STATS
PROJECTED STARTERS
G C.J. Harris (15.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
G Codi Miller-McIntyre (8.1 ppg, 2.5 apg)
F Travis McKie (14.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
F Arnaud WM. Adala Moto (5.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
F Devin Thomas (8.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg)
STAR WATCH
Travis McKie - The talented junior leads Wake in scoring (14.0 ppg) and is second in rebounding (7.3). A versatile forward, McKie has the skill to beat defenders off the dribble but can also score in the paint.
Wake Forest Game Notes
LAST TIME OUT
• Wake Forest is coming off a 67-57 setback to Maryland last Saturday in Winston-Salem. The Terrapins took control of the game with an 8-0 run midway through the second half. The Deacons closed to four late but could not complete the comeback on Senior Day.
• C.J. Harris led the Deacons with 19 points and also grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists.
• Devin Thomas notched 17 points, nine of them from the charity stripe on 9-of-12 shooting, and pulled down a team-leading seven boards to go with three steals and a block.
• Travis McKie finished the game with seven points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
THE OPPOSITION
• NC State (21-8, 10-6 ACC) is coming off a 70-57 win at Georgia Tech on Sunday in Atlanta. The Wolfpack have won five of their past six games after snapping a three-game losing streak in mid-February.
SERIES HISTORY
• NC State leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 136-100. In its 237th meeting, the series is the second-most frequent matchup in the ACC.
• The series dates back to the 1910-11 season when the two schools were Raleigh-area rivals. Wake Forest took the first meeting, 33-6, and then went on to win 10 of the first 13 contests.
NEXT UP...
• Wake Forest will wrap up regular season play by hosting Virginia Tech on Sunday, March 10. Wake Forest is looking to even the series with the Virginia Tech (13-16, 4-12 ACC) after suffering a heartbreaking 66-65 loss in Blacksburg in January. The Hokies are at Duke on Tuesday before playing in Winston-Salem.
• The Deacons will then take their shot at an ACC championship, as the 60th annual ACC Tournament is set for March 14-17 in Greensboro, N.C. Wake Forest's last two Tournament titles, in 1995 and 1996, came at the Greensboro Coliseum.
THOMAS MAKING HIS FREE THROWS
For much of the season, one of Devin Thomas’ biggest
weaknesses was free throw shooting. However, the standout
freshmen has vastly improved at the line in recent games.
Since the Feb. 13 game at Boston College, Thomas has
made 24-of-32 (75 percent) from the line. He was 9-for-12 on
Saturday against Maryland and 5-for-6 the game before that
at Florida State.
Thomas was shooting 46 percent from the free throw going
into the BC game but has upped his season percentage to 53.8
percent (64-of-119) since his recent five-game tear.
ALL-ACC GUARD HARRIS KEEPS ROLLING
C.J. Harris has been a steady, productive force for the Deacons
this season. The senior guard has scored in double figures
in 19 of the past 21 games- a stretch that includes four 20-point performances.
Harris scored 23 points against Miami to help lead the Deacons
to a win over the No. 2 Hurricanes on Feb. 23.
One of the top scoring guards in the conference, Harris
ranks seventh in the ACC with 15.0 points per game. Harris
also leads the league in free throw percentage (86.1%) in all
games and in conference games (89.5%).
On the team, Harris leads the Deacons in scoring and minutes
played (33.0) and ranks third in assists (54), fifth in steals
(22) and sixth in rebounding (2.2).
Harris suffered an eye injury late in the NC State game but
came back in to hit a crucial free throw despite a severely
swollen left eye. He has worn protective glasses since the injury,
but they have not slowed down his production.
HARRIS IS THE ACC’S FREE THROW LEADER
• C.J. Harris leads all ACC players with a 86.1 percent (124-of-14) free throw percentage this season. Harris has also posted
an 89.5 percent (77-of-86) mark in conference games to lead
the league.
• Dating back to Wake Forest’s game against Duke on Jan.
30, Harris has made 45 of his last 48 free throw attempts for a
93.8 percent clip over that nine-game stretch.
• Harris had made 25 consecutive free throws heading into
the Miami game and converted his first attempt against the
Hurricanes before missing his second to end his streak at 26.
• This marks the third straight season that Harris has had
a streak of 20+ free throws made. Last year, he made 24
straight and as a sophomore he made 21 straight.
• Last season, Harris shot 94.7 percent (72-of-76) in league
play to lead the conference.
• For his career, Harris is an 83.7 percent (519-of-620) free
throw shooter, which is sixth in school history and 24th in ACC
history.
ALL-ACC STAT STUFFER TRAVIS MCKIE
One of the most versatile players in the ACC, Travis McKie
has been one of the best stat stuffers around.
