MBB: Duke v Wake Forest (Sat, 1/11, 8:00 pm, ACCN) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[DavidBenAkiva]

Duke returns home for a game against Wake Forest on Saturday evening to take on the Demon Deacons.

One of these years, Danny Manning is going to get on the hot seat for his lackluster performance. I think it might be next year. Or maybe it will be the year after that? He has a guaranteed contract through the 2025 season and a monster buyout. It'll take a lot of losing for Wake Forest to bite the bullet and terminate the coach. At just 8-6 overall and 1-3 in conference, Manning is doing his part to make the decision for the AD.

Despite returning many top scorers from last year's team, the Demon Deacons are just so-so. Duke fans should recognize several names on the roster. Leading the charge is 6'0" SR PG Brandon Childress. The dynamic PG is not shooting the ball as well from distance (30%) this season as in years past, but is taking and making more shots from inside the arc and is averaging a career best 16 points per game to go along with 4.6 assists. Joining Childress in the backcourt is 6'5" JR G Chaundee Brown. Brown is progressing as a high quality scoring complement to Childress and is one of the better rebounding guards in the country, pulling in 6.5 boards per game. Childress and Brown are joined in the backcourt by a pair of 6'3" seniors, including starter Andrien White and reserve Torry Johnson. White, a transfer from Charlotte, is the better shooter of the pair while Johnson, in his second year at Wake after a transfer from Northern Arizona, is more of a slasher. Both see about 23 minutes per game, so expect to see them on the court. Freshman Jahcobi Neath (6'3") provides a couple of backup PG minutes to Childress.

Up front, The Demon Deacons are anchored by 7'0" JR C Olivier Sarr, from Toulouse, France. Perhaps Sarr is the reason for Danny Manning's struggles in Winston-Salem as Sarr was born Toulouse. Dad jokes aside, Sarr is a good if not great big man. He has doubled his production from his sophomore year, averaging more than 12 points and 9 rebounds per game in about 25 minutes per game. And he is doing that off the bench this season. In place of Sarr, Manning starts the game with a pair of young forwards, 6'8" SO Isaiah Mucius and 6'9" FR Ody Oguama. Neither Mucius or Oguama have much more than 205 pounds on their thin frames. Another thin forward, 6'8" FR Ismael Massoud from East Harlem, NY, rounds out the frontcourt options. Massoud might be the best shooter on the team. One wonders how the team will contain Vernon Carey, Jr. when they are starting players that more physically resemble wings and small forwards up front. Sarr might have to check in right away and avoid foul trouble throughout the night.

Overall, Wake Forest is a fairly mediocre team. They do not foul much at all and are a good defensive rebounding team. They appear averse to forcing turnovers and, outside of Sarr, do not have much size to throw at Duke. They are reasonably experienced in the backcourt and have a couple of dynamic playmakers in Childress and Brown. On paper, this will be the easiest game Duke has to play the rest of the season. After almost getting stung in Atlanta, look for Duke to exorcise some demons at home on Saturday night.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Duke returns home for a game against Wake Forest on Saturday evening to take on the Demon Deacons.

One of these years, Danny Manning is going to get on the hot seat for his lackluster performance. I think it might be next year. Or maybe it will be the year after that? He has a guaranteed contract through the 2025 season and a monster buyout. It'll take a lot of losing for Wake Forest to bite the bullet and terminate the coach. At just 8-6 overall and 1-3 in conference, Manning is doing his part to make the decision for the AD.

Despite returning many top scorers from last year's team, the Demon Deacons are just so-so. Duke fans should recognize several names on the roster. Leading the charge is 6'0" SR PG Brandon Childress. The dynamic PG is not shooting the ball as well from distance (30%) this season as in years past, but is taking and making more shots from inside the arc and is averaging a career best 16 points per game to go along with 4.6 assists. Joining Childress in the backcourt is 6'5" JR G Chaundee Brown. Brown is progressing as a high quality scoring complement to Childress and is one of the better rebounding guards in the country, pulling in 6.5 boards per game. Childress and Brown are joined in the backcourt by a pair of 6'3" seniors, including starter Andrien White and reserve Torry Johnson. White, a transfer from Charlotte, is the better shooter of the pair while Johnson, in his second year at Wake after a transfer from Northern Arizona, is more of a slasher. Both see about 23 minutes per game, so expect to see them on the court. Freshman Jahcobi Neath (6'3") provides a couple of backup PG minutes to Childress.

Up front, The Demon Deacons are anchored by 7'0" JR C Olivier Sarr, from Toulouse, France. Perhaps Sarr is the reason for Danny Manning's struggles in Winston-Salem as Sarr was born Toulouse. Dad jokes aside, Sarr is a good if not great big man. He has doubled his production from his sophomore year, averaging more than 12 points and 9 rebounds per game in about 25 minutes per game. And he is doing that off the bench this season. In place of Sarr, Manning starts the game with a pair of young forwards, 6'8" SO Isaiah Mucius and 6'9" FR Ody Oguama. Neither Mucius or Oguama have much more than 205 pounds on their thin frames. Another thin forward, 6'8" FR Ismael Massoud from East Harlem, NY, rounds out the frontcourt options. Massoud might be the best shooter on the team. One wonders how the team will contain Vernon Carey, Jr. when they are starting players that more physically resemble wings and small forwards up front. Sarr might have to check in right away and avoid foul trouble throughout the night.

