, get out on the break, and get easy baskets. The Deacons need to win this game handedly, and put the Bears down early to make their tournament resume more attractive. 
• Win the Battle of the Boards- Tre’Von Spillers is averaging 8 boards a game, and Efton Reid brings in an additional 6. The Deacs need to bring in rebounds and limit the Bears second chance opportunities.

California

• Find range from behind the Arc- The Deacons struggle with the 3 point shot. If Andrej Stojackvic, who shoots over 30% from 3 or Jovan Blacksher (34%), can get hot from the arc, they can put distance between them and the Deacs.
• Force the pace- The Deacs struggle in transition defense. The Bears need to force the issue and run off of Wake’s missed shots. If they can get out in transitions and get easy baskets, they can pull out the upset.
• Attack the paint- Be aggressive on the offensive end. Force Wake into fouling early. Hildreth is prone to foul trouble and eliminating him from the game will give the Bears a massive advantage. 

Matchups to Watch:

Hunter Salis (18 ppg, 4 rebounds ) vs. Andrej Stojakovic (18 ppg, 4 rebounds)- The winner of this matchup will most likely lead their team to victory.

Cam Hildreth (14 ppg, 3 rebounds) vs. Jovan Blackshear Jr (11 ppg, 2 rebounds)- The battle of the “others”. If the stars have their typical games, it will come down to the supporting cast to win this game. Can Hildreth outduel Blackshear to bring home the W?