Cleveland State vs. Wake Forest - Midwest Opener
by Mike Rose
Wake Forest Demon Deacons 9:40 ET
Oddsmakers have lined the Deacs at -8, while the ‘total’ comes in at 137.
After upsetting Butler in the Horizon League final, plenty of big teams around the country prayed to not see Cleveland State in its bracket. The Vikings can slow down anyone, and simply play stifling defense. The unit ranks 11th in the nation in defense (58.9 points per game), and held several high-flying offenses under 40% shooting for the year. If there’s a huge bugaboo to look at in this game, it’s that the Vikings didn’t fare well in sports betting action against tourney teams. Yes, a 72-69 win over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome is incredibly impressive, but aside from that, the squad went just 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS against teams in the field. Only one opponent reached the 80-point plateau on the Vikings’ defense this season, and only seven reached 70.
That should make for a fantastic clash of styles, as Wake Forest averages more points per game (81.4) than Cleveland State gave up to any opponent this season. When you’re talking about Demon Deacons basketball, you have to talk about the bigs inside. F James Johnson, F Al-Farouq Aminu, and C Chas McFarland combine for 36.4 points per game and 22.6 rebounds. They all shoot over 50% from the field, as well. That parlayed with G Jeff Teague’s ability to take over a game at any second makes for a lethal combination of size, speed, and strength. Teague leads the Deacons in points per game (19.2), assists per game (3.5), and steals per game (1.9). He also shoots 44.6% from beyond the arc and 48.4% from the field overall. Wake ranks 4th in the country shooting percentage (48.9%) and rarely takes bad shots.
Cleveland State may be able to hang with the Deacons for awhile, but eventually, the size up front is just going to wear it down. The biggest equalizer for the small schools in this tournament is three-point shooting. The Vikes only shot 31.7% from three-point land this year, the 278th best mark in the land. That’s bad news against a team that held opponents to 30.2% from beyond the arc on the season. Look for HC Dino Gaudio and Wake to march on to Round 2.
Rose’s Recommendation: 2* Wake Forest Demon Deacons
(Rating Scale 1* - 5*)