Overall, Wake Forest is a fairly mediocre team. They do not foul much at all and are a good defensive rebounding team. They appear averse to forcing turnovers and, outside of Sarr, do not have much size to throw at Duke. They are reasonably experienced in the backcourt and have a couple of dynamic playmakers in Childress and Brown. On paper, this will be the easiest game Duke has to play the rest of the season. After almost getting stung in Atlanta, look for Duke to exorcise some demons at home on Saturday night.

Thanks, DBA - you've been excelling with these game previews.

Let's go Duke!

[jimsumner]

After last season's near miss I trust no one at Duke will overlook Wake.

[Music man55]

Thanks DBA for that nice preview of the Deacons. I hope we don't take them lightly Sat.night. Remember a year ago, they came down to Cameron and darn near took us down. They are capable of giving us a tough game if we don't put them away early and squash them. Go Duke!

[Fish80]

“Dismember them, dismember them, tear off their arms and legs!”

Some of you may remember this old football cheer. Not PC anymore. Probably wasn’t back then.

[TKG]

Thanks DBA for that nice preview of the Deacons. I hope we don't take them lightly Sat.night. Remember a year ago, they came down to Cameron and darn near took us down. They are capable of giving us a tough game if we don't put them away early and squash them. Go Duke!

Just keep the final 10 secs of the SFA game on a loop on one of monitors in the locker room ....

[Gooch]

Duke returns home for a game against Wake Forest on Saturday evening to take on the Demon Deacons.

...
Despite returning many top scorers from last year's team, the Demon Deacons are just so-so. Duke fans should recognize several names on the roster. Leading the charge is 6'0" SR PG Brandon Childress.

Childress has to be the MVP of the "wait that guy is STILL there?" team. And his dad is probably the coach and GM...

Great preview. Go Devils!

[JasonEvans]

I just think everyone should remember our game last year... kinda an exciting ending.

[uh_no]

I just think everyone should remember our game last year... kinda an exciting ending.

I was in spain. it was some ungodly hour. thank god for the cheap mini bar in that room.

[wilson]

I just think everyone should remember our game last year... kinda an exciting ending.

I was in spain. it was some ungodly hour. thank god for the cheap mini bar in that room.

I very, very rarely feel this way or would say something like this, but we did not deserve to win that game, and looking back, I still feel pretty bad for the Deacs about that one.

[MartyClark]

This ACC network is driving me nuts. I live in Denver and can not get the games on Comcast.

I'll be in Chicago tomorrow. Can anyone recommend a Duke friendly bar in Wicker Park where I can watch the game?

[rsvman]

I just think everyone should remember our game last year... kinda an exciting ending.

This was kind of a recurring theme! Similar things happened twice in the NCAA tournament, too.

Likely all pay-back from the basketball gods for Grayson Allen's shot versus Kansas in the Elite Eight the year before.

[Faustus]

“Dismember them, dismember them, tear off their arms and legs!”

Some of you may remember this old football cheer. Not PC anymore. Probably wasn’t back then.

I vaguely remember hearing the following:
"Harass them, Harass them,
Compel them to relinquish the ball.
Maim them, Maim them,
Strew the field with intestinal gore"

But I could be wrong.

[chrishoke]

Seduce them, seduce them
Lay them all over the field.

[Tappan Zee Devil]

Seduce them, seduce them
Lay them all over the field.

That is something that I would have expected from Grossbus.
Although, having ridden on the original gross bus during my DUMB days, it could get a lot worse.

[BandAlum83]

That is something that I would have expected from Grossbus.
Although, having ridden on the original gross bus during my DUMB days, it could get a lot worse.

I still have the DUMB hymnal in a box in my attic.

[Tooold]

I vaguely remember hearing the following:
"Harass them, Harass them,
Compel them to relinquish the ball.
Maim them, Maim them,
Strew the field with intestinal gore"

But I could be wrong.

That was definitely a cheer in the 70s. Although I remember it like this:
“Harass them, harass them,
Make them relinquish the ball”...

It had a nice ring to it.

There was also a “fumble play” cheer.

Not sure if it started with the band or the cheerleaders. This was also the era when the head cheerleader stood on a platform and told jokes in between cheers.

[OldPhiKap]

“‘we beg to differ”

[HereBeforeCoachK]

This was kind of a recurring theme! Similar things happened twice in the NCAA tournament, too.

Likely all pay-back from the basketball gods for Grayson Allen's shot versus Kansas in the Elite Eight the year before.

...and this was maybe Jack White's worst sequence EVER...(well, there's always 0 for 10, but that wasn't really a single sequence)

Seduce them, seduce them
Lay them all over the field.

Back in the 70s and 80s the fraternities would put up huge paper signs taped to the stadia in some venues...in Williams Brice in Columbia they were handing from the second deck over hang. When USC played USC I did see this: "No Trojan Can Hold Our Big Cocks" (back in the day, Gamecocks was oft shortened...)

[Ruffdaddy]

This ACC network is driving me nuts. I live in Denver and can not get the games on Comcast.

I'll be in Chicago tomorrow. Can anyone recommend a Duke friendly bar in Wicker Park where I can watch the game?

When you get home start thinking about dumping Comcast. I'm in transition and got an Amazon Fire TV Cube ... $50/month but you can add onto someone else's account, at least for a while. It gives you YouTubeTV, which gives you the ACC network. So glad we'll be able to watch this game in the comfort of the home instead of on a small TV in the corner of a bar where everyone else is watching football!