Don't Sleep on Wake Forest

Let's not say North Carolina and Duke early in ACC play, and be ranked No. 1 in January.

The Demon Deacons aren't just a flash in the pan, and that's because of their flash of a point guard, sophomore Jeff Teague. There aren't many guys in the country that play faster than Teague, a 20-plus-points scorer who is one of the nation's top 3-point shooters. He is one of the most unpredictable players in the game, and seems to even cross himself up at times by trying to do too much, which explains a pedestrian assist-to-turnover ratio. That's all forgivable. His 34 points, six rebounds and four assists in the January victory over North Carolina says it all: The Deacons will go as far as he takes them.

Ish Smith, a junior, is another backcourt blur and an inventive passer who looks to dish before shooting. L.D. Williams is a veteran swingman who has a lot of starts under his belt and a good understanding of what head coach Dino Gaudio wants done on defense.

Borrowing "pack-line" principles from ex-Washington State coach Dick Bennett, Gaudio and late Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser started changing the team's defensive approach a couple of years ago. Wake will pressure the ball, but won't deny passes. Instead, the rest of the Deacons prevent penetration and set up shop around the rim. They have the size to clog the area with a front line of 7-foot center Chas McFarland, 6'9" James Johnson and the explosive 6'9" Aminu. Wake has a pair of 6'11" players off the bench.

It all works together to be a shut-down defense. Duke shot 33.3 percent against Wake in January. By the end of that month, the Deacons were allowing teams to shoot less than 37 percent from the field. This is a team that could play on the final weekend.