3-0 in overtime games--I'll take that. Three straight OT wins at home? A Joel record. So we're 2-1 in the ACC, but the big challenges are coming up with Duke and UNC. Let's see what this team is really made of. Anyway, here's today's links.

FayObserver.com - Wake Forest football season wrapup
LOOKING AHEAD The Deacons lose 22 seniors to graduation, including five starters on defense and seven offensive linemen. Riley Skinner will be especially hard to replace at quarterback, where he was the starter for four straight seasons. The 2010 season will be one of the crossroads variety for coach Jim Grobe, left, and his staff. Can they regroup quickly and get back on the winning track, despite the heavy graduation losses? Or does Wake fall back into a cycle of losing that it maintained in the 1990s?

Terps waste big night from Vasquez - washingtonpost.com
"He's probably by far the quickest guy I've ever had to cover, and I thought for the most part I did a pretty good job," Hayes said. "If you asked me if that's the last shot they're going to get is him with a fade-away one-handed fall-away floater, I probably would have taken it, but he made the shot, so you've got to give him credit."

Gut check time: Wake Forest stomachs another OT, turns back Maryland | stomachs, check, time - ACC Basketball - Burlington Times News
"I don’t care what the stats say, Ish makes big shots," Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio said, referring to Smith’s 8 of 23 accuracy from the field. "I have all the confidence in the world in him. At the end of the game, I want the ball in his hands."

Another OT victory
"I guess it's our resilience and doing whatever it takes to win the game," Smith said. "It's a tribute to the coach and it trickles all the way down to us. He challenged us before the game to see how tough we were and I think we met that challenge. "If we have to go into overtime the rest of the 14 ACC games we will, just so we can get a win."

Smith at his best again with game on the line
"Excuse the redundancy," Gaudio said, clicking off the times Smith has delivered, beginning with game-winners his sophomore year against Virginia Tech and Miami. He dazed Richmond once and Xavier three times down the stretch in Joel Coliseum games earlier this season. "He makes big shots," Gaudio said. "I don't care what the stats say. I have all the confidence in the world. At the end of the game, I want the ball in his hands."

Scout.com: McKnight Is One To Watch (Subscription)
There is a lot that Coach Whitfield likes about Eric McKnight’s play on the court. "Eric can do a lot of things on the court. He plays both facing and with his back to the basket. Eric also battles bigger guys down low. He is a tenacious rebounder and great shot blocker. He takes great angles on shots and is able to make some tremendous blocks. He is not a project at all. Eric has a motor that runs all the time."

Park Vista OL Cody Preble: I won’t pull an Elam on Wake Forest | High School Buzz
"This is exactly where I want to be," Preble said of Wake Forest. "If Florida or any of those other schools offer me, I’ll just say, nah, no thanks. "Wake Forest is a private school and there aren’t many kids there. I knew that’s where I wanted to be. I couldn’t think of anywhere else I wanted to go."

soccer365.com | us news | Who's The (MLS SuperDraft) Man?
While many people expect New York to grab Duka, I think they go with Wake Forest defender Ike Opara. As with Philly just below, I will instead look to their second pick, which falls 14th near the end of the first round. The Red Bulls have needs all over, so someone who can pitch in right away is preferable. It may be a bit much to hope Duka could drop that far down, so I'll tap the shoulder of another young playmaker with some jiggy in 'em. And why not another Demon Deacon? Midfielder Austin da Luz has a confident silkiness that was rarely seen in Red Bull colors last season.

Wake Forest nabs Preble, first local pledge for 2011
Wake Forest might want to rent an apartment in Palm Beach County. Maybe it already has.