McKie leads the Deacons in steals (39) and ranks second
in scoring (14.0), rebounding (7.3), blocks (28) and free throw
percentage (77.5%), third in 3-pointers made (31) and fi fth in
assists (32).
McKie ranks 10th in the ACC in rebounding and 12th in
scoring. He is also sixth in the league in steals and seventh in
free throw percentage. He is one of just three forwards ranked
among the ACC’s top 10 in steals.
McKie has scored in double figures in 17 of the past 20
games and in 22 games overall this season.
McKie has registered multiple assists in 12 games this season.
He also has 10 multi-steal games and eight multi-block
performances, including a career-high five blocks vs. Miami.
The junior from Richmond, Va. has four double-doubles on
the year, including back-to-back double-doubles on the road at
Clemson and at Virginia Tech.
MCKIE HEATING KIE UP FROM LONG RANGE
Travis McKie has hit multiple 3-pointers in six of his past
nine games, including two in four of the past six games.
Over the past 14 games (since the Jan. 12 BC game),
McKie has hit 22 of his 31 total 3-pointers for the season.
Going into the BC game, McKie had made 9-of-35 3-point attempts
for 25.7 percent.
McKie has 11 games with multiple 3-pointers this season,
six of which have come in the past nine games.
On the season, McKie is shooting 34.8 percent (31-of-89)
from long distance. He is shooting 41.4 percent (24-of-58)
from beyond the arc in conference games.
THOMAS IS ONE OF ACC’S TOP FRESHMEN
Since the calendar flipped to 2013, Devin Thomas has
proven to be one of the most productive freshmen around.
• Beginning with the Xavier game, Thomas has double-digit rebounds
in seven games and is averaging 9.0 rebounds. Before
the stretch, he was averaging 5.5 per game.
• Thomas leads all ACC freshmen in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and
blocked shots (1.4 bpg). He is the only rookie ranked in the top
10 in the ACC in each category, as he is ninth in rebounding
and sixth in blocks.
• Thomas ranks third in rebounding in conference games with
8.6 per game. He is also third in offensive boards with 3.0.
• Thomas has scored in double figures in eight of the past 13
games. He has shot 50 percent or better in eight of the 13
games during the stretch.
• Thomas has posted two double-doubles in conference play:
25 points and 14 rebounds vs. NC State; 11 points and 13
rebounds at North Carolina.
• A stat stuffer, Thomas ranks fourth on the team with 32
assists. He also leads the team in blocks (39) and is third in
steals (27).
• Thomas is able to play physical in the post without getting
in too much foul trouble. He averages just over two fouls per
game and has yet to foul out of a game this season.
• Thomas leads all ACC freshmen with seven double-figure
rebounding games. He has two games of 14 rebounds, which
is tied for the second-most by a rookie this year.
ADALA MOTO MAKING STRIDES
Freshman Arnaud William Adala Moto has made great
strides over the course of the season, turning in some solid
performances of late.
In the Deacons’ victory over Miami, Adala Moto started
and finished with seven points and four rebounds. He drilled
his fourth 3-pointer of the season against the Hurricanes.
In the Feb. 9 win over Florida State, Adala Moto had six
points on 3-of-4 shooting and six rebounds in 12 minutes.
On Feb. 16 vs. Georgia Tech, Adala Moto scored eight
points and went 6-for-8 at the free throw line.
Adala Moto scored a season-high 13 points at UNC, going
5-for-6 from the field. He also had four rebounds, two assists,
two steals and no turnovers in 20 minutes.
Adala Moto was also big in the Deacons’ win over NC
State, finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds before fouling
out late in the game.
Adala Moto has started each of the past six games and has
16 starts total on the year.
THIEVIN’ DEACONS
• Wake Forest is currently ranked second in the league with
7.1 steals in all games and second with 6.6 in league games.
• Wake Forest’s per-game average is its highest since averaging
8.3 steals in 2008-09. The Deacons averaged just over five
steals per game each of the past two seasons.
• Wake Forest has double-digit steal totals in five games, including
two in league play. Its opponents have had just two
double-digit steal games this year.
• Travis McKie leads the team with 39 steals. He ranks sixth
in the ACC with 1.4 steals per game.
• Madison Jones (34 steals), Devin Thomas (27) and Aaron
Rountree III (24) have also been solid on defense as well.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Wake Forest has endured a good amount of close games
this season. The Deacons have suffered seven losses by six
points or less, including four in conference play and two to
ranked teams.
The Deacons have two one-point losses on the year, suffering
last-second setbacks to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.
On the flip side, Wake Forest has won four games by six or
fewer points, including two in conference play.