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Wake Forest returns to the ACC-Big 10 Challenge following a one-year hiatus and will take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Demon Deacons are looking to bounce back from a very tough loss on Friday night against the Delaware State Hornets but will face a difficult task against a top 50 team in the nation. Minnesota missed the NCAA Tournament last season but were able to capture the NIT with a close win over SMU. Under control of new head coach Richard Pitino, the son of Louisville's Rick Pitino, the Golden Gophers have their sights set on the NCAA Tournament this season and are off to a 4-2 start.
For the Demon Deacons to win they will need to limit turnovers and get back on defense in transition to prevent Minnesota from getting to the basket at will. Junior Devin Thomas, who scored zero points on Friday night, will have to attack the rim aggressively while realizing when a double team is collapsing so that he can kick out for open jumpers. If Wake can get the inside-out offense working while knocking down good looks, Wake has a legitimate chance to get a solid home win over a prospective NCAA team.
The game can be watched on ESPNU and it is a national broadcast. As always, go Deacs!