The Wake Forest Demon Deacons visit the North Carolina Tar Heels for a crucial ACC matchup on Wednesday night from the Dean E. Smith Center. Wake Forest comes into this one having won two in a row and their confidence continues to grow into 2023. For North Carolina, it has been a rocky start coming off of last spring's NCAA Tournament run, and with a loss the last time out, they are hoping they can right the ship in this one. Wake Forest won the lone meeting last year and there's no doubt that the Tar Heels will be looking for some revenge in the rematch.
Wake Forest hits the road for this ACC matchup and with back-to-back wins coming at home, they are hoping their good fortunes travel with them. With those two wins coming against Virginia Tech and Duke, heads have certainly been turned in the Demon Deacons' direction, which suddenly looks like a potential NCAA Tournament. In only three games, the road hasn't been the kindest to them this year though. They sit at 1-2, having lost each of their last two road games to Rutgers and Clemson. A trip to their in-state rival isn't going to be easy but with the confidence and momentum that this team is carrying from the holiday season, another upset could be on the horizon.
The Demon Deacons come into this one fully healthy, which should serve as a crucial advantage as well. With the Tar Heels struggling from a depth perspective, having a full complement of players could make all the difference. Injuries had this te am start slow earlier this season but as everyone rounds into form with each other, success continues to follow.
On the road again for the first time in a few weeks.#GoDeacs ??https://t.co/IqnOFcss7y
— Wake Forest Men's Basketball (@WakeMBB) January 3, 2023
Wake Forest's offense has led the way this season, which is good news considering it might take a strong push to keep pace with tar Heels. With the nation's 115th-ranked scoring offense, they'll be facing a defense that ranks 317th itself on the defensive side, which should give them ample opportunities to find success. As mentioned earlier, finding ways to get the Tar Heels into foul trouble will be key, especially with the depth the Demon Deacons possess with eight players averaging double-digit minutes. Tyree Appleby (18.4 ppg, 5.4 apg) has established himself as one of the most exciting point guards in the ACC and as he goes, so will Wake Forest in this one.